Impact of Whole Brain Teaching

Results on the academic performance in Algebra as reflected in the pretest and posttest mean scores of the students taught using:

Whole brain teaching techniques; and

Conventional teaching techniques.

Table 2: Pretest and Posttest Scores of Experimental Group

Score Pretest Posttest Description

34 – 40 0 4 Outstanding

31 – 33 0 2 Very Satisfactory

28 – 30 0 7 Satisfactory

24 – 27 0 9 Fairly Satisfactory

0 – 23 30 8 Did Not Meet Expectations

Mean 14.77 27.53

The data indicates that the pretest scores of all the 30 respondents from the experimental group range from 0 to 23 which can be described as Did Not Meet Expectations. The pretest mean score which is 14.77 can also be described as Did Not Meet Expectations. This can be due to the fact that the learning competencies are new to them and were not covered in mathematics 7. But after subjecting them to Whole brain teaching techniques, the posttest scores show that there were 4 respondents with scores of 34 to 40 which can be described as Outstanding; 2 respondents with scores of 31 to 33 which can be describes as Very Satisfactory; 7 respondents with scores of 28 to 30 which can be described as Satisfactory; 9 respondents with scores of 24 to 27 which can be described as Fairly Satisfactory; and 8 respondents with scores of 0 to 23 which can be described as Did Not Meet Expectations. The mean posttest score of the experimental group which is 27.53 can be described as Satisfactory. Table 3: Pretest and Posttest Scores of Control Group

Score Pretest Posttest Description

34 – 40 0 1 Outstanding

31 – 33 0 1 Very Satisfactory

28 – 30 0 5 Satisfactory

24 – 27 0 10 Fairly Satisfactory

0 – 23 30 13 Did Not Meet Expectations

Mean 14.90 24.27

It can be gleaned from the table that the pretest scores of all the 30 respondents from the control group range from 0 to 23 which can be described as Did Not Meet Expectations. The pretest mean score which is 14.90 can also be described as Did Not Meet Expectations. But after subjecting them to conventional teaching techniques, the posttest scores show that there was 1 respondent with a score of 34 to 40 which can be described as Outstanding; 1 respondent with a score of 31 to 33 which can be described as Very Satisfactory; 5 respondents with scores of 28 to 30 which can be describes as Satisfactory; 10 respondents with scores of 24 to 27 which can be described as Fairly Satisfactory; and 13 respondents with scores of 0 to 23 which can be described as Did Not Meet Expectations. The mean posttest score of the control group which is 24.29 can be described as Fairly Satisfactory.

It was evident that the scores of the students in both groups increased after subjecting them to Whole brain teaching techniques and conventional teaching techniques but the increase is higher in the experimental group which can be derived from the use of WBT techniques. This can be attributed to the study of Armijo (2009), as cited in Lockhart (2016), that there is a positive correlation between the use of Whole brain teaching and students’ achievement as this method increased students’ motivation and engagement that leads to improved academic performance.

Results on the significant difference between the academic performance in grade 8 Algebra as indicated by pretest and posttest mean scores of the students taught using:

Whole brain teaching techniques; and

Conventional teaching techniques.

Comparative Analysis of the Pretest Mean Scores of the Experimental and the Control Groups

Experimental Control

Mean 14. 77 14.90

Mean Difference 0.13

Computed t-value -0.176

Critical value (α = 0.05, 2T, 58 df) 2.002

Decision Ho: Not Rejected

Significance Not Significant

The t-test for independent means revealed that there is no significant difference in the pretest mean scores of the experimental and control groups since the computed t-value of -0.176 in absolute value is less than the critical value of 2.002. This means that the two groups have the same baseline knowledge on Algebra at the beginning of the study.

Pretest and Posttest Mean Scores of Experimental and Control Groups

Group Mean Difference Computed t-value* Significance

Pretest Posttest

Experimental 14.77 27.53 12.76 -17.784 Significant

Control 14.90 24.27 9.37 -15.273 Significant

*critical value (α = 0.05, 2T, 29 df) = 2.045

The t-test for dependent means showed that there is a significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the experimental group since the computed value of -17.924 in absolute value is greater than the critical value of 2.045. Similarly, there is a significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the control group since the computed t-value of -15.373 in absolute value is also greater than the critical value of 2.045. It was clear that the scores of the students increased after subjecting them to Whole brain teaching techniques which matches Armijo’ (2009), cited in Lockhart (2016); and Torio & Torio’s (2015) findings that WBT has a positive impact on students’ achievement but contradicts to Lockhart’s (2009), cited in Lockhart (2016) findings that Whole brain teaching has a negative effects on students’ academic achievement. Likewise, students who were taught using conventional teaching techniques performed positively good as well. Comparative Analysis of the Posttest Mean Scores of the Experimental and the Control Groups

Experimental Group Control Group

Mean 27.53 24.27

Mean Difference 3.26

Computed t-value 2.857

Critical value (α = 0.05, 2T, 58 df) 2.002

Decision Ho: Rejected

Significance Significant

The t-test for independent means revealed that there is a significant difference in the posttest mean scores of the two groups since the computed t-value of 2.857 in absolute value is greater than the critical value of 2.002. Therefore, the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the academic performance in grade 8 Algebra as indicated by pretest and posttest mean scores of the students taught using Whole brain teaching and conventional teaching techniques is rejected. It implies that the use of Whole brain teaching techniques is more effective in increasing the academic performance of the grade 8 students in mathematics than the use of conventional teaching techniques. The result supports the studies of Awolola (2011); Rehman, etal. (2012); and Elsayed (2015) that the use of Brain based learning strategies does increase the academic performance of the students in mathematics more than the conventional way of teaching.

