Transcript Building a tribal classroom

Working with teen parents
Linking Life &
Learning
findings from the
neuroscience of emotion
 This
workshop (and my current research) is
about taking the findings from the
Neuroscience of Emotion and linking
them to a specialised educational
environment - a teen parent unit –
 It’s
about converting those findings into a
set of practical conditions and strategies
that optimise neural development – for
teen parent and child
Shae’s story

As I read Shea’s story please reflect on her
experience of life and learning …
… reading between the lines…
What does she tell us about her life?
What does she tell us about her learning
experiences – negative and positive?
What else does she tell us?
Some thoughts….
Learners are turned away from learning for
many reasons:
 poor health, nutrition and sleep
deprivation
 emotional factors such as experiences of
shame and humiliation and fear
 Learners
arrive in class with an
unconscious self-image and attachment
blueprints that they then project on to a
teacher.
 In
a teen parent environment we have
the two most critical periods of neural
development going on in one context –
the infant brain and the adolescent brain
infant brain
250,000 new neurons are developed each hour,
through sensory and emotional data scanned
from the environment.
Relationships – attachment – the single most
important factor in brain development during the
first year of life
 neural
pathways formed through
attachment enable emotional
regulation.
 Dysfunctional,
or inconsistent attachment
activates chemical and neurological
changes through the mirror neuron
system resulting in physiological distress
and even atrophy of critical brain areas.
 The
un-wellness of a primary carer has a
negative effect on the well-being of the
child.
Mirror neurons….
Healthy early relationships allow optimum forming
of neural networks that enable:
 higher self-esteem
 emotional regulation
 decision making
 feelings of wellbeing and security
 they support all levels of social,
emotional and cognitive
development.
Neural pathways
https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/
https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/
Adolescent brain
a
critical time for the development of the
cortex…
 rising hormone levels, intense emotions,
violent mood swings and feelings of
isolation that can lead to depression.
 emotion drives attention, learning and
memory…
 evolutionary brain development expects
mating to occur in early teenage years –
out of sync with social expectations.
 Feelings
of danger trigger cortisol, the
stress response hormone, it activates
defensive response; ‘fight, freeze or flight’.
 These
stress responses do not distinguish
between emotional or physical danger
 The
stress system responds by releasing
clotting elements into the blood,
elevating cholesterol levels, depressing
the immune system, tensing large
muscles, increasing the blood pressure—
and much more.” (Sylwester, 1994)
 High
levels of cortisol caused by stress can
bring about despair, and chronically high
levels can ultimately destroy
hippocampal neurons associated with
learning and memory (Vincent, 1990;
Davidson R. J., 2000).
Effects of trauma, abuse
and neglect on the
developing brain
This scan shows decreased metabolic activity / function in the
temporal lobes of an abused child.
In both infant and
adolescent…
Emotions are generated from context:
 internal sensations from the body
 external sensations from the world
 Relationships
– face to face interaction are of critical importance to both infant &
adolescent brain development
 Environment – conditions and states
So what do our young people need….

those other molecules, the endorphins…
Neuroplasticity…

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to
change, to restructure, to rebuild

One of the most effective mechanisms to
activate change in the brain is secure
attachment

How do we create conditions in a classroom
setting that can enable secure attachment?
Conditions for
neuroplasticity
in classrooms
“Invisible Classroom”
(Kirke Olson)
“Tribal Classroom”
(Louis Cozolino)
Invisible classroom
 implicit
curriculum – materiality
 attachment based relationships
 culture
Underlying principles:
safety and security, emotional wellbeing,
trust, recognition and acceptance
Link to tātaiako concepts of Ako,
Tangata Whenuatanga
Tribal classroom



Primitive social instincts linked to survival
Fostering bonding , attachment, group
cohesion
Democratic leadership
Underlying principles:
 Connection & belonging
 Security
 Shared values & responsibilities
 Link to Tātaiako concepts, Whanaungatanga,
Manaakitanga
Linking Tribal & Invisible
classroom principles
Safety -physical & emotional
The neural circuitry that assesses the
environment for danger also serves as the
infrastructure of attachment.
Physical safety, attachment security, and
learning are interdependent processes.
Plasticity is maximised and students learn
best when they feel physically safe.
Additionally….
 Joyfulness
- 3 things that light up the brain
for learning: Physical Exercise, Laughter,
Singing
 Emotional
regulation –
ability to articulate and acknowledge
feelings
in infants and in
adolescents, the
essential conditions for
learning are the
same…
• Secure attachment
• Safe, stimulating, joyful environment
• stable and well regulated emotions
= conditions for learning
The goal of attachment-based teaching is to
have each infant, child, adolescent move
from feeling vulnerable, frightened, and
unimportant to feeling protected, cared for
and valued
- The state of mind that optimizes learning.
- Louis Colozino (2013)
Principles of Connectivism
Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
Learning combines cognitive and emotional processes
Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or
information sources.
Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate
continual learning.
Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a
core skill.
Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all
connectivist learning activities.
Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn
and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens
of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be
wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate
affecting the decision.