Underpinning Philosophy

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2 Underpinning Philosophy Behaviour management requires an understanding of how the brain develops, the significance of the environment in which it develops and the impact of trauma. Applying this to teaching Teachers have a professional responsibility to make appropriate responses to emerging dysfunctional behaviours and dysfunctional emotions.

3 The Brain

4 Brain Functions Increasing complexity & plasticity CORTICAL LIMBIC MIDBRAIN BRAIN STEM ABSTRACT THOUGHT Where learning takes place Concrete thought Attachment Affiliation Sexual Behaviour Emotional Reactivity Motor regulation Arousal Appetite/satiety Survival Sleep Blood pressure Heart rate Body temperature

5 Limbic System The bagel part of the brain that sits above the mid brain and brain stem Generates emotional reactivity, affiliation, attachment and sexual behaviour Thalamus Clearing house of sensory input Hippocampus Attaches meaning to incoming stimulus Amygdala The store of emotional memories

6 Amygdula Is the seat of emotions. It is unconscious. Processes signals and generates responses. Controls lower level behaviour responses (muscle tone, heart rate, etc.). Can respond to a stimulus before it knows what it is. Projects stimulus back onto the cortex. This is a much stronger signal that the cortex can project onto the amygdula.

7 How the Brain Develops Forming the Structure Frequent, repeated experiences provide the stimulation to create synaptic connections forming neuronal pathways for physical, emotional and cognitive behaviour. The brain creates, strengthens and discards neuronal pathways in response to the environment.

8 Key Points: Brain Development The first three years are sensitive periods for development of certain capabilities. The process of pruning synapses starts after age three. If synapses are not repeatedly activated, they may be discarded (pruning).

9 Frew s Human Drives Model Human behaviour has as its purpose to find yourself in the world CORTICAL LIMBIC The Drive to Understand Yourself and the World The Drive to Integrate Yourself with the World MIDBRAIN BRAIN STEM The Drive to Maintain Yourself in the World Aligns with Perry s Model

10 Stress Moderate, predictable stress prepares us to cope with the general world. Prolonged, severe, or unpredictable stress in a child s early years can alter the brain s development.

11 Mental State The Impact of Stress Reflexive Fight Male Female Aggression Mini Psychosis Reactive Flight Male Female Defiance/Posturing Dissociation/Numbing Brain Stem Autonomic Emotional Freeze Male Female Resistance Compliance Mid Brain Concrete Thinking Abstract Thinking Vigilance Rest Sub Cortex Limbic Limbic Mid Brain Brain Stem Neo Cortex Sub Cortex Calm Arousal Alarm Fear Terror Increasing Level of Stress

12 Emotions Emotions are products of different systems evolved to take care of survival. They are involved in detecting and responding to danger. They are physiological, neurological and voluntary/ involuntary behaviours Fear Systems. Animals detect danger Result in a general adaptive response. - Freeze Fight/Flight

13 Emotional Memories Emotional memory storage is different from cognitive storage. It occurs in the amygdula. Directly connected to survival response. Unconscious, not formed in conscious memory system. Happen before perception is fully processed. Can have very little to do with what we are consciously attending to.

14 Cognitive Memory Memory of an Emotion Explicit memory formed in frontal lobes and hippocampus. Formed memories about emotions are not emotional memories. Cognitive processing leads to more cognitive processing. Thoughts are connected to other thoughts. Cognitive processing is seldom linked to specific responses, it s more complex. Consciousness is where we find out about what we are feeling and thinking.

15 Intense Stress When subjected to intense stress: Information cannot be retrieved from the amygdula and turned into a context the conscious mind can read. Temporal lobe memory breaks down. Person has no memory of event but has an emotional memory. If stress continues hippocampus breaks down (shrinks) but amygdula becomes more efficient, stronger.

16 Emotional Pathways

17 Neural Pathways LeDoux and others have found many more neural routes running from the amygdala to the cortex than from the cortex to the amygdala. This imbalance may be why our anxieties often control our thoughts, whereas our thoughts have trouble quelling our anxieties. Our imagination easily amplifies and feeds the fears coming from the amygdala and hippocampus, but we cannot send enough controls back to dampen our anxiety. That is why we can seldom calm ourselves by telling ourselves to be calm. Dobbs, David 2006

18 Trauma Traumatise people portray snapshots of their unsuccessful attempts to defend themselves in the face of threat. The inability to discharge the energies associate with the preparation to defend themselves means they are fixed into patterns of readiness. We remain in a constant state of neuromuscular readiness. Fixated in an aroused state.

