ABSTRACT
The hindbrain includes the upper part of the spinal cord, the brain stem and the cerebellum. The hindbrain controls the body’s vital functions such as respiration and heart rate. The cerebellum coordinates movement and is involved in learned rote movements. When playing the piano or hitting a tennis ball you are activating the cerebellum. Nobel Prize winning work by Roger Sperry in the 1970s increased our understanding of the make up of the cerebrum. Coating the surface of the cerebrum and cerebellum is a vital layer of thin tissue. It is called the neo-cortex. The word cortex is from the Latin word for bark, a metaphor to describe the outer layer. Teachers can also use the classroom environment much more effectively to make it become our silent ‘helper’. Schools, and indeed teachers, have to operate within the structures that are placed on them.
