Thursday 26 March 2015

Stress inhibits learning – it’s a fact supported by neuroscience.

Stress inhibits learning – it’s a fact supported by neuroscience.
But, as a teacher, you didn’t need the research to tell you that did you?
Your classroom experience backs up the science. Here’s why and what you can do about it…

STRESS AND LEARNING

Have you ever tried to focus in a meeting, sit for a test or concentrate on reading a book
when you are feeling upset, angry or stressed out? Did you notice what happened?

Naturally, you would have found it extremely difficult to focus or concentrate on the task at hand 
while you were feeling stressed out. It’s a fact.
Research demonstrates that stress inhibits concentration and is detrimental to learning.

In response to fear, stress or a perceived threat in the environment,
the brain releases two hormones – cortisol and adrenaline.
This activates the blood vessels and the heart for lifesaving ‘flight or fight’ action.

If a human being is in ‘danger’, there is no need for learning or thoughtfulness.
All that is needed is to get the heck out of there! To stop and think could endanger your life
and therefore, Mother Nature has designed our physiology to respond appropriately,
instinctively – all the brain’s energy is diverted into self-protection and survival mode.

This was a great evolutionary advantage when our ancestors needed to escape a lion
or fight a rival tribe! However, in our modern classrooms, these stress hormones,
are getting in the way of effective learning.
Cortisol and adrenaline actually turn off the parts of the brain that allow us to focus attention, 
understand ideas, commit information to memory and reason critically.
Stressed out students are not learning effectively. It’s as simple as that.

STATISTICS

Now, our students are not fighting lions nor protecting their clans but nevertheless,
they are experiencing modern day stress. The following statistics, from Youthbeyondblue[i],
paint quite a shocking picture of the inner world of our young people here in Australia
and give us an idea of the numbers of students whose learning is impaired by stress:

One in four young Australians currently has a mental health condition
Suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians
and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents
One in sixteen young Australians is currently experiencing depression.
One in six young Australians is currently experiencing an anxiety
The top three issues that young people are most concerned about are coping with stress,
school or study problems.
A quarter of young Australians say they are unhappy with their lives.
In 2013, almost one in four young people (24.3%) said they were sad, very sad
or not happy when asked to report how happy they were with their life as a whole.
These are sobering statistics that is for sure!

It seems pretty clear that given the effects of stress on the brain’s ability to learn,
it is foolish to attempt to teach anything at all
until we have addressed the emotional well being and mental health of our students.

STRESS BUSTING STRATEGIES

The good news is that once recognized, stress can be dealt with and transformed.
Extensive studies show that the optimal mental state for learning is relaxed alertness. This means that our students need to feel safe, calm and balanced emotionally in order to learn effectively.
Also we use kinesiology techniques that
relax the body and mind and make it far easier to learn

Sadly, there are some students in your classroom whose learning is compromised by stress,
worry or anxiety.

Children are not born with practical coping skills. Some students will be better at coping than others. 
For those not coping well, it is an essential part of our job as educators to help our students deal 
with the stressors in their lives. Developing the mind is important, learning is important and yet it won’t happen if we ignore the emotional well being of our students. We have a moral and ethical obligation to help young people cope with stress, anxiety and to develop their emotional well being, 
to give them practical strategies to support their learning and their journey through life.

Here are some ideas:

Simple relaxation exercises with abdominal breathing or heart breathing techniques can work wonders for students. Breath work is relaxing and helps to balance the autonomic nervous system, bringing a student out of ‘flight or fight’ mode and back into a state 
of calm and balance within the nervous system. Chemicals like dopamine are also released 
within the body and this helps to activate the brain for optimal learning.
M’reen: While not pretending to be therapy; when Turbo Charged Reading, with three breaths
you relax into the focussed state of learning and this means that you have more relaxing alpha waves in your brain that the active, chatty beta waves.

Breathing techniques can also teach students the skill of staying in the present moment.
Sometimes anxiety is caused when the mind wanders off into future possibilities
and worrying about things that have not even happened yet.
Deep breathing can help a student to come back to the present moment
and just manage the next small step, rather than feeling lost in the overwhelm of a bigger picture.

If a student is in overwhelm, teach them how to break things down.
For example, teach them how to break a large task down into smaller, more attainable tasks. Although this might seem simple to us as adults,
it doesn’t necessarily come naturally to a young person.

If a student reaches out to you and wishes to talk, one of the best gifts you can give them
is to simply be present with them and provide a listening ear. Just being able to talk to an adult
who cares can alleviate a lot of the stress a young person might be feeling.
Studies show that students at risk who are supported by one adult outside the family
unit are less likely to harm themselves.

Teach young people about the importance of what they put into their bodies
and how it can affect their mental health. There is a considerable amount of research
being shared now about gut health and psychology – particularly in relation to ADHD, autism, aspergers and other issues affecting many of our students.
Questions about healthful, regular eating are not only relevant but important in the classroom. 
Filling up with junk like sugar and fast foods means that the body and mind
are not going to perform efficiently.

For anxious students, particularly those in Year 11 and 12, check on the amounts of caffeine
being consumed. Caffeine can heighten feelings of agitation and anxiety.
And it’s also important to make sure the body is sufficiently hydrated
 – are they drinking enough water? Water intake will affect brain function
and given that the body is 75% water, it’s actually a very important factor to consider.

Exercise can be a wonderful way for students to deal with stress. There is nothing better than 
blowing off steam by running, playing footy or a good session with a punching bag!

