看不見的教室：關(guān)系、神經(jīng)科學(xué)和正念在教學(xué)中的作用

Kirke Olson

譯 者：馮 曼 黃雅馨

引言

學(xué)校是我們這個(gè)國(guó)家唯一能牽涉、觸動(dòng)每一個(gè)人的機(jī)構(gòu)。自公元前四世紀(jì)中期羅馬人創(chuàng)建正式的課堂之日起，教師就一直影響著學(xué)生的發(fā)展。在漫漫歷史長(zhǎng)河中，我們?yōu)閷W(xué)生探索出了諸多傳授知識(shí)的方法：講座、蘇格拉底式詰問、課堂討論、項(xiàng)目教學(xué)法、閱讀、家庭作業(yè)、幻燈片和視頻演示等等——這些都是大家在看得見的課堂上用來傳遞知識(shí)的工具。但是，很多教育工作者也隱隱感到：除了這些方法，我們的課堂似乎還有另外一些力量在起著作用。一些教師憑借自己的本能感知，很好地利用了這些力量，促進(jìn)并改進(jìn)了教學(xué)方式；還有一些教師，包括我自己在內(nèi)，由于忽視了這些力量，自然也受到了一些負(fù)面影響。

看得見的課堂背后有許多力量以看不見的方式運(yùn)作著，它們深刻影響了課堂中的教育主體、學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容、學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)間和學(xué)習(xí)方式。這些力量是無形的因素，忽視它們必將會(huì)引發(fā)各種問題。例如，教師可能不得不應(yīng)對(duì)學(xué)生與他人缺乏聯(lián)系而產(chǎn)生的痛苦和憤怒，不得不面對(duì)學(xué)生缺乏安全感時(shí)產(chǎn)生的緊張和心理壓力，因期望過高卻無情感支持而倍感挫敗，還有校外事件導(dǎo)致焦慮以及注意力不集中等連鎖反應(yīng)——這些不過是我隨口列舉的幾個(gè)例子而已。然而，所有這些問題都表明，看不見的課堂亟需我們的關(guān)注！一旦我們能發(fā)現(xiàn)這些年來一直隱藏在可見課堂深處的力量，我們就能針對(duì)性地解決這些問題。

看不見的課堂指的是我們所有人的微觀神經(jīng)連接和彼此之間內(nèi)隱的人際聯(lián)系。這些由神經(jīng)連接和人際聯(lián)系組成的網(wǎng)絡(luò)是我們教學(xué)、學(xué)習(xí)和生活中實(shí)實(shí)在在存在的、不可或缺的環(huán)境。

近年來，人際神經(jīng)生物學(xué)（研究人際關(guān)系、思想和大腦相互作用創(chuàng)造精神生活的學(xué)科）（Siegel，2012b）、積極心理學(xué)（研究成就最好人生和正確行事的學(xué)科）（Seligman，2002；Peterson，2006）以及正念（一項(xiàng)古老而又現(xiàn)代的實(shí)踐方法）（Kabat-Zinn，2005）不斷發(fā)展。其日趨完善的原則為我們發(fā)現(xiàn)并影響教室中看不見的課堂提供了堅(jiān)實(shí)的理論和實(shí)踐基礎(chǔ)，這不僅讓學(xué)生受益，讓自己受益，最終也會(huì)造福整個(gè)社會(huì)。我們無需等到問題出現(xiàn)才采取行動(dòng)，我們完全可以防患于未然，并同時(shí)有意識(shí)地去建構(gòu)更好的學(xué)習(xí)和工作環(huán)境?？梢院敛豢鋸埖卣f，如果您能充分了解看不見的課堂，它必將助您優(yōu)化、改善以前這些看不見的力量，從而助您創(chuàng)建出一個(gè)和諧、支持性的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境。這一點(diǎn)無論對(duì)幼兒園階段還是研究生階段的教學(xué)都同樣適用。

