1. The Teen Brain: Living and Learning at the Leading Edge Part of the Neuropsychology, Brain Science and Emotional Wellbeing Series Dr Elizabeth Morris 25th May 2007 Edinburgh

2. It’s all in the brain

3. Amazing Brain 100bn brain cells Can grow 5,000 - 50,000 ‘branches’ in every one of these nerve cells 2 sides that work in harmony 3 functional areas in 1 organ 4 lobes with a variety of functions Conscious and unconscious brain

4. The three part brain a cartoon of the brain Reptilian Mammalian Brain - surrounds the reptilian brain and interdigitates with it at many points. -Known as the Emotional brain Cortex – the wrinkly thinking cap on top

5. A neuron with axon and dendrites

6. Two hemispheres taking care of different functions

7. Lobes in the hemispheres

8. Footprints on the brain Experience shapes the brain -Sensory input -Emotional impact

9. Enriched emotional environment Enriched physical environments Moderate stress

10. What do you mean? Teenagers find it harder to read facial expressions than younger children Amygdala not frontal cortex 412 separate emotions felt by humans

11. Sleep and teenagers 84% have fallen asleep at school 50% of students show symptoms of sleep disorder 60% of young adults admit to driving while very drowsy More than half the number of car crashes are caused by drivers 25 or younger

12. Lets try that… Risk taking Desire for pleasure Surviving risk gives us a boost Teenagers brains need more stimulation to reach the same level of pleasure – ventral striatum I’m doing it because I can – neural networks

13. I get it… Understand jokes differently Make connections and transfer knowledge See shades of grey in arguments Pick up deeper meanings

14. Student’s dream teacher who are truthful in a positive way, kind, supportive, makes you feel special, encouraging like a friend, involves everyone, respectful (x3) who do not treat others any better than anyone else who involve everyone who doesn’t act superior

15. Style of teaching who makes learning fun and are lively who is nice, funny, lets you move around, gives more rewards and takes you outside who is fun and creative more fun teachers and get rid of the boring ones have good teachers who do practical stuff and cool teachers who interact not boring teachers who tell us to “shut up”.

16. have 2 teachers in class – one to teach us and one to help us have younger teachers so they can remember being a kid easier and know how we feel CELEBRITIES, ICONS AND MENTORS have celebrity teachers especially for French and Maths

17. What the students want Have choices Do much more active learning Learn outside Changes in school environment Much more ICT, Art music drama…. Changing the organisation of the day Things to be relevant

18. Having choices being able to choose different activities not being forced to do subjects that they didn’t want to do having to earn points to be able to have a choice an arts week where people rotate between art, drama and music a 3 subject project week more time for lessons that we want to do – choose to do as much music or drama as we like choose your own subjects

19. Active learning practical activities building things more things to do making stuff make more stuff for you to take home more time to play and mess around more sports and games (chess) sitting down makes me feel fidgety

20. Learning outside day trips to make work more interesting go on a shopping spree to learn outside have lessons outside learn outside more bouncy castle, water slide, rubber rugby pitch, ball slides, adventure playground adventure sports: canoeing and climbing

21. THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT burn down the old school and rebuild a better one! have automatic doors and escalators have own desks and laptops more equipment no bullying stay as school as long as you want and even sleep over if you want any food you want robots as servants pets allowed in school

22. Teaching and learning more ICT and more activities on computers less writing or no writing or maths listen to music art, drama and music design tech to take home

23. Organisation & time learning different subjects at the same time merge subjects together not having to rush work having more time to get stuck into things one day projects – you can get stuck into one project and do all subjects in 2 weeks or compromise and have 2 teachers a day having 1 subject each day would make us learn more

24. Relevance work towards a career but the work is fun pupils teaching each other make own lesson plans getting to draw on the smart boards

25. Dream classes boys and girls taught separately (x4) more time to move from class to class in every class have someone from your primary school who you can trust being able to hang stuff and decorate room to make the place more relaxed classmates from different countries and cultures call teachers by their first name talk about stuff we want to talk about do things that we are interested in: shopping, music... do projects with different people more films (12 or PG rating of course!)

27. Strokes A stroke is a “unit of recognition”. Strokes may be: Verbal v nonverbal Positive v negative Conditional (doing) v unconditional (being) Direct v indirect More or less intense.

28. The stroke grid NEGATIVEPOSITIVE UNCONDITIONAL For Being Put-Downs  Expressed Love  CONDITIONAL For Doing Negative Feedback  Praise 

29. How people treat us and as a result how we feel about ourselves A person’s self esteem is determined by the ratio of positive to negative unconditional strokes (for being): Lots of expressed love and few put-downs leads to high self esteem. Lots of put-downs and little expressed love leads to low self esteem. A person’s self confidence is determined by the ratio of positive to negative conditional strokes (for doing): Lots of praise and limited negative feedback leads to high self confidence. Lots of negative feedback and limited praise leads to low self confidence.

30. School of Emotional Literacy Bilston Glen 6 Dryden Road Loanhead Edinburgh EH20 9TY Tel: 0131 448 1021 Fax: 01453 549008 www.schoolofemotional-literacy.com info@schoolofemotional-literacy.com