Teenage brains in your classroomwith Nicola Morgan

Up-to-date science, classroom materials,

free advice, books and more: www.nicolamorgan.com

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• My website (www.nicolamorgan.com)– Today’s blog

Your handouts with hyperlinks This presentation

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• Free Brain Sane newsletter: wellbeing, brains, adolescence, stress, science of reading and learning, digital/social media

Today

1. Teenagers: brain and stress differences2. Stress – how it affects wellbeing and performance3. Strategies for schools, to improve wellbeing and performance

Think about:

1. Does this change or support your teaching?

2. What could students benefit from knowing?

3. How might you share this with students?

4. What about parents?

Teenage development: general principles

• Universal – but they are individuals• 1. State of Brain 2. Stage of Life• Understanding is very empowering• This understanding is based on:– Natural, necessary, temporary and

positive–With goal of independence

Understanding control

We want students to beactive agents of their wellbeing and performance:“It’s in your hands”

Main brain differences• From approx 11

1. Increase in neural (brain cell) connections

2. Loss (“pruning”) of connections3. Strengthening of connections

• Prefrontal cortex develops last (mid 20s)

Most important brain difference

Prefrontal cortex develops last (mid-20s):“control centre” – logic/reason, decision-making, impulse control, prediction

Limbic system, with amygdala – emotion, impulse, reward, reaction, instinct

PFC

Effects Teenagers may have difficulty with:– Impulse control – Risk-taking– Emotions (volatility/control) – Empathy

Emotion

• Hormones + stress also affect emotions

• Poorer at recognising emotions in faces

• Strong amygdala overpowers weaker pfc

• Control of feelings and responses (words and actions) may be weaker

Importance of social behaviour• Human nature, for all age groups• Social exclusion has great mental cost• So, big temptation to conform to group– Explains strength of peer pressure

• Social embarrassment + risk-taking greater brain activity in teenagers

See work by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore especially

Other effects: lost connections

• Loss or weakening of a previous skill• Clumsiness – especially in boys

• (Reassure that it’s normal, not their fault, temporary. If practise, can rebuild connections.)

And then there is: sleep

The problem with teenage sleep• Teenagers need average 9.25 hours• But melatonin switches on later at

night– And off later in the morning

• So very likely to be sleep deprived:–Mood, stress, concentration,

performance• Use of social media at night does not

help!

External stresses – stage of life

Special teenage stresses• Change• Every schoolday – especially for

introverts• Exams: higher pressure, frequency +

stakes

Internet + social media (adults, too)

• Info overload – (The Organized Mind by D Levitin)

• Repetition of bad news emotional effect

• “bad maths” anxiety • Social networking – very important, but…– More ”friends” than can manage– Competition; “unrealistic goal of perfection”– Self-consciousness and lack of privacy– “Online disinhibition effect” cyber-bullying

Questions?

Questions for you

1. What did you learn that surprised you?

2. What made special sense to you, perhaps explaining a particular behaviour you’ve observed?

Break

Recipe for Brain Cake on

my website

How stress affects performance

First, what is stress?• Biological response to threat– Designed to maximise performance– Adrenalin + cortisol

• So, what’s the problem?1. If anxiety panic levels2. If cortisol builds up3. “Preoccupation”

2. Cortisol build upMany negative results:

• Sleep problems• Difficulty in concentration• Lower mood - affects self-worth and

relationships• More likely to make mistakes• Weak immune system – more minor

illnesses

3. “Preoccupation”• Brain “bandwidth”• Everything occupies some bandwidth– Including anxiety and intrusive thoughts– Need supreme control to stay on task

• Preoccupation lowers performance:1. Cognitive capacity (learning)2. Executive control (behaviour)

Daniel Levitin’s The Organized Mind covers this

But can’t they multi-task?• No! Remember “bandwidth”– Though 2% of people are “super-taskers”– And simple tasks have less impact

• We do not generally improve at multi-tasking– Those who allow most distraction are worse at

ignoring distractions – Trying to multi-task causes stress and learning

loss

The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin

Preoccupation problems for teenagers

1. Worries and intrusive thoughts: “rumination”

2. “Scarcity” of time – too much to do3. Constant attempts to multi-task

– Social media / devices / smartphones • upsets/problems with friends/peers• distraction and info-overload

So, preoccupation is a double problem

1. It is stressful – it feels stressful2. Brain bandwidth is affected

Extra stress for introverts

• Introversion is not about shyness• Spend huge energy in all social situations• May do least good work in collaboration• Extra need for quiet time, switch-off time• If needs aren’t met more stress• Most school situations highly stressful• Society values extroverts introverts may

undervalue selves

And for “Type A” personalities

(Ambitious; perfectionist; take on too much; hurry)

• May deal poorly with failure• “Rumination” instead of moving forward• Need extra help with stress

management– And resilience

Teenage brains in the classroom

• Stress affects performance• Boys/girls reach stages at different times • If young for year, brain at earlier stage• Self-consciousness can be huge stressor• Learners often lack autonomy – special

problem for teenagers• Brain “bandwidth” issues

Four BIG consequences

1. Digital overload – ‘continual partial attention’ and exhaustion

2. Cortisol build-up 3. Scope for high anxiety4. Theft of time and peace• ALL can weaken performance

Questions?

