Today I was privileged to go on an absolutely brilliant professional development day run by Learning Network - New Zealand, which was titled...
A day designed to challenge the gray matter!
And it did just that!
Nathan Mikaere-Wallis was the presenter for the day, and he really knows what he is talking about. More than that, he can transfer his knowledge in a way which is engaging and provides consistent high level thinking (I highly recommend going to one of his presentations if you get the chance to, I would go again in a second!). Throughout the day I was thinking about what it meant to me, and my teaching, and what came up over and over again, how it related to my relationship with my students.
I managed to take 6 pages of notes, but here I will pull out the points and thoughts that stuck out to me the most, and what want to take away from today and keep reflecting on.
(eek, now that i'm done, it was very hard to cull down the notes... there's still lots!)
Throughout the day we covered:
The Physiology of Learning: The Growth and Maturation of the Brain.
Brain Maturation and the skills that we help Children to develop from Babies to Adults.
The neuroscience of Adolescence: The changes of puberty are happening earlier; How this affects practice for primary teachers.
Main point...
The FIRST THREE YEARS are the MOST important in brain development
Some points from the first session were:
The Physiology of Learning: The Growth and Maturation of the Brain.
- A 4 year old is a 4 year old - not a little 7 year old who you need to train as a 7 year old. Let them be the age they are!
- The earlier you learn cognitive skills doesn’t change who will get degrees. If you learn to read at 3 ½ you will start above your peers, but will plateau between 7 and 8 to meet your peers… BUT you will miss out on social aspects and learning how to 'be you' and cope.
- Brain engagement happens most with interaction.
- Piaget based education system - Stages of cognitive development - at 7 you’re ready for literacy. Having students at 5, means they’re being pushed to standards before their time. When thinking about their ZPD - the worry is, is that students (particularly boys) are put outside their ZPD and this can be a critical to forming decisions on their enjoyment and engagement in learning.
- Brain development happens earlier in girls than boys - a whole lot more girls are ready for learning at 5 or 7 or boys.
- First born are more likely to hit milestones faster (Female first born children have a double advantage) - Many people are putting the first child into care, and then staying at home for the 2nd child, the 2nd child then gains the first child aspect.
- The human brain is made to be moulded by the environment they are in.
- Dyadic relationship - A good 2 way relationship - most important relationship. “It takes a village to raise a child” - Still have a dyadic relationship, but its the village wrapping around and providing the support.
- Full brain development averages at 25/26 years old (Females between 18-24, Males 22-32).
- Students need to be anchored in a relationship with a teacher they can learn with. Most students come to school with a good dyadic home relationship, which means they can come into a school with changes and cope. If they don’t have a good dyadic relationship, you will find these changes harder.
- Cortex takes up most of the brain, 76% in a human - the bigger percent there is, the more intelligent.
- Back - Motor/fight, flight or freeze. Basic functions - Blinking, breathing, heart beat.
- Front - Intelligence/Empathy/Emotional Control.
Brain 1 - (brain stem) flight, flight or freeze - in charge - Survival is most important.
Brain 2 - Sports/movement. Gross and fine motor skill. Rhythmic patterning - programmed in.
Brain 3 - Emotions
Brain 4 - Learning and knowledge - optional - don’t need it for survival - Frontal cortex. Thinking and learning. Spend the first 3 years deciding what to bring online.
Brain 1+2 = Reptile
Brain 1,2+3 = Mammals
Brain 1-4 = Us
- You just need to have a ‘good enough’ upbringing to be able to engaged your frontal cortex.
- Babies need to learn that they are being protected, so they can leave the stress of the world behind and learn. If no, they have been learning they need to protect themselves, and don’t feel safe enough for the optional extra learning.
- Teacher - Student relationship should have the students be able to relax and be settled for learning where they are comfortable and safe. Higher the quality of the relationship, the more the cortex is and can be engaged.
Some points from the second session were:
Brain Maturation and the skills that we help Children to develop from Babies to Adults.
- A 2 year old has double the brain activity an adult has - a teen’s brain gets close.
- Teenage brain shuts down for ‘renovations’. Shutting down (not completely 90%, 10% stays open - flashes of ‘ability’) helps with rewiring happen faster.
- Reading emotion - on facial expressions. Teens don’t have the same reading ability.
- Can take big risks, frontal cortex closed down.
- Talking 1 on 1 with teens work better and can have their cortex more open than with their peers too. When teens are with teens, they take bigger risks and their cortex shuts down again.
- Cicadian Rhythm - Sleep control - on average 2h change on sleep patterns (Melatonin and Cortisol regulate)
- Change in biological rhythm. Melatonin comes out more in the dark, lights inhibit this - blue light is the worst - many backlights are blue - don’t use electrical devices before bed if you want to sleep.
- Memory and Alcohol…Most of us, it takes 24h after alcohol for it to be gone from any traces in the brain. Average for teens is 2-4 weeks.
- Learning is the only sacrificial part of the brain we have.
Some points from the third session were:
The neuroscience of Adolescence: The changes of puberty are happening earlier; How this affects practice for primary teachers.
- Neurons = Brain cell.
- Neural pathways - a branch from one neuron reaches out and connects to another. Synaptic connection.
- Myelination - Consolidation
- Knowledge is making the connection, and myelin goes on each time it is practices. Around 90-100 layers of myelin (practice) to fix it in your brain. That’s when it becomes automatic.
- Myelin can form on both positive and negative pathways.
- Poutama - learning pattern often seen in a marae, symbolises leaning.
3 most important things about building strong brain connections are
Relationships
Relationships
Relatiosnhips
- Endorphins (what makes you feel good) - have a chemical connection with myelin. When endorphins are running through your blood, myelin gets laid down faster - happy kids learn faster. (not much research compared to cortisol - harder to get ethics to measure)
Building connections...
3 - Physical exercise (jogging in the morning gives a more active brain) - Some
2 - Laughter - genuine - (good for learning) - More <if there is restricted movement it’s canceling it out>
1 - Singing - Most releasing of endorphins. I need to do more singing!
- Cortisol (stress) - Making sure you don’t keep your stupid ideas.Eraser of the brain.
- Strip away the newest learning in the brain (i.e. taking away the idea that touching a heater is good).
- Yelling at the class after morning tea will take away the newest learning.
- Dispositions are the set of attitudes and beliefs you have towards something.
If you’re in an environment which is unpredictable, your brain will be on edge. If it is predictable you can engage. Keep a safe, consistent and predictable with the students - calms the brain stem. Provides a base for engagement.
Haha, SO MUCH!
Nathan was recently on National Radio, talking about
Today was absolutely brilliant. What a way to start the week!
It definitely has sparked an interest in me to find out more about development, but also look into my current practice and what I can do to engage more with my students.
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