Off The Beaten Path: Quantum Learning

Hall Houston, Hong Kong

Hall Houston is an English Instructor at City University of Hong Kong, English Language Centre. His first book, The Creative Classroom, was published in 2007 by Lynx Publishing (www.lynxpublishing.com). His professional interests include cross-cultural communication, discourse analysis, creativity and critical thinking. E-mail: hallhouston@yahoo.com

In this article, I will present the Quantum Learning model of teaching, which uses its own design frame. I will give some suggestions on how to implement this frame in your classroom. The Quantum Learning model is a research-based model of teaching. It's partially based on Dr. Georgi Lozanov's ideas that became the basis for Suggestopedia. Quantum Learning has been tested in elementary schools in the United States to good effect. Many schools found improvement in literacy levels and academic achievement.

There are 5 Tenets of Learning:

1. Everything Speaks - everything in the classroom imparts something important about learning.
2. Everything is On Purpose - there is a purpose for everything the teacher does.
3. Experience Before Label - students should experience the new information in some way before it is given labels and is passed on to long-term memory.
4. Acknowledge Every Effort - teachers must acknowledge student progress
5. If It's Worth Learning, It's Worth Celebration! - celebrating students' success makes students feel more positive about learning and gives them helpful feedback

There is a design frame to a Quantum Learning Lesson which involves 6 steps:

1. Enroll - teachers must first get students' attention
2. Experience - teachers need to provide a common experience before the learning begins
3. Learn and label - teachers present content, students add information to their schema
4. Demonstrate - students are given an opportunity to use their knowledge
5. Review and reflect- students reflect on their new knowledge
6. Celebration - the whole class celebrates the learning

Here are my suggestions for using the design frame in a language learning context:

1. Enroll - Bring a song, a picture, or some realia that relates to the topic you will cover in class. Let the students see or hear the stimulus, and ask them some questions about it.
2. Experience - Put students into pairs. Give them a role play scenario that relates to the lesson. Follow up by asking a few students to give you some feedback on how the role play went. Or give them a visualization exercise where they imagine themselves in a relevant situation.
3. Learn and label - Introduce new vocabulary, grammatical structures. Relate it to things they have learned in previous lessons.
4. Demonstrate - Provide an activity that gives students an opportunity to practice the new language.
5. Review and reflect - Quiz students to see what they have learned. Or ask them to quiz each other.
6. Celebrate - Praise students on their progress. Play some upbeat music.

For more information about Quantum Learning,

DePorter, B. "The Impact of Quantum Learning." New Horizons for Learning. www.newhorizons.org/strategies/accelerated/deporter2.htm

Quantum Learning Network - www.qln.com

DePorter, B. 1993. Quantum Learning. Great Britain: Judy Piatkus Publishers Ltd.

DePorter, B., Reardon, M., and Singer-Nourie, S. 1999. Quantum Teaching. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Expert Teacher course at Pilgrims website.