DISCUSS 1

• Can you think of a time when a student didn’t perform well because he/she had something causing “preoccupation”?

• How might you have helped that student now that you know the psychology?

DISCUSS 2

• What stress-inducing challenges does our school day create?

• Do we sometimes expect teenagers to “get on with it”?

Lunch

Teenage brains in your classroomwith Nicola Morgan

Part 3: Strategies

Up-to-date science, classroom materials,

free advice, books and more: www.nicolamorgan.com

Strategies for Wellbeing1. PERMA – “engagement”/”flow”2. Build resilience3. Educate re stress + anxiety

management4. Value and cater for introverts + all 5. Improve sleep6. Manage screentime7. Read for Pleasure – or similar

1. PERMA model of wellbeing

P = positive feelingsE = engagement: deep focusR = relationshipsM = meaningA = accomplishment: www.VIA.org

Work by Martin Seligman – see his book, FlourishTeaching Wellbeing in Schools by Ian Morris

2. Build resilience Ability to “bounce back” – a learnable skill

• Avoid:– Over-protection: bad things happen– Helicopter parenting / teaching: we need

to experience failure

Encourage:• “Growth” mindset – Carol Dweck– Praise effort not talent– Understand how we become skilled

• Recognise who might need extra support: perfectionists; difficult home; anxious

See DRIVE by Daniel Pink

Also encourage with:Metacognition – “Why did that go wrong? Could I have

acted differently?”• “What steps can I take to do better next

time?”• “How can I let go of that mistake?”

1. youngminds.org for classroom resources2. Teaching Happpiness & Wellbeing in Schools by Ian Morris

3. Authentic Happiness website

3. Educate about stress• What stress IS – good and bad• How to recognise your own

symptoms• “Preoccupation” and digital

distraction• “RELAXATION IS NOT A LUXURY”– Tell parents + high-achievers

Emphasise: relaxation benefits performance

Better sleep

Better wellbeing

Better performance

Better wellbeing

Less stress

Educate about stress cont’d

• Give strategies:A. Breathing skills – for panic or general

relaxationB. Down-time – activities to reduce

cortisol~ Varied ~ Deliberate

C. Perspective: ~ you are not alone ~ this is not forever ~ talk

On my

website

4. Value your introverts• Educate all re personality strengths• Teach self-understanding; motivate to

practise weaknesses rather than avoid• Be aware that they may do best work

alone• Build strategies into teaching• Do not criticise quietness• Offer sanctuary: time, place, permission

– Quiet Power by Susan Cain

5. Improve sleep

Teach “Sleep hygiene”1-2 hours before bedAim:

1. Wind down to lower heart rate/stress – calming activities

2. Stimulate melatonin (sleep hormone) – make brain think it’s bedtime

3. Create routine – same things each evening

Many tips on handouts

6. Educate re screen-time• Teach: social media is great, BUT:

1. “You will get your work done faster and better if you switch off distraction”

2. Powerfully tempting and addictive 3. Screens hinder sleep

• Strategies: “pomodoro” technique; remove devices from sight– Intrinsic (self-generated) motivation:

experience of benefit

7. Read for pleasure

Teenagers who read daily for pleasure…

– Do better at school and afterwards– Have higher self-esteem– Understand themselves and others better– Have greater knowledge and vocabulary– Have a perfect strategy for managing

stress

– See my website for proper evidence

Readaxation: “The deliberate act

of reading in order to relax, improving wellbeing and performance.”

Why does it help stress and wellbeing?

• Makes us focus on something outside of us• Chance to forget worries and switch off• Permission to be alone• It is freely chosen• Creates a state of “engagement” or “flow”• Aids sleep

DiscussResilience ~ Stress education ~ Sleep ~ Screen-time ~ Introversion

Thinking about your topic:A. What are our challenges?B. What ideas do we have to help?

DISCUSS

1. Which facts/ideas did you find most interesting, useful or enlightening?

2. What do you think your students might find interesting?

3. How would they benefit from this understanding?

4. How could you share it with them?

Questions?

Understanding control

Active agents of wellbeing and performance:“It’s in your hands”

Teenage brains in your classroomwith Nicola Morgan

Up-to-date science, classroom materials,

free advice, books and more: www.nicolamorgan.com