"If children are to think critically, they must feel safe to take risks. And if the teacher insists on one correct answer and is going to evaluate them, children are not foolish. They will give the answer the teacher wants. But for making connections and actually changing their thinking on the basis of accrued knowledge, they need relaxed alertness – that is, safety and challenging learning experiences."
interview with Renate

"Geoffrey and I were working with teachers beginning to use a rich, brain-based approach to learning to read and write. The district suddenly mandated its own literacy program. All the teachers dropped the brain-based approach; they abandoned their new understanding of learning – they just implemented the district’s mandates. They were frightened; they did not have the self-efficacy they needed. In the mandated program, the students were scheduled to do unrelated tasks and drills every day. Soon, kids began to ask, ‘Why are we doing this? This isn’t any fun and we’re not learning anything!’ Geoffrey and I also asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Basically, the reason was fear; the teachers felt helpless in dealing with the district – they downshifted."
From interview with Renate Caine

If children are to think critically, they must feel safe to take risks. And if the teacher insists on one correct answer and is going to evaluate them, children are not foolish. They will give the answer the teacher wants. But for making connections and actually changing their thinking on the basis of accrued knowledge, they need relaxed alertness – that is, safety and challenging learning experiences.
from interview with renate

As for orchestrated immersion, children learn best if they are immersed in complex experiences and are given the opportunity to actively process what they have learned. The best learning happens when necessary facts and skills are embedded in experiences that relate to real life, when there’s a big picture somehow.
from interview with Renate