Bridgewater School (N)
JUDY WILLIS, M.D., M.ED.
Neuroscience of Joyful Learning It is unlikely to be surprising to you that both learners and teachers are more engaged, motivated, and effortful when they enjoy their learning and teaching experiences. Indeed, these observations are supported by neuroscience research that can offer guidance to develop strategic interventions. Neuroimaging and neuroelectric-recording studies of the human brain allow us to see what happens when students are affected by both positive and negative emotions (i). This article will summarize research and insights about the neuroscience of learning and focus on avenues to boost a powerful, joyful learning experience.
What happens to that Joy? Most children anticipate kindergarten with awe and enthusiasm. Often lower grade elementary students speak passionately about what they learn and do in school. Then, as years progress, the burdens of increasing curriculum requirements and high-stakes tests deflate that spirited enthusiasm. The pandemic reduced access to group activities, art, music and field trips, the discovery and conceptual understanding gained through projects and experiments, and thwarted meaningful and joyful learning.
Brain Traffic Flow - What does Neuroscience tell us about how this works?
High stress or perceived threat flips the brain into survival mode. In learning experiences, sensory information may be routed into either of two major ultimate destinations: the prefrontal cortex (PFC) or the lower primitive brain. The PFC serves as the higher thinking brain which consciously processes and evaluates information and experiences. The lower, automatic, brain reacts to information through instinct rather than reflection (ii).
The destination of information is determined by activity in the amygdala deep within the neural emotional limbic system. Cellular activity level in the amygdala impacts whether information will pass ahead to the cognitive reflective control networks or down to the lower reactive brain. In the normal state of alertness, without high stress, the amygdala allows input from the senses (what is heard, read, experienced, etc.) to reach up to the prefrontal cortex, where it can be processed into long-term memory and reflected upon by the neural networks of executive function such as emotional self-management, judgment, and thoughtful decision making (iii). With high stress, the amygdala restricts passage of information flow including instruction to and from the prefrontal cortex with adverse impacts on learning and behavior. Stress, anxiety or confusion can trigger involuntary responses. Mirrored in other mammals as fight/flight/freeze, students manifest acting out, aggression (disruptive behavior}/ fleeing (bathroom trips, illness symptoms)/zoning-out (switching off, daydreaming)
Boredom and Frustration Stressors Regarding learning experiences, two of the most prominent stressors (amygdala hyperdrives) for students are boredom and frustration. Sustained boredom can be experienced by students with topic mastery but suffer through unchallenging or personally irrelevant instruction. Highly stressed students, reacting to discomfort, academic frustration, or emotional struggles, slip into this involuntary survival state with reactive behavior and impaired memory construction. These responses,
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