https://doi.org/10.37955/cs.v7i3.316

Received June 14, 2022 / Approved October, 23 2021 Pages: 1-12

eISSN: 2600-5743

Three-brain methodology: the way

to achieve the Ecuadorian high

school graduate's exit profile

Metodología tricerebral: camino para lograr el perfil de

salida del bachiller ecuatoriano

Grisel de la Concepción Soto Grau

Edwards Deming Corporate Institute of Technology

gsoto@deming.edu.ec

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4000-2989

ABSTRACT

This article presents the three brains methodology proposed by

Waldemar De Gregori as a way to obtain the exit profile of the

Ecuadorian high school graduate and, consequently, access to higher

education and a better preparation for life. A bibliographic review of

projects that apply this methodology in different educational

institutions is carried out in order to promote the development of skills

such as leadership, teamwork, scientific research and innovation,

among others. This research, with a qualitative approach, suggests the

renewal of traditional methodological strategies for a methodology

that allows the holistic development of the student and that enhances

the values of the Ecuadorian high school graduate's exit profile.

Resumen

Este artículo presenta la metodología de los tres cerebros propuesta

por Waldemar De Gregori como vía para obtener el perfil de salida del

bachiller ecuatoriano y, en consecuencia, el acceso a la educación

superior y una mejor preparación para la vida. Se realiza una revisión

bibliográfica de proyectos que aplican dicha metodología, en

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diferentes instituciones educativas, con la finalidad de fomentar el

desarrollo de capacidades como liderazgo, trabajo en equipo,

investigación científica e innovación, entre otras. Esta investigación,

con enfoque cualitativo, sugiere la renovación de las estrategias

metodológicas tradicionales por una metodología que permite el

desarrollo holístico del estudiante y que potencie los valores del perfil

de salida del bachiller ecuatoriano.

Keywords / Palabras clave

Tricerebral, Quality, Education, Exit Profile

Tricerebral, Calidad, Educación, Perfil de salida

Introduction

From its beginnings, education has evolved significantly throughout

history. In ancient times, access to knowledge was limited to the elite

classes, while the less privileged learned trades passed down through

the generations within their own families. In Greece, education for free

men was a milestone; the Middle Ages were characterized by the

dominance of Catholicism and a purely religious and limited

education; while in the Modern Age, the Renaissance and the Age of

Enlightenment, the classics were taught, especially Plato and Aristotle,

with important figures such as John Amos Comenius, father of

didactics, whose pedagogical method was based on induction,

observation, the senses and reason. In the Contemporary Era,

education became public, free and compulsory. In this last stage, an

active school that encourages students' abilities is promoted and new

teaching methodologies are established, such as those of Montessori

and Piaget. In short, education has evolved and expanded, allowing

more and more people to have access to knowledge and personal and

social development. Today, education is considered a right established

in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it is the

responsibility of the State to provide it. Faced with a global scenario

characterized by the new generations of digital natives and the

constant development of technology, the old ways of teaching must be

rethought. Can we be satisfied with just transmitting a wealth of

knowledge to our students? Is the methodology we use sufficient to

achieve positive results in education? Does today's education form

proactive, human, creative individuals capable of transforming

reality?

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Education goes hand in hand with an issue as important as it is

controversial: quality. It was not until a few years ago that the quality

of education began to be addressed as a problem and demanded as a

necessity. Many authors have developed studies in this area,

expressing their criteria on the subject and suggesting strategies to

improve the teaching-learning process. In this regard, Víctor García

Hoz (1980) states: "The right to education is not only the right to a

certain quantity of education, but the right to a certain quality" (p. 5).

The quality of education is expressed in the way in which the process

is carried out; it is influenced by factors such as pedagogy, the type of

content, the way in which knowledge is imparted, the infrastructure

where it is developed, the motivation of the parties involved, among

others.

Ecuador's education system is divided into Initial Education, General

Basic Education and High School, led by the Ministry of Education

(MINEDUC), and Higher Education governed by the National

Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation

(SENESCYT). According to Article 26 of the Constitution of the

Republic of Ecuador (2008) "education is a right of people throughout

their lives and an inescapable and inexcusable duty of the State" while

Article 27 of the same document states that education must be of

quality.

