We know that we have 3 brain states. The survival state is our flight or fight function. SUPER important part of the brain! If a rock comes flying at your head, and you duck without thinking about it...thank your survival brain :) The emotional state of our brain is where I tend to operate from in stressful situations, or if I am super tired or frustrated (insert my husband saying "amen" here lol). This part of our brain is still not where we (or our students need to be for optimal learning). We may hear students saying "This is stupid", "I hate you", or name calling when they are in this state. The 3rd brain state is where we want to be. The executive state. This is where we are thinking, communicating and responding at our very best. You know those moments in class when you look around and all your little kiddos are diligently working, chatting away productively, getting along, and you are flowing freely between students prompting them with questions and challenging their thinking??? That is the sweet spot! You are all in your executive state.
Conscious Discipline goes into great detail about how each Brain State impacts a child's ability to learn (and how our brain state impacts our ability to teach). Something that was so eye-opening for me, was learning that the brain is pattern seeking. It doesn't sound that profound, but for me, it has transformed how I interact with students. If a child comes from a home where chaos is normal ("chaos" can be caused by a variety of things...lots of fighting, lack of parental involvement, inconsistent presence of parent/guardian, uncertainty where next meal will come from, and so on) that child's normal brain state is set with a level of chaos always being present.
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| image taken from drinkhelp.ie |
In the classroom this may look like the student who "for no reason" goes over at hits a kid, or knocks down their tower and then simply walks away. Sound familiar? Are you picturing any of your little friends in your head right now? These children often appear to have no reaction. They are not looking to engage in a fight, they are not fired up or melting down. But now I understand...they are seeking a feeling of "normal" or chaos. That is their brain's pattern. That is where it feels "normal".
As educators we work so hard to provide an environment that is calming and supportive of self-regulation (I know I am a HUGE believer in the environment as a third teacher - another post one day perhaps). But it never occurred to me that in these calming spaces, some students will actually be seeking the feeling of chaos. WOW! That has opened my eyes to understanding some student behaviours.
Our job as the adults/educators for these students is to help set a new "normal" for the child's brain. That is the great news - we can reset our normal (even as adults). When I was working with a team this year on implementing Conscious Discipline we often came back to this. We wanted so badly for this little kiddo to be "fixed". We understood his behaviour (thanks to reading Conscious Discipline), and we were working hard to implement some of the strategies Dr. Bailey provides, but our hearts just wanted to make it better. I actually found it heartbreaking at times to think about "What is the 'normal' brain state for these students?" - but it is such an important question to ask ourselves. If we really want to help our students, we need to understanding them on a very intimate level. We need to understand how their brain is functioning, how that impacts their behaviour, and how we can support them to reach optimal brain functioning. As a parent, I am charged with the responsibility to help set my children's "normal". Learning about the brain...amazing stuff!!
Click here to watch a video of Dr. Becky Bailey explaining the 3 brain states.
Talk again soon,
Carly
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