本書旨在從教學(xué)研究和教學(xué)經(jīng)驗(yàn)中提煉出實(shí)用易懂的法則，從現(xiàn)實(shí)、不完美的教育世界中找到源于真實(shí)的復(fù)合案例來闡明這些原則，并為教師在教學(xué)壓力與日俱增的當(dāng)下提供應(yīng)用這些法則的現(xiàn)實(shí)指導(dǎo)。大家或多或少會(huì)對(duì)案例中的學(xué)生感到熟悉，盡管他們的生活可能比我們經(jīng)常接觸到的普通學(xué)生更為艱難。作為心理學(xué)家，我們往往能比比其他職業(yè)的工作者更深入地了解人們的生活，這是由我們的社會(huì)角色所決定的。雖然我們?cè)诠适轮忻枋隽艘恍╇[秘甚至是令人瞠目的細(xì)節(jié)，教育工作者不一定都能全面了解，但故事闡明的原則卻具有普遍適用性。相信大家都明了：我們每個(gè)人都是人際關(guān)系網(wǎng)的一部分，謝天謝地，我們都幸運(yùn)地?fù)碛兄竽X內(nèi)部的神經(jīng)連接。

神經(jīng)科學(xué)：讓我們從大腦開始。教學(xué)對(duì)學(xué)生大腦結(jié)構(gòu)的改變比任何腦外科手術(shù)更為精密復(fù)雜。作為教育工作者，我們當(dāng)然不必為了教學(xué)去學(xué)習(xí)外科知識(shí)，但若能對(duì)基本的大腦運(yùn)作有所了解，將有助于我們理解一些讓人百思不得其解的學(xué)生行為，并普遍提升我們的教學(xué)水平。本書將針對(duì)性地提供一些簡(jiǎn)要、易懂的大腦功能描述。

人際關(guān)系：愛與教育有何關(guān)系？過去幾十年的大量研究表明，人類自出生那刻起，大腦就被塑造為在愛的澆灌下學(xué)習(xí)效果最佳。這種情況不會(huì)因?yàn)楹⑼M(jìn)入學(xué)校而發(fā)生改變，因此，在課堂和學(xué)校里培養(yǎng)積極的關(guān)系文化，能促進(jìn)學(xué)習(xí)，并創(chuàng)造更棒的工作氛圍。我深入分析了人類關(guān)系研究的方方面面，以便您了解如何在學(xué)生和員工中間應(yīng)用相關(guān)成果。愛與教育究竟有何關(guān)系？對(duì)，正如您將看到的那樣，無所不包的關(guān)聯(lián)！

優(yōu)勢(shì)主導(dǎo)。傳統(tǒng)教育更多關(guān)注如何發(fā)現(xiàn)學(xué)生的未知薄弱環(huán)節(jié)，并傳授知識(shí)。這種觀點(diǎn)有一個(gè)令人意想不到的缺點(diǎn)：它可能導(dǎo)致教育工作者低估甚至忽視學(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)優(yōu)勢(shì)和熱情。而發(fā)現(xiàn)和提升這種優(yōu)勢(shì)無論對(duì)教師還是學(xué)生，都是通往卓越和幸福之路。越來越多的研究表明應(yīng)該有目地幫助學(xué)生尋找優(yōu)勢(shì)，并且?guī)椭麄儗?shí)現(xiàn)和實(shí)施優(yōu)勢(shì)。

錨定正念。正念的操作可追古溯今。它對(duì)大腦的積極影響使其已然發(fā)展成教室中常用的教學(xué)手段。有關(guān)大腦的研究清楚地闡釋了正念的好處，我將討論如何在課堂中使用它，以及如何更好地為己所用。