19 Impact of Trauma on Infant Brain Development Permanent Intellectual Disability Hippocampus reported to have a 12% reduction in size. Prefrontal lobes are 20% smaller and have lesions on the surface. This is from sensory-deprivation neglect

20 Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

21 Key Points: Results of Chronic Stress Neuronal pathways developed under negative conditions prepare children to cope in that negative environment. Their ability to respond to nurturing and kindness may be impaired. It will be an unfamiliar world and the brain will not have developed pathways and memories to adapt.

22 Individual Variation to Stress Access to Brain Student 1 Reflex Reactive Student 2 Emotional Abstract Concrete Student 3 Level of Arousal

23 How to Work With Maltreated Kids Anything that can decrease the intensity and duration of the acute response (alarm or dissociation) will decrease the probability of persistent dysfunctional behaviour. Structure, predictability and nurturance are key elements for successful interventions. Empathy and understanding from caregivers increases likely success.

24 Impact of Brain Development in the Teenage Years. What the!

25 FAULTY BELIEF Give me a child for the first seven years and I will give you back the adult! Pertinent Points: A teenage brain is not a child s brain or an adult s brain. Changes in adolescent s brains may rival those of infants. Frontal lobe development is most significant from age 11 to 20. Trauma in the teenage years can have as dramatic an impact on the brain as it does in infancy.

26 Brain Growth in Adolescence At about age eleven there is a surge of growth in the Brain s gray matter and a 100% increase in the presence of myelin. These are the conditions for development of new behaviours. New neural pathways, to deal with the present environment are developed and then reinforced by myelination. Excess gray matter is then pruned at a rate of 1% from age thirteen to eighteen.

27 Processing Emotions Adults use rational, cognitive, frontal lobe thought processes to respond to the emotional message of the situation while adolescents rely on the non-rational amygdula which is instinctive. Stimulus Picture Teenager Adult

28 Points to Consider Social interaction is the most significant dominant factor in determining behaviour development. During adolescence the ability to interpret emotions has almost gone missing. Abuse at this time can be significantly damaging. It is a time for hope but may be the last time!

29 The Influence of the Environment Synapses are developed in response to unique environmental conditions. The process of creating, strengthening and discarding synapses is how our brains adapt us to our unique environment. The brain will adapt to a negative environment just as easily as it will adapt to a positive environment.

30 Impact of Abuse on Development Verbal abuse is most significant! Abuse in adolescent years I don t think society has a clue as to the severity of verbal aggression. You don t have to lay a hand on anyone at all. We need to really have awareness raised about that to show that it has potentially enduring biological effects. Teicher. 2002

31 Manifestations of Prefrontal Damage Inability to use knowledge to regulate behaviour Impaired ability to handle sequential behaviour Impaired ability to establish or change mental set Impaired ability to maintain a mental set Impaired ability to monitor personal behaviour Apathetic attitudes Stuss & Bensen 1984

32 Implications for Behaviour Emotional interpretation function shifts from amygdula to frontal lobes. It is a period of poor interpretation of emotional content of personal communication. (At age 11 there is a 20% reduction in the time taken to read emotions and accuracy diminishes).

33 Points to Consider Teenage development differs from infants: Infants development is totally controlled by parents and environment. Teenagers have some independent choice but what they use stays with them. What they don t use is lost. Use It or Lose It!

34 Other Issues! The presence of Melatonin changes circadian rhythms. Teenagers stay awake later and sleep in. The adolescent brain is more influenced by drugs, especially nicotine. When they say I dunno. they may well mean it.

35 What Does This Mean? This means that teenager s brains are tuned up for emotions, fighting, running away and romance, but not so well tuned up for planning, controlling impulses and forward thinking. It s almost as if teenagers, at this stage have a very powerful, souped-up car with great acceleration and sex appeal, but no brakes. and the driver sense of an earwig Andrew Fuller.

