The brain is an amazing device. Expert opinion suggests that, in processing terms, the most powerful supercomputer is about half as powerful as the human brain, and only about 1 per cent as powerful in terms of intelligence.  Furthermore, we still know so little about the brain and 90% of what we do know, in terms of how it learns, has been found out in the last 15 years. 

When I talk to teachers about this, I often ask them, at this point, “And when did you do your teacher-training?”  In my own case, it was some 35 years ago, and in those days the only things we learnt, as I recall, were how to keep control and how to write legibly on a blackboard.  How times have changed!  Nowadays, continuing professional development for teachers is one of the most important aspects of a teacher’s career, and an indicator of an enlightened and progressive employer.  In Sotogrande International School, for example, not only do the school administrators model the patterns of learning they expect students to follow, but they train all their own teachers in 21st century learning strategies based on how the brain learns, and this is done over time through continuous professional development. 

 But back to the little grey cells: there’s another key aspect to the debate about whether a supercomputer can emulate the functioning of a human brain, and that is the question of emotional intelligence.  According to Marvin Minsky (2006, The Emotion Machine), the question is not whether an intelligent machine can have emotions, but whether a machine could be truly intelligent without them.  Emotional intelligence is just one of a number of intelligences which are recognised by educators, psychologists and neuroscientists as valid representations of a person’s mental capacity (see Howard Gardener’s prolific writings on multiple intelligences).  Sotogrande International is one school where research on learning actively informs teaching at all levels and perhaps that is why it is known as a ‘progressive’ school.  It certainly seems to be one where progress has been made: this year celebrating its 30th anniversary, and still growing in popularity and reputation. 

One of the reasons for this is its recognition that little or no learning can take place if children are not happy.  Children’s emotional experiences in the early years are critical to their development, their wellbeing, their ability to learn, and their capacities as social beings in childhood and beyond, and it is generally accepted that children who are frightened, bullied, humiliated or miserable will never be able to learn properly and of course will suffer unnecessarily.  Hardly a surprising revelation, but so many schools seem more concerned about their own performance (their place in league tables), rather than the well-being and happiness of the child.   It is more the exception than the rule that a school puts happiness and peace of mind at the top of its agenda.  To my mind, it’s the first duty of any school and Sotogrande International makes it the key element of its mission.

Everyone now recognises how important are the Early Years for later educational performance, emotional development, skills growth, reading and mathematics and even for effective higher education performance.  The best environment that you can give your child is one where a bilingual approach is taken from the very start.  Bilingual learning from the very earliest age, far from confusing a child, actually develops vocabulary and the ability to retain information.  Research indicates that bilingual children in the Primary Years outperform their monolingual peers by a measurable margin, despite having “more things” to learn.  Nor do they get confused, as many people imagine they might!  Other articles on this website about bilingualism testify to how effective it is if started early and how much it helps young learners.  Sotogrande International, for example, has a bilingual programme in operation for its nursery and reception programmes (3 and 4 year-olds).

A rich and stimulating environment for learning will ensure that the most is made of the young brain’s capacity to learn. Synaptic development is enormously enhanced between birth and four years: inter-neural connections, by which learning happens, are 40% more prolific at this age than at any other in life, and thus it is essential that the young child encounters wide-ranging stimulating and multisensory experiences.  In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the pre-school years and the beginnings of Primary are the most important of any years in the educational cycle, including all the learning years into adulthood, in terms of brain-growth, building the neural pathways, reinforcing the synapse connections and building the foundations for the future.

Can you remember your Primary School?  The chances are you can remember rather vaguely something factual, but quite vividly your emotions.  (I can remember learning to handwrite with a pen nib dipped in the ink-well, and the teacher who used to fill the inkwells on our desks, and flicking blotting-paper at other children!)  Research shows that emotional memories are more much strongly held and easily recalled than informational memories.  And every parent knows that the early years experiences for their children carry importance far beyond what may be imagined.  From this, we infer that the way a child feels in his or her first school – the security, the warmth, the emotions – will be as important or more important than what the child learns in any formal sense.  At Sotogrande International, that security and well-being is taken as seriously as the learning programme is.  In fact, you could say that inspiring very young children with the sheer enjoyment and fun of learning is the goal of early years learning in a good school.

Sotogrande International School is the leading day-and-boarding school in southern Spain.  Students open their hearts and minds to the joy of learning, discover their strengths, identify their passions and develop outstanding learning skills.  With a first class teaching team and magnificent facilities, SIS has earned an enviable reputation for innovation, global awareness and for making a difference.

Why not make a difference to the education of your child? School buses make SIS accessible from all parts of the coast and the availability of scholarships, and affordable monthly payment plans put the school within your reach.

Visit the website, sis.ac, or call 956 795 902 and talk to Ana Maria.