我們要探討的研究成果不是晦澀的、孤立的、象牙塔里的所謂事實(shí)。我們將這些研究轉(zhuǎn)化成腳踏實(shí)地的可行辦法，以便對(duì)學(xué)生、教工和家長(zhǎng)產(chǎn)生一致的積極影響；無論學(xué)生是否面對(duì)艱巨的挑戰(zhàn)擬或充滿悲劇的生活，還是擁有正常的人生或者享有某些特權(quán)，都會(huì)感受到大有助益。本書案例均取自不同教學(xué)環(huán)境中困難學(xué)生的教學(xué)經(jīng)歷。這些教學(xué)場(chǎng)景，既有深受貧困所擾的農(nóng)村校園，也有相對(duì)富裕的城郊學(xué)校。然而，教授這些學(xué)生時(shí)的心理狀態(tài)，適用于任何環(huán)境和場(chǎng)景，適用于從幼兒園到大學(xué)高等教育階段的任何學(xué)生。

在第一章，我們首先揭示了課堂中看不見的因素。從大腦運(yùn)作開始，我們討論了如何學(xué)習(xí)愛，以優(yōu)勢(shì)為引導(dǎo)，錨定正念，為課堂打造卓越的學(xué)習(xí)體驗(yàn)提供了實(shí)際的方向。

第二章帶領(lǐng)我們進(jìn)入人類神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)運(yùn)作方面的思考，研究為什么學(xué)生和我們自己在學(xué)校和教室里需要安全感，并且這種安全感還至關(guān)重要。神經(jīng)科學(xué)告訴我們，如果沒有安全感作為基礎(chǔ)，教學(xué)和學(xué)習(xí)效果都會(huì)大打折扣。

第三章我們接著探討了在安全的基礎(chǔ)上，人與人之間的聯(lián)系對(duì)學(xué)習(xí)而言是必不可少的。人類自出生開始就被賦予了相互聯(lián)系的能力，這遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了課堂所能給予的完美體驗(yàn)，這一能力即使在學(xué)生進(jìn)入學(xué)校之后也不會(huì)發(fā)生改變。如果教師和管理者能密切關(guān)注教室和學(xué)校中的人際關(guān)系，學(xué)生的蓬勃發(fā)展指日可待；而一旦忽視，各種萎靡頹廢也會(huì)接踵而至。

第四章探討了大腦的自上而下和自下而上的注意力回路，以及如何利用它們吸引學(xué)生注意，并引導(dǎo)他們進(jìn)行學(xué)習(xí)思考。

記憶是所有學(xué)習(xí)的基礎(chǔ)，也是第五章的主題。本章首先探討了顯性記憶和隱性記憶之間的區(qū)別，以及它們相互支持和相互制約的機(jī)制。接著討論了記憶如何編碼、存儲(chǔ)和檢索；壓力和記憶之間的復(fù)雜關(guān)系；以及如何發(fā)現(xiàn)部分學(xué)生記憶困難的真正原因，幫助他們解決相關(guān)難題。

基于前面腦科學(xué)的理論和實(shí)踐，第六章借鑒了積極心理學(xué)，即研究人類優(yōu)點(diǎn)的學(xué)科，探究了平衡積極與消極的正面影響，幫助學(xué)生通過培養(yǎng)優(yōu)點(diǎn)來改善他們的弱點(diǎn)。我們將了解到，為什么以及如何采用優(yōu)勢(shì)培養(yǎng)法提升學(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)效果，并為管理層、教職員工、學(xué)生和家長(zhǎng)帶來尊重與和諧的關(guān)系。

第七章討論了正念的實(shí)際應(yīng)用，不帶任何偏見地關(guān)注當(dāng)下，通過正念幫助我們的學(xué)生（和自己）找到人生的中心位置，敞開接納新的學(xué)習(xí)方式并營(yíng)造和培養(yǎng)溫暖的社會(huì)關(guān)系。

在第八章中，我們又回到本書的開篇，將所有內(nèi)容整合起來，將人際關(guān)系、神經(jīng)科學(xué)和正念的原則和實(shí)踐交融在一起，探索各種改善學(xué)校和課堂文化的可能性。

