Karen Fogle

Transformation through Personalization

Worriers and Warriors

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Do you know a worrier? Perhaps you have a child or were a child who worried about everything. The February 8, 2013, issue of the New York Times had a great article on worriers and warriors that helps us understand why some people present such a predisposition and how we can help them.

New research shows that there is a gene that is responsible for some of the worrying behavior that we see. This COMT gene carries the code for an enzyme that clears dopamine from the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain where we plan, make decisions, anticipate future consequences and resolve conflicts. Dopamine gives us that rush that lets us concentrate. It changes the firing rate of neurons, making us more alert and able to act. The enzyme from the COMT gene removes the dopamine from the prefrontal cortex. There are two variations of this enzyme: one of the variants builds enzymes that slowly remove dopamine, the other rapidly clears the dopamine.

Those with slow-acting enzymes have a cognitive advantage. The dopamine lingers and they are focused and have superior executive functioning. Those with fast-acting enzymes have too much dopamine removed, so their overall level of prefrontal cortex activity is low. They exhibit less concentration and overall a less-inspired performance.

Under stress the process is reversed. Stress floods the prefrontal cortex with dopamine and those with the slow-acting enzyme can’t clear it; their engine is flooded. If they are more vulnerable to stress they will be disadvantaged. People with fast-acting enzymes need stress to perform, they need the extra dopamine to rev up their engine since the dopamine is cleared so quickly. Their ability to concentrate and solve problems actually increases.

Historically, it is the warriors who receive dopamine under stress and are ready for a threat. Worriers have the ability for more complex planning under normal circumstances, but need warriors by their side for times of stress. Since this is genetic, we receive a combination of warrior or worrier genes from our parents. A child may receive worrier or warrior genes from both parents, which explains such a broad continuum or worriers or warriors.

New York Times Article

The Clock is Ticking

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Research is clear that we have a biological clock that varies from one person to another. Some of us are morning people. Our minds are alert as soon as we stir in the morning. We don’t even need coffee to get going. Our best time for concentration occurs in the morning, tapering in the afternoon and ends in the evening. The evenings are for puttering and doing tasks that don’t require a lot of concentration. There are night owls, the people who live for activity after dark. They come alive at 7:00 p.m. and will enjoy their best success in the evening. It’s no surprise they have difficulty waking up in the morning. They require coffee, several alarm clocks, and a career that is forgiving about when their day starts. They often choose careers that have a night shift option. Or drink a lot of coffee. If you are a morning person then you probably had a better shot at doing well in school. You were at school during the part of you day when you had the best concentration. What about those night owls? No matter how hard they tried, they were always at a disadvantage in morning classes. They would have to work twice as hard to accomplish the same thing.

These circadian rhythms vary throughout childhood. We expect babies and toddlers to be morning people. They are ready to eat and play as soon as they open their eyes. Teens, on the other hand, are night owls, at least temporarily. Just like the baby phase passes, so does the teen night owl phase. They are wired to stay up late and sleep in. In junior high schools all over America, children are yawning and trying to stay awake. Most junior high teachers know that this is a “holding” period in their education. It is impossible to make progress when you are asleep. It has often been said that junior high should be a well supervised summer camp. Fresh air, physical activity, and lots of sleep make for a good junior high experience. Instead we deal with cranky, tired, growing children who desperately need to sleep.

Some schools have acknowledged this problem and tried to delay the school day start time for this age group with success. Imagine how much success a student would have if they could sleep until they weren’t tired anymore?

Paradigm Shift in Education

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In science, the term “paradigm shift” applies to throwing out theories (Kuhn) that can no longer stand because research has shown them to be flawed or wrong. For a long time we thought the atom was the smallest particle possible. It’s all we could “see” with the tools that were available. New technology and science proved that theory wrong. This created a paradigm shift in world view for everyone. We’ve known for years that there are better and more effective ways to educate our children than the current school model. It takes a long time for institutions such as schools to change from the status quo, even when everyone can see that there is a desperate need to do so. Personal computers and the Internet are playing an influential role in the current paradigm shift in education but so is brain research, which started this paradigm shift over 50 years ago.

Research has shown clearly for years that many of the practices that are held tightly by traditional schools are flawed and even harmful to continue. We have the ability to do brain scans and collect data on how the brain learns. We know more about how memory works and how people process information than any other time in our history. Yet most people continue to embrace traditional education models as the “right” way.

These are the characteristics of the new educational paradigm, which began to emerge in middle of the 20th century. Compare the old paradigm with the new. What do you think about the new paradigm?

Emphasis on content, acquiring a body of right information
Emphasis on learning how to learn, how to ask questions. Pay attention to the right things, be open to and evaluate new concepts have access to information. Context is important.

Learning as a product, a destination
Learning as a process, a journey

Relatively rigid structure, prescribed curriculum
Relatively flexible structure, belief that there are many ways to teach given subjects

Lockstep progress emphasis on the appropriate ages for certain activities. Age segregation
Flexibility and integration of age groupings, individual not automatically limited to certain subjects

Priority on performance
Priority on self image as the generator of performance

Guessing and divergent thinking discouraged
Guessing and divergent thinking encouraged as part of the creative process

Emphasis on analytical linear left brain thinking
Strives for whole-brain education

Labeling contributes to self-fulfilling prophecy
Labeling used only in minor prescriptive role and not as a fixed evaluation

Concern with norms
Concerned with the individual’s performance in terms of his potential

Primary reliance on theoretical abstract knowledge
Theoretical and abstract knowledge heavily complemented by experiment and experience