Throughout the teaching-learning process, from the basic level,

students are prepared to achieve the exit profile of the Ecuadorian high

school graduate, which is defined on the basis of three fundamental

values: justice, innovation and solidarity, as mentioned in the

curriculum of the Unified General High School (Ministry of Education,

2016, p. 9). Along with this, a set of skills and responsibilities that

students will be acquiring in their transit through compulsory

education is established. This exit profile aims to graduate high school

graduates capable of facing new challenges and continuing their

preparation in higher education. Is this objective achieved? In reality,

do they feel prepared for the leap? In addition to the knowledge

acquired to be innovative, do they develop the rest of the values and

skills to which they aspire? The preparation with which the high school

graduate completes his or her studies has an important influence on

how he or she faces the new challenge of higher education and even on

his or her performance when entering the labor market. Are our high

school graduates ready to face these challenges? Are they ready to face

the gap between what employers are looking for and the preparation

they possess? As an educational system, do we provide an integral

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education capable of forming critical, enterprising, humane and

ethical professionals? do we work with students based on their

strengths and needs? These questions lead to an in-depth analysis of

current approaches to education.

"...we try to put the curriculum and not the brain at the center of school

concerns" stated Waldemar de Gregori in an interview with the

newspaper El Colombiano (2016) where he also emphasizes: "The

current education system only develops the left brain. The right one is

not used: love, peace, and for the central one there is no school, it is

the financial one, which, he stated, is only seen in college and it is

already difficult at that age. The curriculum is more left-brained.

In the work El perfil de salida del bachillerato ecuatoriano y su

conexión en la educación superior, Tenesaca Simancas, Garcés Ortega,

Gualpa Cando and Santacruz Quintero (2023) state as one of their

conclusions that:

The changes in the Ecuadorian educational system did not consider

the needs of the students, limiting the opportunities for their

admission to universities in Europe, Latin America and the country

because the proposed skills, abilities, knowledge and values are not in

accordance with the conditions required by the Tuning methodologies

and competency-based education, generating a high school exit profile

with shortcomings that must be improved and projected to the XXI

century. (p. 104).

This paper addresses the issue of the correlation between the

preparation provided to students and the real possibilities of entering

university careers both inside and outside the country, which leads us

to think, once again, about the methods used in the educational

process. This implies that, both in compulsory and university

education, it is important to apply the appropriate methodology to

achieve satisfactory results: an integral professional. How do we

implement an appropriate method? Under what parameters do we

select the right way to reach each student?

At the beginning of each academic period, in all educational

institutions, diagnostic tests of knowledge are applied, but do the

results of these tests really provide us with accurate information about

the student? Do we have a real and valid diagnosis of the skills

previously acquired? These exams are limited to the control of content

mastery (logical) without allowing us to see beyond the student's

needs, they do not provide information on other types of skills: artistic,

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emotional, investigative, operational, among others, which must also

be developed if we want to achieve a comprehensive education. The

above mentioned leads us to think about the need to apply a tool that

allows us to know our students from all points of view in order to create

effective methodological strategies.

The objective of the present work is to analyze the viability of an avant-

garde methodology as a way to improve the teaching-learning process

(teaching as its author said) that facilitates the formation of the values

of the exit profile in the Ecuadorian high school graduate, included in

the national curriculum and, therefore, of future university students

and professionals capable of facing the new world reality: The

tricerebral methodology, proposed by Paul Mc Lean, in 1990, and

developed by Waldemar de Gregori in his proportionalist social

cybernetic theory, same that focuses on the human brain and how it

processes information for learning.

Materials and Methods

A bibliographic-documentary research was carried out, using the

technique of analysis and interpretation of texts, from a qualitative

approach. Based on the results of the projects reviewed and the

experience accumulated at ISTCED, it can be stated that the

application of the three-brain methodology in the teaching-learning

process helps students to enhance skills and competencies that are

aligned with the exit profiles of the Ecuadorian high school graduate

and thus face the challenges and opportunities of today's world. Each

value of the Ecuadorian high school graduate's exit profile is related to

a part of the brain in the three-brain theory, so that the value of justice

is related to the left brain, innovation can be related to the reptilian

brain while solidarity is linked to the limbic brain.

Justice: This value is mainly related to the left brain, which is

responsible for critical thinking, analysis, truth and the ability to

understand different points of view, fundamental aspects to develop

discernment and equity skills that will allow students to understand

and respect differences and advocate for social justice.

Innovation: According to De Gregori (2002, p. 19) "the brain is a

system composed of three parts, or three sides. They are distinct

mental processes, but interlinked, synergistic". This joint action is

evidenced in the innovation profile, which is related to the right side,

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due to the creativity involved in innovation; however, the reptilian

brain, responsible for management, operability and execution capacity

to develop an innovative project or venture, is also related. De Gregori

states in this work "...the central brain commands and puts the other

two at its service".

Solidarity: Relates primarily to the limbic brain, which is responsible

for emotions and social relationships and involved in empathy,

compassion and cooperation, which are fundamental to fostering a

sense of solidarity and social responsibility. By developing

collaboration and effective communication, students learn to work

together and support each other.

Results

The three-brain theory states that the human brain is composed of

three parts: the reptilian brain, the limbic brain and the neocortex.