根據(jù)我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，這種方法最好從上層開始，由管理層、教職員工共同實(shí)踐，以期獲得他們所希望看到的學(xué)生轉(zhuǎn)變。通常，這些經(jīng)歷本身，就能讓我們對(duì)學(xué)生的感知發(fā)生變化；甚至在直接應(yīng)用這些新方法之前，我們就能感受到課堂文化也在日益發(fā)生變化。我希望教育工作者能與學(xué)生并肩努力，在這項(xiàng)任重而道遠(yuǎn)工作中找到成就感和滿足感，真正幫助他們?cè)谖磥淼臍q月里于過上有意義、有收獲的生活，為我們的世界做出積極的貢獻(xiàn)。

版權(quán)說明：譯者受中國(guó)紡織出版社的委托對(duì)該書進(jìn)行了翻譯，目前尚未出版。發(fā)表在本刊的這篇譯文為書的序言部分，已經(jīng)經(jīng)過出版社同意，不存在版權(quán)爭(zhēng)議。

作者簡(jiǎn)介：Kirke Olson，美國(guó)心理學(xué)家。

譯者簡(jiǎn)介：馮曼，中南財(cái)經(jīng)政法大學(xué)外國(guó)語學(xué)院副教授。黃雅馨，中南財(cái)經(jīng)政法大學(xué)23級(jí)翻譯碩士生。

Introduction

School is the only institution that touches every person in this country. Teachers have been influencing the development of students since the creation of formal classrooms， possibly by the Romans in the middle of the fourth century BCE. Over this long span of time， we have discovered a host of methods for passing on information to our students： lectures， Socratic questioning， classroom discussions， project- based learning， readings， homework， slide film and video presentations， and more—tools the visible classroom uses to transmit knowledge. In addition to these methods， many educators have a vague sense that there are other forces at work in our classrooms. Some of us instinctively use them to support and improve our teaching; others， myself included， have ignored these forces and suffered the consequences.

There are a host of dynamics operating below the surface of the visible classroom that have a strong influence on who learns what， when， and how. These factors are invisible but will cause trouble if they are ignored. For example， a teacher might have to deal with disruptive behavior caused by a students pain and anger at the lack of connection to others， anxiety created when students feel unsafe， learning challenges worsened when students feel defeated by high expectations without emotional support， and inattention increased by anxiety from events outside of school—to name only a few. These troubles are signs that the invisible classroom needs our attention. They can be alleviated once we can see what has been hiding in plain sight all these years.

The invisible classroom refers to the microscopic neural connections inside all of us and the hidden human connections among us. These webs of neurological and interpersonal connections create the context for teaching， learning， and living.

We can uncover and positively influence the invisible classroom for the benefit of our students， ourselves， and ultimately the whole of society by using the evolving principles from interpersonal neurobiology， the study of the way relationships， mind， and brain interact to create our mental lives （Siegel 2012b）; positive psychology， the study of what is best with people and what goes right in life （Seligman 2002; Peterson 2006）; and mindfulness， a simultaneously ancient and modern practice （Kabat- Zinn 2005）. We dont have to wait for trouble to arise before acting. We can prevent trouble while we intentionally develop a better working and learning environment. It is not too much to say that learning to see the invisible classroom will help you begin to alter the formerly invisible forces and create an environment that supports learning. All of this is as true in kindergarten as it is in postgraduate study.

My goal in this book is to provide practical understandable principles drawn from research and experience， illustrate them with true composite stories drawn from the real imperfect world of education， and offer realistic guidance for applying them in the midst of the ongoing pressures of teaching. Hopefully the students in these stories will seem familiar， although their lives may seem more difficult than that of an average student. The role of psychologist allows one deep access into peoples lives that no other profession can offer. The hidden details and sometimes unsettling aspects of students lives illuminated in the stories may not always be obvious to educators， but the principles illustrated by them are universal. We are all part of the web of interpersonal connections， and we are all blessed with the connections inside our brains.

