In past research we have demonstrated how methodologies used in the training of performers can both encourage whole-brain learning and answer to the demands of South Africa’s current educational paradigm, outcomes-based education (OBE). OBE is a needs-driven, outcomes-driven and competency-orientated pedagogy, which aims at incorporating learners as active agents within the learning process as opposed to the previous content-driven, teacher-orientated approach to education (Coetzee 2004). Our research was prompted by the constant need for our Drama departments to validate their existence in the light of changing funding structures for the arts, governmental and institutional demands for measured outcomes and our institutions’ emphasis on whole-brain learning as the preferred pedagogical approach to education and training. We explored the ways in which the changes in the South African educational dispensation impact on the work of educators within a Drama department in the Higher Education and Training band (HET) in South Africa. These changes include a focus on competencies and critical outcomes across learning areas and across the qualification bands identified by the new National Qualifications Framework. In our search for ways in which to implement the critical outcomes2 demanded by the OBE framework, we turned to Herrmann’s argument (1995) that optimal, deep structure learning can only take place when whole-brain modes are operative.

During Work Integrated Learning, pre-service mentoring helps to prepare final-year education students for the workplace. For the purpose of this study, seven pre-service teachers and their mentor teachers formed scholarly communities of practice. Selfregulated professionalism was initiated by implementing the principles of self-regulated learning using a constructivist Whole Brain® Thinking mix as epistemological grounding. Participatory action research was enriched and a Whole Brain® Participatory Action Research Design was used to contribute to the scholarship of mentoring in the education context and the new meaning-making of our current understanding of what action research entails. A baseline study was conducted ten months prior to the commencement of the Whole Brain® Participatory Action Research study. The responses from the Senior and FET Phase pre-service teachers and their mentor teachers in the two online surveys provided an information base for the participatory action research process. The rationale for using Whole Brain® Participatory Action Research was that no scholars have examined a collaborative perspective on pre-teachers, mentor teachers and a university faculty. This particular research design has never before been used in the context of pre-service teacher education. The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® was initially completed by the participants and myself as the principal researcher to inform reflective practice and to create awareness of our thinking preferences. Action research was conducted by the pre-service teachers in their classroom practice and executed by the mentor teachers in their mentorship practice. I employed action research during the scholarly communities of practice sessions with the participants. Peer mentoring, Whole Brain® Mentoring and blended mentoring were innovatively introduced in the mentor teachers’ and my own mentoring practice as an essential part of the self and the we becoming agent(s) of transformation. The development of a Comprehensive Whole Brain® Mentoring Model for the education context is shared as an outcome of this study. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

The use of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) as an instructional strategy to increase the creativity levels of students across all levels of the curriculum is currently a popular topic of investigation. Curriculum content and the underlying objectives that are presented to students in public schools have been the subject of close scrutiny since school accountability became a hot topic during the 1980's. However, despite all the efforts to improve student productivity through a well defined curriculum, and possibly because of the increased emphasis on student accountability to reflect that student improvement, concern for the apparent declining creativity levels among students appears to be growing. The purpose of this dissertation was to compare conventional instructional methodologies with those of creative problem solving. It was hypothesized that students' low, high, and total cognition levels, overall creativity levels, and satisfaction with instructional methodologies, improve as a result of instruction through creative problem solving strategies. By improving the levels of creativity within students, they will be better equipped to deal with the complex types of problems the future will present. This study utilized an experimental, posttest only, control group design. Participants were ninth grade students (n=20) who were enrolled in an Introduction to World Agricultural and Science Technology I course. Posttests were administered to measure low, high, and total levels cognition at the conclusion of the course. For this measure of the dependent variable, a forty question (10 true/false, 25 multiple choice, and 5 short answer) test was administered. Pretests and posttests were administered to measure student creativity. A standardized Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was used as the measure of the dependent variable of creativity. Pretests, mid-tests, and posttests were used to measure student satisfaction. A satisfaction instrument developed by Brashears (2004) was used for the measurement of clarity, delivery, content, and total satisfaction as the dependent measure of satisfaction. These instruments were used to measure the five research hypotheses of the study. Results of the study did not support the hypotheses that significant differences exist between creative problem solving and traditional instructional strategies, as they pertain to student cognition, creativity, and satisfaction. However, although not significant, possibly due to the small sample size, upon closer examination of group means, one can detect definite patterns of greater mean score gains among the CPS group over the traditional group in cognition, creativity, and satisfaction. Based on these findings, this researcher suggests that replications of this study be performed with larger sample sizes in different curriculum areas to further perpetuate the integration of creative problem solving strategies as an effective instructional strategy for all age groups and in all areas of the curriculum.

