Brainstorms

The premise of my research, speeches and workshops over the past three decades has been based on the question, "If it's your job to develop the mind, shouldn't you know how the brain works?"

Kenneth Wesson works as a keynote speaker and educational consultant for pre-school through university-level institutions and organizations. He speaks throughout the world on the neuroscience of learning and methods for creating classrooms and learning environments that are "brain-considerate."

Emotions determine where and on what we focus our attention as opposed to those things we chose to ignore whether consciously or unconsciously. That degree of attention directs a vast amount of all subsequent learning. Biologically, it is impossible to learn something to which the brain has not paid any attention. So, we ask, do our emotions influence learning and our memories? They are the driver for nearly all learning and the final arbiters of all memory formation. Today we recogni Color ze that among the critical factors missing in most descriptions of the learning process are the elements of (1) the emotional linkages that one connects to the original learning event or object, and (2) the emotional state of the learner when that learning (or recall) is taking place.

The latest findings in neuroscience leave little doubt that the human brain grows and feeds on consistently healthy stimulation. Unfortunately, the very same cerebral cortex can also be molded by severely negative events. When the brain is (1) properly nourished, and (2) allowed to grow and develop in a positive, reassuring and encouraging atmosphere, it responds favorably to that rich supportive environment. Under these conditions the probability of maximizing the brain’s remarkable potential increases dramatically. When the opposite conditions prevail (whether early in life, later in life, or consistently during one’s life), there is a frightful price to pay. The neurophysiological costs are seldom cheap and rarely short term.

Chemical changes are constantly occurring inside the human body and brain during all complex biological activities such as learning. When we speak of an individual experiencing a “chemical imbalance,” that behavioral unevenness refers to a disruption in his/her normal levels of hormones and neurotransmitters, the chemicals transferred between and among the neurons sponsoring all human thinking and mammalian behaviors. Drastic changes occur in the structure and subsequent functions of selected cortical regions and the subcortical structures as a result of ongoing fear and threats. Psychogenic dwarfism and paranoid schizophrenia are among the many possible consequences, when reactions to stress are not turned off periodically. In his book, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, endocrinologist, Robert Sapolsky, maintains that the body-brain’s reactions to stressful events were designed to cope with intermittent tension and to assist us in escaping from the occasional terrifying situation. The ongoing neurophysiological reactions to stress (that do not get “turned off” from time to time) were never intended to be embraced as a continuous lifestyle plan.

Not only is growth in the body and the cortex curtailed during prolonged stressful periods, but the operations of the immune system, the body’s otherwise highly effective and reliable internal pharmacy, also shut down. Elizabeth Gould and a team of researchers at the University of Princeton (along with Bruce McEwen at Rockefeller University) have shown that, in addition to the harm that stress does to cortical development, it also reduces the formation of neurons in the hippocampus. These neurons serve as the essential network communicators all critical players in cerebral transactions.

However, there are completely different neurophysiological consequences of laughter, when contrasted with fear. Each of these emotionally polarized responses initiates an entirely different series of bodily reactions accompanied by a cascade of temporarily appropriate neurotransmitters affecting perception, behavior, learning, thinking and memory There are unmistakable neuro-physiological and educational benefits associated with regularly experiencing laughter in the classroom. Interjecting humor at appropriate times can do wonders for enhancing learning. Unexpected areas of the brain make important contributions to our emotional state including the prefrontal cortex, and the cerebellum.

Kenneth Wesson (408) 223-6728
Kenneth.Wesson@sjeccd.org