Everyone is taught the same thing at the same time, by age. Emphasis on teaching
Everyone learns when they are ready, developmentally. Emphasis on meaningful learning

Classrooms designed for efficiency, convenience
Concern for the environment of learning-lighting, colors, physical comfort, needs for privacy and interaction, quiet and exuberant activities

Education seen as a social necessity for a certain time to train for a specific role
Education seen as lifelong process. One only tangentially related to schools

Increasing reliance on technology
Human relationships, teachers and learners, are of primary importance. Appropriate technology

Teacher imparts knowledge, one-way street
Teacher is a learner too, learning from students

The old assumptions generate questions about how to achieve norms, obedience and correct answers.
The new assumptions lead to questions about how to motivate for lifelong learning, how to strengthen self-discipline, how to awaken curiosity, and how to encourage creative risk

Child is passive
Child is a thinking, self-propelling,well adjusted individual

Grades as the reward/consequence
Learning as the reward, grades are secondary

“The larger paradigm looks to the nature of learning rather than methods of instruction. Learning after all is not schools, teachers, literacy, math, grades or achievement. It is the process by which we have moved every step of the way since we first breathed, a transformation that occurs in the brain. Whenever new information is integrated, whenever a new skill is mastered, learning is kindled in the mind of the individual. Anything else is mere schooling”. Marilyn Ferguson

The Teen Brain

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We all sense that teen thinking is different than adult thinking. We blame it on hormones and that is partially true. The bigger factor is a process the brain goes through called “neural pruning”.  This is a period of brain development when neurons that haven’t been used are pruned away and the ones remaining will be developed into the adult brain. During this developmental period the “thinking brain” is under construction” and the “emotional” brain is in charge. This is just a phase, like all other childhood phases, so fear not,  this period will end all on its own.  In the meantime, be available to talk to them about their own biology and keep them safe!

Here are some passages from the book Soul of the Child by Michael Gurian. I show these as direct quotes but I have changed some of the wording for a better flow.

“In adolescents there is a process of renovation that occurs in the brain beginning at about 10 years old but the house itself is not razed during this time. It’s more like this- a lot of the furniture and many of the walls inside the self get replaced .We might say in the context of light development that the location of Lamps overhead and lights shining in the house change. These new changes will last into adolescence.This renovation is called pruning. Nerve cells and avenues continue to be used but those that have not been tended to get pruned away. Areas in the frontal lobe, which are especially crucial for judgment, insight, and planning can get pruned away So if your child is not prodded to develop good judgment, working towards these activities are some of the most important in your child’s development of individuality and maturity. When the child’ brain is pruning,the body will begin secreting doses of hormones.”

“During adolescence- one amazing fact we’ve recently learned- is that at least half the neural connections in the prefrontal cortex, which is like the air traffic controller for persons brain, are obliterated by hormonal intrusion for months and even years during adolescence. During decision-making the brain has to rely on the limbic system and other parts of the brain that handle emotional reactions, so when you notice adolescents taking extra risks, making bad decisions, getting into addictions, being overly emotional, you’re noticing this obliteration of the prefrontal cortex.”

“The brain after transition regains a new full circuitry and the adult decision maker shows through. We have to be vigilant guides during this time providing clear supervision, limits and expectations. We are helping them avoid the chaotic emotional reactions that can be part of an unsupervised adolescents life.”

“The last developmental step is myelination of cells in the brain at around 20.The brain completes its development with a gooey white substance that quickens every transmission and hardens the brain during adulthood. Cells continue to grow throughout life but at a much slower pace than during adolescence and child growth.”

“Modern life moves too fast for a lot of our children’s brains and they suffer from overstimulation. Not only abuse and neglect, but overstimulation increases cortisol levels. Our kids are literally in over their heads. No wonder the rates of brain disorders among children have skyrocketed in the last 30 years. Millions now suffer from ADD, dyslexia, bulimia, anorexia and depression.”

I would add anxiety to the list. KF

Creating Emotionally Safe Schools

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When we think about school safety we think about things like guns and bullying. The problem is so much greater in scope. Our children are showing signs of anxiety and depression at a very young age. The following passages are from the book  Creating Emotionally Safe Schools, by Jane Bluestein, PhD.

 “Safety in schools is about more than violence. It’s an issue for the student terrified of being called on in class or the child afraid of being harassed on the playground. It’s an issue for children who don’t test well, for children who learn by touching and moving, for children whose strengths lie in areas not assessed or valued in schools. It’s an issue for the child who is not noticed, the child nobody will play with, and for the child that looks different. We sacrifice safety when we fail to notice a child in distress or ignore hurtful behavior or when we use tests or grades to punish.

A safe environment is one that reduces these and other stressful occurrences. Under stress our bodies cannot function at their best. If students always have their defenses up to protect themselves there is very little energy left for schoolwork or any other meaningful activities. Stress and anxiety block learning. When responding to stress or a perceived threat, chemicals, such as cortisol, are released into the system. This causes mental static, sabotaging the prefrontal lobes, keeping them from maintaining working memory. You have probably experienced what it feels like to not be able to “think straight” when you are upset. Many other physiological symptoms may occur including dry mouth, increased heart rate, intestinal distress, and dizziness, just to name a few.

Daniel Goleman has stated that even one exposure to a traumatic incident can bring about a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Students with PTSD are constantly in a state of hyper vigilance. They are always surveying their environment for danger. Other symptoms may include lying, aggression, sleep problems, impulsivity, fear, confusion and unhappiness. It’s no wonder they are unable to concentrate on anything else.”