Our brain is involved in everything we do. Therefore, it is essential that schools provide positive experiences to every student for effective learning to take place (Jensen, 2008, cited in Kharsati & Prakasha, 2017). Research indicates that incorporating Brain based learning strategy has significant contributions in improving the academic performance of students and one strategy under brain-based is Whole brain teaching. WBT has proven to be successful in numerous classroom settings in terms of capturing students’ interest, sustaining their attention, improving their behavior, increasing their engagement, motivation and achievement as revealed by various studies. In this study, it was revealed that incorporating Whole brain teaching techniques in teaching and learning process can increase students’ mathematics achievement significantly. This could be due to the fact that multiple areas of the brain are activated when using WBT techniques throughout the lessons. It was evident during the course of the study as the researcher observed that the students get excited and participative when the Class-Yes was used. They immediately response when called as compared to the students taught using conventional teaching techniques. It was supported by the study of Kelso (2009) that positive students’ response increased when WBT attention getters like Class-Yes were used in the classroom. The Five Classroom Rules combined with the use of Scoreboard were helpful in establishing the discipline in the class as the students are motivated to behave accordingly and participate in discussion to avoid getting frowny faces and accumulate smiley faces. Thus, the students are focused on the entire duration of the lesson. Cape Gazette staff, cited in Kharsati & Prakasha, (2017) stated that WBT enhanced students’ focus and attention in class. The Teach-Okay and Switch, when first introduced, were challenging. Not everyone was participating, but as the days went by, the students get acquainted with the method and everyone was engaged and cooperative. The researcher also observed that the students in the experimental group understand the lesson more easily and few questions were raised during the discussion as compared to the students in the control group. According to Biffle (2013), students learn the most when they are teaching each other. Hand and Eyes were useful in getting the maximum attention from the students, which creates maximized instruction time. The Mirror technique helped to represent various concepts and facilitate retention of the material through gestures. Though it was difficult to look for appropriate gestures for abstract concepts, it was highly observed that the students tend to retain the concept better when it is presented using gestures. Research proves that words when accompanied with gestures yields better memory retention (Howard-Jones, 2014). Whole brain teaching method reach diverse learners because of the memorable learning experiences which engage the students in learning, and in turn, increase their academic performance. This study proved that Whole brain teaching has a positive impact on the academic performance of grade 8 students in Algebra.

Conclusion

The academic performances of the students in both groups are almost the same at the beginning of the study and can both be described as Did Not Meet Expectations. But after subjecting them to their respective treatments, the academic performance of the experimental group which can be described as Satisfactory is higher than the control group which can be described as Fairly Satisfactory. The study revealed that the academic performance of both groups increased and the increase is higher in the experimental group which can be derived from the use of Whole brain teaching techniques.

The students’ academic performance increased significantly after subjecting them to Whole brain teaching techniques and conventional teaching techniques. Hence, Whole brain teaching techniques and conventional teaching techniques are both effective in improving the academic performance of grade 8 students in Algebra. Results of the posttest comparison of both groups showed that students in the experimental group learned better than those in the control group. It can be concluded that there was a greater retention of the topics learned when taught using Whole brain teaching techniques than conventional teaching techniques. Thus, Whole brain teaching has a positive impact on the academic performance of grade 8 students in Algebra.

Recommendations

Conventional teaching method can be used regularly with integration of Whole brain teaching techniques as these methods are both effective in increasing the academic performance of the students in grade 8 Algebra. Grade 8 mathematics teachers are encouraged to adapt and use as reference the Compendium of WBT-based lesson plans developed by the researcher as it may inspire them to use and apply the seven core teaching techniques of WBT in their Algebra class. It may also help them acquire the necessary skills to reach diverse learners in the classroom successfully and make Algebra a fun subject to learn.

School administrators should provide faculty development seminars that would venture on the discovery of an innovative and effective teaching pedagogy like Whole brain teaching that could enhance teaching and learning and help the school in achieving its vision, mission, goals and objectives.

The study was carried out for one quarter. Therefore, the longitudinal impact of WBT on students’ academic performance must be examined. Since the students will be exposed to WBT techniques for a longer timeframe, they will have a better understanding of which techniques help them learn and which ones are effective in improving learning. Practicing the use of these techniques may lead to a natural way of learning which in turn, improved their test scores.

The current research involved 60 respondents only using quasi-experimental research. Therefore, the results of this study could not be generalized to a broader scope. An in-depth study with a larger number of respondents can be done to further conclude the impact of Whole brain teaching method in students’ academic performance in Algebra.

Whole brain teaching does not center solely on Big Seven. Teachers can venture on other WBT techniques to actively engage the students with different learning styles by incorporating many different teaching techniques into one lesson. Moreover, similar studies can be conducted in the elementary and tertiary levels, in other subjects, as well as in other parameters to further prove the usefulness of Whole brain teaching method.