Why is color such a powerful force in life?
The majority of people see an assortment of colors every time they open up their eyes without even trying to seek them out.
The presence of colors impacts the brain in a great deal of ways, especially in the learning environment.
According to Keene State College Education Professor Len Fleischer, “Teachers are very conscious of using bold colors in the classroom, especially in early childhood education because it engages students.”
To back up Fleischer’s statement, the leadered.com website provides an article specifically based on the use of colors in the classroom, titled “Color in an Optimum Learning Environment.”
According to the article, “Color in the learning environment provides an unthreatening environment that improves visual processing, reduces stress, and challenges brain development through visual stimulation/relationships and pattern seeking.”
“Visual stimulation actually rewires the brain, making stronger connections while fostering visual thinking, problem solving, and creativity,” as concluded in the article.
Sharing the same opinion, KSC Elementary Education major Liz Anderson said, “I think it’s very important to have colors in the classroom. I think it gets their minds moving around, it keeps them intrigued. If they were sitting in a room with white walls and nothing else, their brain function would be at a minimum.”
Frank H. Mahnke, a psychologist, is President of IACC- International Association of color Consultant/Designers and the Director of IACC Education/Accreditation Programs. His research on colors in the classroom is exemplified in his book, “Color, Environment and Human Response.”
Photo Illustration by Brian Cantore / Photo Editor
Mahnke stated that, “Preschool and elementary school prefer warm, bright color schemes that compliments their natural extroverted nature,” while, “Cool colors are recommended for upper grade and secondary classrooms for their ability to focus concentration.”
However, Fleischer begs to differ.
“I would like to see the use of bold bright colors continue into the upper grades, because as students reach middle school and high school, the colors tend to be taken out,” Fleischer said.
“Why should it only be younger kids that are surrounded by these bright colors?” Fleischer asked. “These colors show more brain response.”
Senior and Psychology major at KSC, Dan Barzottini said, “Every color reflects a different emotional mood, behavior and effect on people. Bright colors are happy colors, whereas dark colors seem to be dreary ones. I think it is better to have brighter colors in classrooms because it makes for a better and happier working environment.”
Colors seem to portray different connotations, depending on how one specific person reflects upon them; though according to Barzottini, some colors have universal meanings in the classroom.
“Red is associated with anger and that is why students do not like papers being graded in red ink, it appears as negative force. Yellow is a very calming yet upbeat color that many people associate with energetic,” Barzottini said.
“In schools the use of yellow is seen in buses and things used in the school gym. Green is a color that is positively enforced in school, we see green as success and to “go”, these three colors can for sure be seen in any school.”
Anderson said she does incorporate the use of colors when she is teaching in the classroom.
“Usually for math we use manipulates that are brightly colored, like colored squares or things to count with,” she said.
After years of backlash for the use of red ink, U.S. schools have begun to edit red pens out of the school system.
According to a 2008 article in the Telegraph, Yahoo.com cited the article that wrote, “schools had begun to develop official guidelines governing the use of colors in the correction of student work, as school administrators became increasingly convinced that the traditional use of red to mark papers could potentially have a negative effect on children, who might feel demoralized.”
A study published by the European Journal of Social Psychology asserts, “People using red pens to complete a word-stem task completed more words related to errors and poor performance than did people using black pens.”
The article continued, “Colors, too, carry implicit associations that can influence cognition and behavior.“
Elliot, Maier, Moller, Friedman and Meinhardt, (all psychologists) found that participants exposed to red writing on the cover of an experimental packet performed more poorly on a subsequent anagram task compared to participants exposed to green or black writing.
Even though red is seen as a bold color, it is viewed as a negative color for most students.
“Red is advertised in classrooms because it helps create creativity in the brain but, more and more studies are showing that it only hurts the students rather than helps them,” Barzottini said.
“Different colors impact the brain and emotional responses and it is widely seen in all classrooms,” Fleischer said.
Colors flood the earth each and every day. From different shades and pigments in nature , the color wheel and even in fashion trends, colors seem to be a part of life in its entirety, both in and outside of the classroom.
Deanna Caruso can be contacted at dcaruso@keene-equinox.com