Have you ever heard the song “Brother Bones”? Imagine the sound of a catchy beat and the following lyrics,”Who is Brother Bones…he’s got 206 bones….”
Does the picture of a skeleton come to mind? That is just one of the Science based songs Professor Paul O. Briones, aka Professor Paul, performs in the twenty-five, fun and educational Biology lectures presented through Virtual Science University, an exciting new video-based education initiative designed to exciting students about science and help improve upon TAKS Scores. And research shows its working.
“The old school method of learning Science doesn’t work anymore,” said Briones. “I have spent more than 28 years in the classroom teaching Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and Physics. Kids today are different and science is difficult to learn. You have to be creative to keep their attention in the classroom. Music is a big part of students’ lives. That’s what motivated me to come up with the Science songs I use as part of my lectures.”
The learning initiative is based on the principles of the Multiple Intelligence Theory developed by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. He found that students had better retention and comprehension when teachers present their lessons in a wide variety of ways using music, cooperative learning, art activities, multimedia, and other methods.
“All students learn from three inputs- the auditory, the visual and the kinesthetic (hands-on). When you put all three together, kids will learn,” said Briones.
For the student who has given up on school or has never found his or her strength, music is sometimes the incentive that draws them to school each day. Additionally, because music functions are controlled in a different section of the brain than speech, music can help students remember things faster and easier. It activates students mentally, physically, and emotionally, helping the information to be activated within their memory systems, increasing the retention of information.
Virtual Science University’s unique learning initiative, launched in February 2009, has produced increased Science standardized test scores scores in every school where the learning program has been used. With lecture notes and pre/post tests included with each video, teachers can easily integrate this program into their existing Science curriculum.
Professor Paul Briones, an award winning musician, songwriter, and Science teacher, will showcase his unique program at the upcoming Convention for the Advancement of Science Teacher (CAST) in Galveston November 5-7, 2009
For more information and sample lessons, please visit www.virtualscienceuniversity.com.
For all media queries, interview and photo requests please contact Leslie Komet Ausburn of Komet Marketing Communications, 210.479.7255 or leslie@kometcommunications.com