36 Pertinent Points! Behaviour Develops in Two Ten Year Cycles 0 10 Focus on Being a Human * To move, to communicate, to master basic communication skills Focus on Being a Productive/Reproductive Human * To explore emotional commitment * Sexual Development and Expression * Plan vocation The first four years in each cycle is characterised by slow, awkward beginnings prior to confident mastery.

37 The Process of Mind Development Impulse Control Peer Relations Abstract Thinking Birth 3 Yrs 6 Yrs 9 Yrs 12 Yrs 15 Yrs 18 Yrs Language Uptake Self Esteem How to Succeed From: Andrew Fuller

38 Implications for Curriculum. Approach to Grades: Grades 1 4 Direct Teaching Grades 5 8 Supportive environment for social development. Grades 9 12 Vocational Learning

39 Implications for Curriculum. All Intelligences need to be explored! Including: Spatial Social/Emotional Music Kinetics On policy matters subjects that are best suited to early teen learning are the first to be reduced. These include arts, humanities and sports. This can be considered a biological tragedy!

40 Implications for Teachers Reduce Stress Minimise down shifting Minimise fear based motivation Preface difficult work so they can deal with it.

41 Implications for Teachers Understanding. One size\fits all approach does not work. Accommodate differences. Be their frontal lobe until theirs have developed.

42 Implications for Teachers Wisdom Remember students will have forgotten 90% in two weeks. Don t teach rubbish Understand needs Be truthful Avoid excessive homework

43 Dysfunctional Emotions Shame The underlying dynamic of shame is fear of rejection

44 Healthy Shame. is the feeling we are doing something that is not true to our character tells us we are flawed and imperfect protects us from folly helps us understand others. If we never experience shame we are either divine or totally corrupt

45 Toxic Shame. is a feeling that is not based on reality is a false message that creates a false sense of self is put on us by others is a chronic, permanent state exaggerates our faults. Toxic shame is not a feeling of shame about what we have done, it is a feeling of shame about what we believe we are.

46 Impact of Shame on - Beliefs People with a shame based core feel: To be good you must be perfect. They don t deserve anything. Never let anyone know them. Don t have feelings. Don t grow, it s safe where you are.

47 Impact of Shame Characteristics Exposed Core Less Than Self Esteem Better Than Vulnerable Boundaries Invulnerable Bad or Rebellious Reality Good or Perfect Dependent Dependency Independent Out of Control Moderation Totally in Control Walled Core

48 Walls of Behaviour Behaviour to Protect Self Personal Needs Not Able To Be Met

49 Lessons of Boundary Violations The experience of stress indicates that you are out of your comfort zone. You have feelings. Don t be had by your feelings. The choices when faced with stress: Act to Protect Keeps the teacher within their comfort zone Levels of stress remain and will increase as similar experiences are faced Act to Learn Increases the teacher s area of competence Stress is dealt with in a healthy way. When faced with a similar situation the teacher will be empowered to deal with it effectively

50 Acting With an Intent to Protect To protect ourselves from the painful feelings To protect ourselves from the pain of rejection This is the driving force of addiction People Addiction Activities Addiction Substance Addiction

51 People Addiction CONTROL RESIST Overt Control Covert Control Deliberate Opposition

52 Teaching With an Intent to Protect CONTROL RESIST Overt Control Authoritarian Critical Judgmental Shaming Controlling Discounting Covert Control Permissive Indulgent Popular Neglectful Nice These teachers resist anything that creates stress Rebel against school rules Absent a lot Do not engage in school activities Are subjects not teachers

53 Functional Boundaries Accept Responsibilities Get Needs Met Protection from Abuse

54 Taking Responsibility Teaching with an intent to learn Stay Calm What is Really Happening? Who is Responsible? Me Take Action to Address Problem Not Me Take Action to Get Long Term Outcome

55 Applying the Underpinning Philosophy to Teaching Appropriate teaching responses to Managing behaviour in the classroom involves: understanding the importance of a predictable, stable learning environment; understanding the effects of early childhood trauma on behaviour and emotions; understanding dysfunctional behaviour and emotions learned in early childhood will emerge in stressful situations; understanding students need to operate in a state of calm to learn; and being able to identify and respond to dysfunctional behaviours and emotions.

56 Complete Learning Environment Productive Pedagogy Relationships Student Success Structure Expectations