Emotion and Movement

Learning from Fear

Emotions are a function of the entire bodybrain

Emotions filter incoming sensory input

controls what the cerebral contex processes and stores in long term memory.

Emotions are processed throughout the entire brain all the structures

amygydala

hippocampus

thalamus

hypothalamus

cingulate gyrus / limbic system

How Emotions affects learning

Thalamus (relay station) receives, sorts, and forwards all input from sensory organs

Amygdala in the frontal portion of temporal lobe. Sensory info goes to amygdala from thalamus or from various sensory cortexes.

Amygdala sends signals to hypothalamus of danger

Hypothalamus unleashes chemicals to fight, flight or freeze.

hippocampus helps form and find long term memories which are stored elsewhere in cerebral cortex

Cingulate gyrus connects the 2 hemispheres helps resolve situations. Reviews the sensory info and determines if is important and decides to release info to prefrontal cortex for a final decision.

Emotions in Classroom

prefrontal cortex are active during emotional experiences

Teachers should provide right there experiences so that students make connections.

Teachers should take 'emotional temperature' during daily greetings will help comfort students who are anxious or fearful

Testings is scary for students. Practice movement and breathing activities to help cope.

The Rest of the Story

neurons grow dendrites and axons

Electrical impulses travel down axon, jump synapse to dendrites of next neuron.

Emotions drives our attention

drives learning

memory

problem solving

behavior and etc.

ligands communicate (inform, regulate and synchronize) to endocrine, neurological, gastrointestinal, and immune system

Gender Differences: Emotions are processed differently

Girls:

More likely to do homework even if it's not interesting

eager to please teacher

more likely to listen to adults and see perspectives

stress impairs learning because it inhibits growth of hippocampus connections

girl fights are more silent and full of tension until there is no friendship

emotions are well connected in brain

Boys:

less likely to affiliate with adult goals

less motivated unless it is interesting

stress improves learning

stress enhances growth of neural connections in hippocampus

boys can be mean to each other and then be better friends than before

verbal processing are more connected in brain

What Brain is telling us

Movement is essential

front half of brain is devoted to organizing action physically and mentally

movement is crucial for planning and executing plans, memory, emotion, language and learning

mimic is movement based

aerobic exercise kickstarts brain chemicals essetial for forming new memories and wiring learning into long term memory

in classrooms: being told to sit still and not move is counterproductive

teachers should redirect instruction to being there experiences instead of traditional resources

physical activity is important for attention, concentration, memory, behavior and making connections.

Gender Differences

Girls:

In art, girls draw nouns

Retina is smaller and thinner which are concetrated in center of the field of vision

center field of vision is better designed to focus on worksheets

Boys:

Boys focus on movements

In art, boys draw verbs

Retina is larger and thicker which tracks objects anywhere in field of vision

Eye structure is geared to motion. anything will catch their attention

wired to be in motion so learning at desks is antithesis of effective learning

project based learning and field trips are learning by doing