Each of these parts has a specific function in information processing:

The central brain, reptile or operative-factual process, as mentioned

by Waldemar de Gregori (2002) in his work Construcción Familiar -

Escolar de los 3 cerebros: "is the oldest brain..." (p. 20). (p. 20) It is in

charge of basic functions such as breathing, digestion, body

temperature and reproduction, it is also related to survival and safety.

The right brain, emotional, intuitive process, also known as limbic is

in charge of emotions, spirituality and art. This part of the brain is

responsible for our emotional responses and is related to motivation

and attention. It is also involved in learning and long-term memory.

In this work the author states that "Many identify its functions with

the soul, religion, the supernatural and magic" (p. 21).

The left brain, logical or rational process known as the neocortex, is

the most developed part of the human brain and is responsible for

higher cognitive functions such as reasoning and planning. This part

of the brain is involved in learning, abstract thinking and

communication.

This methodology relies on the Triadic Mental Quotient (TQ)

Revealing Questionnaire as a tool to determine the tri-brain profile.

While the application of an IQ test only allows determining logical

abilities and the emotional quotient test measures only that aspect,

both detached from the rest of the brain functions, the TC collects

information from the three brains which allows a more complete

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vision of the student, answers questions such as which is his dominant

and subdominant brain and what aspects should be improved to

achieve their proportion.

According to Waldemar de Gregori's three-brain methodology,

learning is most effective when using a holistic approach that

addresses all three parts of the brain; this means that educators should

develop teaching strategies that address the needs of the reptilian

brain, the limbic brain and the neocortex. According to this theory,

each part of the brain is responsible for different functions and

abilities, and effective education should focus on developing all these

parts in a balanced way. This view is related to the ideas of Comenius

who advocated that "all should be taught to all", referring to the need

for universality and integrity of education. Gregori's three-brain

theory is applied to education and the development of social and

emotional skills in a context of social cybernetics, where technologies

play an important role in communication, social interactions and in

the design of more effective methodologies adapted to human needs,

considering the different parts of the brain and how they influence

people's behavior and decision making.

To address the needs of the reptilian brain, the three-brain

methodology emphasizes the importance of creating a safe and

comfortable learning environment; this means that educators must

provide a physical environment suitable for learning and establish

trusting relationships with students.

In response to the needs of the limbic brain, the three-brain

methodology emphasizes the importance of emotion and motivation

in learning. Educators should use teaching strategies that engage

students emotionally and motivate them to learn. This may include the

use of stories, analogies, and relevant examples.

Regarding the development of the neocortex, the three-brain

methodology stresses the importance of critical thinking and

reasoning. Educators should develop teaching strategies that

stimulate critical thinking and help students develop reasoning and

decision-making skills.

The proposal to apply this methodology in the teaching-learning

process to achieve the exit profile of the Ecuadorian high school

graduate and, consequently, better prepared professionals, is based on

a bibliographic search of projects that have developed this

methodology in different institutions, with satisfactory results.

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The study conducted by Omar José Castro Ortiz in students between

14 and 16 years of age at the San Carlos public school in the

municipality of San Gil Santander, located in an urban area of

Colombia, supports this idea. In the group analyzed, according to

(Ortiz, 2020) "a grade where many of the characteristics necessary for

collaborative work such as leadership, responsibility, empathy, among

others; are not evident when working as a team, resulting in a

deliberate waste of time in which the planned or objective defined by

teachers, is not achieved in the end". In his work, Ortiz determined,

through the use of the TC, the dominant brain of the students; with

this information, two types of work teams were established, the first,

formed randomly, and the second, integrated by a logical, an

emotional and an operative student. All teams were assigned the same

workshop. After comparing the results obtained, it was concluded that

collaborative work was more efficient in the teams formed taking into

account the dominance of the brains of its members.

On the other hand, researchers Carolina Pérez-Carrero, Sandra Milena

Rodríguez-Moreno and Lida del Pilar Sánchez-Mayorga (2015),

confirm the range of possibilities that open up when applying this

methodology, in their project The triadic brain and its relationship

with curiosity, teamwork and explanation of phenomena for the

development of scientific attitude. The authors characterize curiosity,

teamwork and the explanation of phenomena in thirty second graders

from Colegio Cundinamarca, Colombia, in science classes, in order to

contribute to the implementation of strategies that strengthen the

scientific attitude of students and thus contribute to the learning of

natural sciences. The variables to be evaluated were scientific attitudes

(curiosity, explanation of phenomena and willingness to work in a

team), taking into account that each attitude is directly related to each

of the brains (thinking, feeling, acting). One of the tools used to carry

out this project was the TC, which was used to determine the

predominance of each student's brain. The authors conclude that:

"Gregori's three-brain theory contributes to a deep understanding of

the teaching-learning processes. It allows us to see children as integral

beings, with the possibility of empowering all their abilities and

competencies from school." (p. 110)

Jhonatan Orlando Martin Vivas, in his presentation work for his

Master's degree in Education, applies this methodology in sixth grade

students of the Departmental Educational Institution Monseñor

Agustín Gutiérrez of the municipality of Tibirita Cundinamarca,

Colombia. In this project, (Vivas, 2021) expresses: "the Triadic Mental

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Quotient Developer of Waldemar de Gregori (2002) is applied,

likewise, a tracking by subsystems was made and the CCT (Cybernetic

Cycle of Transformation) was used. The results show a strengthening

of academic performance in the area of electronics, teamwork and

following instructions". An initial CT was applied from which the brain

dominance of each student is analyzed, which develop an intervention

project and activities to strengthen and enhance each part of the brain.

Once the project was completed, the TC was applied again, showing as

a result the tendency to proportionality of the three brains in most of

the students, which confirms the viability of this methodology to

obtain the expected results.

In the project El tricerebral: una alternativa para el trabajo cooperativo

y por proyectos, y el logro de competencias en la asignatura de Química

Básica, Patiño Jaramillo, García Mora y Moreno Jiménez (2018)

expose that: "...taking as a basis that not everyone learns in the same

way, it is intended in this work to apply the triadic approach, to identify

and know in each of the students involved in this process, the

particularities and mental faculties through the RCMT and according

to this categorization of the student, conform the collaborative work

teams, and follow up their academic performance". The authors used

the Triadic Mental Quotient Revealer in two groups of students of the

Basic Chemistry course of the first semester of the ITM University,

Colombia, with the purpose of improving their academic performance.

In one of the groups the learning method was applied and better

results were obtained than in the group where it was not applied. In

this case, the results of the TC served as a fundamental tool in the

formation of interdisciplinary collaborative work groups and

generated pedagogical strategies that allowed improving the learning

of chemistry, problem solving and coexistence of students.

In the analyzed bibliography, the application of this methodology

yields positive results in different areas: academic, collaborative,

scientific, leadership, among others, and contributes, in a significant

way, to the holistic education of students. The application of the three-

brain theory in education allows for a deeper understanding of how

students process and retain information. By knowing the functioning

of brain systems and their predominance in students, educators can

adapt their teaching strategies to be more effective in the retention of

information by students, better understand students' emotions and

their influence on learning.

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It should be noted that the works reviewed were applied in Colombia.

After an exhaustive bibliographic search on projects applying the

three-brain methodology in Ecuador and other countries, very little

information was found. A plausible explanation for this situation may

be the relatively new nature of this methodology, the lack of knowledge

about it, or the fact that most educational institutions cling to

traditionally established models.

One of the few projects that develops this theory in Ecuador is the work

of (Guallasamín, 2011) prior to obtaining a master's degree in

Education and Social Development: Methodological proposal to

improve the learning of mathematics of children and young people at

the "María Augusta Urrutia" School "Cardenal Spínola" School in

Quito, Ecuador, who applies this methodology to improve low

academic performance and little interest in the study of mathematics.

Its author states "The TC is used to select members of a work team.

The best team will be the one that has the presence of the three types

of brain dominance: the central one for coordination, the left one for

questioning and analyzing, and the right one for creativity and team

integration".

As mentioned above the practice of this methodology in Ecuador is not

common, however, the Instituto Superior Tecnológico Corporativo

Edwards Deming (ISTCED) assumes it as part of its mission where it

emphasizes (...) "the application of playful and triadic learning

methodologies". It applies TC to students at the time of their

enrollment, and focuses on the results to create learning strategies that

guarantee the quality of the preparation of its graduates and their

proportional development in all areas. This practice is improved every

day to achieve an education of excellence that provides scientific,

innovative, competent and humane technologists for a better future of

the country.

Conclusions

Based on the projects studied, it can be inferred that the three-brain

methodology, due to its comprehensive approach to all areas of the

brain, contributes to the holistic development of students. On the

other hand, its application develops skills and competencies that are

aligned with the exit profiles of Ecuadorian high school graduates,

which guarantees a quality education and, as a consequence, better

options for future professionals in the labor market, (Guallasamín,

2011)an improvement in the social development of the country.

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Through the three-brain methodology, students can acquire skills to

critically analyze information, evaluate different perspectives and

make ethical and fair decisions while stimulating their creativity and

innovation, allowing them to find innovative solutions to the

challenges they face and to develop problem-solving skills. In addition

to this, it allows them to develop social and emotional skills, such as

empathy, compassion and cooperation, which are fundamental to

foster a sense of solidarity and social responsibility.

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