Teach students how to articulate feelings and speak up for themselves.
For example, “I feel angry when you yell at me” or simply, “Please stop yelling.”
Compassionate communication is important to avoid a tendency to ‘stuff things down’ 
inside the body – which can result in blow-ups.

Negative self-talk can be a factor that affects young people.
Help your students to become aware of how they speak to themselves in their minds.
Are they kind to themselves? Are they patient and considerate of themselves
as they would be to a friend? Or are they hard on themselves and self-critical?
Once a person is aware of their own self-talk and how it is affecting them,
it can be transformed into more positive ways of thinking.
The field of Positive Psychology has wonderful tools for this.

Taking a break from stressful situations can also help. Engaging in activities like listening to music, talking to a friend, doing something creative like drawing or writing,
or even spending time with a pet can reduce stress.
These kinds of activities will also produce dopamine, important for well-being and learning.

Making connections with friends and building a network of supportive friends
who can help the student cope or just be there as a listening ear in times of trouble.

Join Louise Gilbert to learn more at her TTA workshop, “Transformational Teaching Tactics
– A 5 Step System for Quality Teaching with Effective Learning Outcomes” on March 20th 2015.

http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/footer/stats-and-facts
http://tta.edu.au/blog/?p=354

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com               which takes advantage of the experience and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com         just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”


Wednesday 18 March 2015

Sleep and Turbo Charged Reading, sleep and caffeine

Photo taken by M'reen



When Turbo Charged Reading, 
particularly technical or academic material, reports or white papers,
or anything that is, say, ten or more pages long such as a Shakespeare’s play or book of sonnets
then other than when reading a novel, it is best to give your growing neurons time to nurture 
the material you have TCR into your innermind at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight 
to catalogue the material TCR, cross reference it with what is already 
in your vast storehouse of information and collate the information you need for the morning.
This ‘sleeping-on-the-problem’ is a well recognised product of giving 
your mind an instruction and it following through.
Sleeping on the information is a great memory aid and so a boost to your confidence as your performance in meetings is enhanced as you are have a full store of information at your finger tips.

Rather than HAVE TO read-yourself-to-sleep why not read around what is preventing you
from having the necessary sleep your body and mind needs?

Q:  Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can  prolong life.  Is this true? 
A: Heart  only good for so many beats, and that it...
Don't waste on exercise.  Everything wear out eventually.  
Speeding up heart not make you live longer;
it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster.  
Want to live longer?  Take nap.


Dr. Travis Bradberry
The Ugly: Sleep
When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories
and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams), so that you wake up alert and clear-headed.
Your self-control, focus, memory, and information processing speed are all reduced
when you don’t get enough—or the right kind—of sleep.
Your brain is very fickle when it comes to sleep.
For you to wake up feeling rested, your brain needs to move through an elaborate series of cycles. You can help this process along and improve the quality of your sleep
by reducing your caffeine intake.
Here’s why you’ll want to: caffeine has a six-hour half-life,
which means it takes a full twenty-four hours to work its way out of your system.
Have a cup of joe at eight a.m., and you’ll still have 25% of the caffeine in your body at eight p.m. Anything you drink after noon will still be at 50% strength at bedtime. Any caffeine in your bloodstream—with the negative effects increasing with the dose—makes it harder to fall asleep.
When you do finally fall asleep, the worst is yet to come. Caffeine disrupts the quality of your sleep 
by reducing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the deep sleep when your body recuperates
and processes emotions. When caffeine disrupts your sleep, you wake up the next day
with an emotional handicap. You’re naturally going to be inclined to grab a cup of coffee
or an energy drink to try to make yourself feel better. The caffeine produces surges of adrenaline, which further your emotional handicap. Caffeine and lack of sleep leave you feeling tired in the afternoon, so you drink more caffeine, which leaves even more of it in your bloodstream at bedtime. Caffeine very quickly creates a vicious cycle.

Withdrawal
Like any stimulant, caffeine is physiologically and psychologically addictive. If you do choose to lower your caffeine intake, you should do so slowly under the guidance of a qualified medical professional. The researchers at Johns Hopkins found that caffeine withdrawal causes headache, fatigue, sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people report feeling flu-like symptoms, depression, and anxiety after reducing intake by as little as one cup a day. Slowly tapering your caffeine dosage each day can greatly reduce these withdrawal symptoms.


Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com               which takes advantage of the experience and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com         just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Wednesday 11 March 2015

How to choose a book when Turbo Charged Reading.


How to choose a book. M'reen

How to choose a book effectively; so using your time and money efficiently.
Lay down the first layers of memory and long term recall logically.
For the full student range, to career change for those who have been made redundant
or who have maxed out their current career.
Why limit yourself to cruising the car boot and yard sales picking up items in a single niche
when you could TCR yourself into being an expert in several areas?
Why not TCR in your hobby areas and simply let that accumulated knowledge
spontaneously pop up when needed?
Release your time for enjoying your life
by Turbo Charged Reading all written symbols, diagrams and mind maps
retaining that information easily for your personal and professional use.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com               which takes advantage of the experience and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com         just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”


Wednesday 4 March 2015

Fourth set of blog posts

Welcome, come on in and explore this fourth set of blog posts and this is the 55th.
I took this photo in Malham, Yorkshire, UK.

































Taking a risk - sharing an important book. Self Care for the Self Aware.







Leveled Reading: The Making of a Literacy Myth






The first set of Turbo Charged Reading posts- enjoy.


The second set of Turbo Charged Reading posts and YouTubes.


The third set of Turbo Charged Reading posts and YouTubes.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com               which takes advantage of the experience and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com         just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”