Neuroscience： Begin with the brain. Teaching changes the structure of the brain in far more complex ways than any brain surgeons scalpel. We educators dont need to study surgery to be able to teach， but a working knowledge of some basic brain processes helps us understand the puzzling aspects of some of our students and generally improves our teaching. There will be brief pertinent， understandable descriptions of brain functions as needed throughout this book.

Relationships： Whats love got to do with it？ Extensive research over many decades shows that from the first moment of birth， human brains are wired to learn best within the context of loving relationships. This does not change because children enter school， so cultivating a positive relational culture in your classroom and school supports learning and creates a better working atmosphere for you. I delve into the research on human connection so you can see how to apply it in the classroom with students and among staff. Whats love got to do with it？ Well， as you will see， everything！

Lead with strengths. Education focuses on discovering what students do not know， and then teaching it. This perspective has an unintended downside in that it can lead educators to minimize or ignore student strengths and passions. For educators and students alike， discovering and improving strengths leads to excellence and well-being. There is a growing body of research that supports purposely helping students find their strengths and shows us how to do it.

Anchor with mindfulness. Mindfulness is simultaneously ancient and contemporary. Its positive effect on the brain makes it a useful daily approach to the classroom. Brain research clearly shows the benefit of mindfulness， and I discuss how to use it for yourself as well as in the classroom.

The research results we will explore are not obscure， isolated， ivory tower facts; they translate into down-to-earth， practical methods that have a consistent positive effect on students， staff， and parents alike， whether the students have daunting challenges and lives filled with tragedy or lives of normality or even privilege. The examples included herein are often drawn from experiences with difficult-to-teach students in various settings. Some of the settings are plagued with rural poverty， some are from more affluent suburbs. The state of mind when teaching these students， however， is applicable in any setting， with any student from kindergarten through university.

In Chapter 1， we begin by revealing the invisible aspects of our classrooms. Beginning with the brain， we discuss how learning about love， leading with strengths， and anchoring with mindfulness provide practical direction for creating a superb learning experience in your classroom.

Chapter 2 takes us into a consideration of the human nervous systems workings to investigate why it is critically important for our students and ourselves not only to be safe but to feel safe in our schools and classrooms. Neuroscience tells us that without this foundation， teaching and learning are dramatically impaired.

Building on the foundation of safety， in Chapter 3 we explore why human connection is necessary for learning. Far beyond a nicety of the classroom experience， humans are wired from birth to connect with each other， and this does not change when students enter school. When teachers and administrators attend to the human connections in classrooms and schools， people can flourish; when they dont， people can languish.

Chapter 4 explores the brains top-down and bottom-up attentional circuits and how to use them to capture student attention and guide their minds toward learning.

Memory， the foundation of all learning， is the subject of Chapter 5. The chapter begins with an exploration of the differences between explicit and implicit memory and how they can either support or undermine each other. The discussion moves on to how memories are encoded， stored， and retrieved; how there is a complex relationship between stress and memory; and how adjusting our understanding of why some of our students struggle to remember information can help ameliorate their challenges.

Growing out of this brain science–based theoretical and practical foundation， Chapter 6 draws from positive psychology， the study of what is best in people， to explore the positive effect of balancing， helping students improve their weaknesses with nurturing their strengths. We will learn how and why a strength-nurturing approach can increase our students learning as well as bring respect and connection to administration， faculty， parents， and students alike.

Practical applications of mindfulness， the nonjudgmental attention to the present moment， as a means for helping our students （and our- selves） find our center and open to new learning and warm relating is the subject of Chapter 7.

We put it all together in Chapter 8 as we circle back to the beginning， weaving the principles and practices of relationships， neuroscience， and mindfulness into the possibility of improving school and classroom culture.

In my experience， this approach works best if it begins at the top with administration， staff， and faculty practicing together the changes they would like to see with students. Often， these experiences alone begin to influence how we perceive our students， and the classroom culture begins to shift even before we directly apply these new methods. My wish for educators is to find the deep satisfaction in the critically important hard work we do， side by side with our students settling into meaningful rewarding lives as they make positive contributions to our world in the years ahead.