This Participatory Action Research (PAR) project focused on “holistic learning” which includes “social” and “spiritual” learning and “whole-brained” learning. Broadly interpreting and applying the four-quadrant brain model of Herrmann (1994), and other models of the brain, my study seeks to understand whether, to what extent and how learning can be advanced by deliberately employing holistic learning strategies to narrow the gap between theory and practice, between left-brain and right-brain learning, and between cognition and emotion. I introduced tri-dimensional (3-D) practice as the combination of using holistic learning strategies in cooperative learning groups within spiritual learning environments. The site of this PAR study was the network of cooperative learning groups in Mozambique within the educational system of the Church of the Nazarene. Facilitators were trained to use six specific “holistic learning strategies”: group discussions of various types, praxis (as reflection-dialogue-action), teamwork, rehearsing integrity, singing-for-learning and classical spiritual disciplines within cooperative learning groups, also a holistic learning strategy. These aspects are typical of the widely used model of Theological Education by Extension (TEE), refined in this study. According to data gathered in a large hybrid survey, 97% of the 595 respondents to this question responded favourably in terms of the skills of these facilitators even though the average number of years of their formal schooling, 7.7, would normally be considered “minimal”. The study generates findings to support the position that holistic learning strategies enhance the quality of adult learning, at least in settings like those in Mozambique in which the facilitation of learning was 1) bilingual (Portuguese and maternal language), 2) focused on learners who are leaders-in-training, 3) deliberate in spiritual content and ambient, and 4) conducted by minimally-schooled facilitators in cooperative learning groups. The findings, from the responses recorded in qualitative phases of the research, corroborated by descriptive statistics, indicate that the efficacy of holistic learning strategies is related to certain modes of mental activity like whole-making, categorising, and others. This PAR project was conducted within an original research framework, Arboric Research, which takes into account the dynamic, fluid and organic nature of human systems, recognising that infrastructures in which the research takes place are different at the end of the study than at the beginning, like observing the “sap” within a growing grapevine or a tree. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

This research investigates the use of action research and Whole Brain Teaching© for beginner teachers’ professional development through the use of peer mentoring. Five beginner teachers formed part of a peer mentoring group. Whole brain learning and action research provided the theoretical framework for the informal mentoring project. It was used as content for professional learning and as core theories for the research design. Action research principles were applied by the mentor and the participants. In the first instance action research was used by the beginner teachers to consider their own teaching practice, while Whole Brain Teaching© was implemented as an innovative idea to consider its effect on whole brain learning and classroom management. The mentees were empowered to transform their teaching practice by implementing the principles of whole brain learning as a means to acting out the role of facilitator; and to take responsibility for developing scholarship of teaching as it is aligned with the role of scholar and lifelong learning. The practical mentoring sessions with the beginner teachers and the effect of the programme were evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively. As part of collecting quantitative data, the Hermann Whole Brain Instrument (HBDI) was used. The instrument was used to determine the learning styles of the peer mentor and the mentees. The brain profiles were used as baseline data. Qualitative data were collected during and after the five mentoring sessions conducted over a period of two months. It included feedback questionnaires, observations and video en photographic evidence. The findings indicate that the peer mentoring programme contributed successfully to the professional development of the beginner teachers. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Curriculum Studies / MEd / unrestricted

Radiation therapy has been most commonly used modality in the treatment of brain tumors. About 200,000 patients with brain tumors are treated with either partial large field or whole brain irradiation every year in the United States. The use of radiation therapy for treatment of brain tumor, however, can subsequently lead to devastating functional deficits several months to years after treatment. Unfortunately, there are no known successful treatments and effective strategies for mitigating radiation-induced brain injury. In addition, the specific mechanisms by which irradiation causes brain injury in normal tissues are not fully understood. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these phenomena could enable the development of more effective therapies to contribute to long-term disease suppression or even cure. Therefore,the primary goal of this research project was to determine the molecular mechanisms responsible for radiation-induced brain injury in normal tissues. In the first study, the effects of whole brain irradiation on pro-inflammatory pathways in the brain were examined. Results demonstrated that brain irradiation induces regionally specific alterations in pro-inflammatory environments through activation of pro-inflammatory transcription factors (e.g., activator protein-1 (AP-1),nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)) and overexpression of pro-inflammatory mediators (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)) in brain. This study provides evidence for a differential induction of pro-inflammatory mediators in specific brain regions that have importance for the neurological/neuropathological consequences of irradiation. In the second study, a mathematical model describing radiation-induced mRNA and protein expression kinetics of TNF-α in hippocampus was reconstructed. This study demonstrated that the reaction kinetic model could predict protein expression levels of TNF-α in cortex, suggesting that this model could be used to predict protein expression levels of pro-inflammatory mediators in other parts of the brain. In the third study, the effects of aging on radiation-mediated impairment of immune responses in brain were examined. Results showed that radiation-induced acute inflammatory responses, such as overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6),adhesion molecules (e.g., intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and E-selectin), chemokine MCP-1, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), are significantly impaired in aged brain. This study suggests that reduced production of pro-inflammatory mediators in response to irradiation compromises the normal host defense mechanisms in damaged brain tissue and subsequently leads to impaired repair/remodeling responses in old individuals. In the fourth study, the effects of irradiation on MMPs/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation in brain were examined. Results demonstrated that whole brain irradiation induces an imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs expression, increases gelatinase activity, and degrades collagen type IV in the brain. This study suggests that a radiation-induced imbalance between MMP-2 and TIMP-2 expression may have an important role in the pathogenesis of brain injury by degrading ECM components of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) basement membrane. In the fifth study, the effects of irradiation on angiogenic factors and vessel rarefaction in brain were examined. Results demonstrated that whole brain irradiation decreases endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, increases EC apoptosis, and differentially regulates the expression of angiogenic factors such as angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), Ang-2, Tie-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in brain. This study suggests that radiation-induced differential regulation of angiogenic factors may be responsible for vessel rarefaction. In summary, the results from these studies demonstrated that whole brain irradiation induces brain injury by triggering pro-inflammatory pathways, degrading extracellular matrix, and altering physiologic angiogenesis. Therefore, this work may be beneficial in defining a new cellular and molecular basis responsible for radiation-induced brain injury. Furthermore, it may provide new opportunities for prevention and treatment of brain tumor patients who are undergoing radiotherapy. / Ph. D.

Flexible Learning is a personal investigation of the relationship between the design-thinking process and standardized primary education. The problem-solving methods used in graphic design, are studied as a means of enhancing skills among students—skills that are not generally being developed, some of which are creativity, engagement, collaboration, evaluation, refinement, and presentation techniques. While I access and synthesize information from my clients, a child also access and synthesize information from his or her teacher. When a client comes to me with a design request, I research, create, and then present the most appropriate solution. In the classroom, this kind of thinking process is also possible when the teacher offers students the opportunity to solve a problem, usually in the form of a project. I will explain how more intensive and creative application of design thinking process could expand the horizons for whole brain learning and creative thinking among students.

In the past, pastoral-therapeutic support was mainly approached only from the functioning of the left hemisphere of the brain. This implies that pastoral therapists mainly interacted with people in therapy at an intellectual-analytical level under modernistic influence. Since man's destitution and need changes along with time, it is essential for pastoral therapists/counsellors to supplement and adapt their modus operandi and strategies if they wish to remain relevant regarding their pastoral dealings with people. In this study the researcher attempted to formulate from the Scriptures a basis theory regarding the role of music as a whole-brain strategy in inner change. For the sake of a more holistic approach, a meta-theoretical investigation was also undertaken. To confirm the basis and meta-theoretical information, researcher entered the living reality of seven individuals during which a qualitative research was done. The results of the study, according to which the basis and meta-theoretical perspectives were placed in hermeneutical relation to one another, led to practice-theoretical guidelines within the subject domain of Practical Theology regarding the role of music as a whole-brain strategy in inner change. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

In the past, pastoral-therapeutic support was mainly approached only from the functioning of the left hemisphere of the brain. This implies that pastoral therapists mainly interacted with people in therapy at an intellectual-analytical level under modernistic influence. Since man's destitution and need changes along with time, it is essential for pastoral therapists/counsellors to supplement and adapt their modus operandi and strategies if they wish to remain relevant regarding their pastoral dealings with people. In this study the researcher attempted to formulate from the Scriptures a basis theory regarding the role of music as a whole-brain strategy in inner change. For the sake of a more holistic approach, a meta-theoretical investigation was also undertaken. To confirm the basis and meta-theoretical information, researcher entered the living reality of seven individuals during which a qualitative research was done. The results of the study, according to which the basis and meta-theoretical perspectives were placed in hermeneutical relation to one another, led to practice-theoretical guidelines within the subject domain of Practical Theology regarding the role of music as a whole-brain strategy in inner change. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

In the past, pastoral-therapeutic support was mainly approached only from the functioning of the left hemisphere of the brain. This implies that pastoral therapists mainly interacted with people in therapy at an intellectual-analytical level under modernistic influence. Since man's destitution and need changes along with time, it is essential for pastoral therapists/counsellors to supplement and adapt their modus operandi and strategies if they wish to remain relevant regarding their pastoral dealings with people. In this study the researcher attempted to formulate from the Scriptures a basis theory regarding the role of music as a whole-brain strategy in inner change. For the sake of a more holistic approach, a meta-theoretical investigation was also undertaken. To confirm the basis and meta-theoretical information, researcher entered the living reality of seven individuals during which a qualitative research was done. The results of the study, according to which the basis and meta-theoretical perspectives were placed in hermeneutical relation to one another, led to practice-theoretical guidelines within the subject domain of Practical Theology regarding the role of music as a whole-brain strategy in inner change. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.