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Factors to Lack of School Readiness

Factors to Lack of School Readiness. Poor Diets More exposure to drugs and medications Passive babysitting Sedentary entertainment (TV and video games) Less early motor stimulation and playground games MORE time in car seats/infant carriers Stressful lives. Effects of Stress. Poor memory

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Factors to Lack of School Readiness

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  1. Factors to Lack of School Readiness • Poor Diets • More exposure to drugs and medications • Passive babysitting • Sedentary entertainment (TV and video games) • Less early motor stimulation and playground games • MORE time in car seats/infant carriers • Stressful lives

  2. Effects of Stress • Poor memory • Disoriented thinking • Decreases creativity • Damages nerve cell endings • Portions of brain decrease in size (hippocampus) • Negative impact on emotional responses • Leads to fight/flight response

  3. Why Do We Need To Move? The Brain requires 3 things to operate efficiently: • Rich blood supply • Oxygen • 8-12 glasses of water a day

  4. What Do Movement and Exercise Do? • Causes less carbon dioxide storage • Produces more oxygen Resulting in: • Improved level of attention (RAS) • Mental functioning • Healing (boost immune system)

  5. Reticular Activating System (RAS) • Vestibular stimulation is what activates the RAS. When we do not activate the RAS, by movement, we are not able to take in information from the environment. • Every movement that you make stimulates the vestibular system, which stimulates the brain for new learning. This initial learning lays the foundation for more advanced learning to take place.

  6. Is P.E. and recess just as important as academics? YES!!!

  7. Movement and Learning • “Physical activity is good not only for the heart, but also for the brain, feeding it glucose and oxygen and increasing nerve connections, all of which makes it easier for children of all ages to learn. Numerous studies show that children who exercise do better in school.” Newsweek, 2/19/96

  8. Recess Why are recess and P.E. so important! • Children need movement to self regulate and to “wake up” their brains for any given classroom activity. It is a time for them to de-stress themselves just as you do when you exercise. • Withholding a students entire recess is NOT going to make them behave better…it will probably make their behaviors worse!

  9. Brain Gym • Developed by Paul and Gail Dennison • Series of movements to enhance whole-brain learning • These movement patterns are especially effective with academic skills. • Students who take in a lot of information, but often have trouble expressing what they have learned will benefit from these exercises. • The exercises stimulate various areas of the brain at the same time on both right and left sides. So…these exercises enhance your ability to use your WHOLE brain during the learning process. Paul and Gail Dennison

  10. Brain Gym’s 3 Dimensions • Laterality: Ability to coordinate one side of the brain with other side. • Focus: Ability to coordinate the back and the front areas of brain. • Centering: Ability to coordinate top and bottom areas of the brain. Paul and Gail Dennison

  11. Brain Gym Categories • Laterality Dimension: Midline Activities (2-sided movements). CROSS CRAWL pg. 4 • Focusing Dimension: Lengthening Activities (crossing the participation midline to improve expression of what you have learned). GRAVITY GLIDER pg. 21 • Centering Dimension: Relaxation Activities (decrease fears, anxiety, and fight/flight responses). HOOK-UPS pg31 Paul and Gail Dennison

  12. Brain Gym in Speech Therapy • Using Brain Gym exercises promotes neural pathways established through gross motor exercises to establish neural connections for finer movements necessary for speech production. • Errors in phoneme production occur when the perceptual, sensory, and neural systems are not working together.

  13. The Cerebellum • Located in the lower, back area of the brain • Responsible for balance, posture, movement, and coordination. • Only takes up 1/10 of the brains total volume. • Referred to as the “Brains sleeping giant”

  14. Movement Break • Arm Activation: hold one arm up next to ear…exhale through pursed lips while pushing arm against other hand in 4 directions (front, back, in, away) pg 18 • Neck Rolls: Breath deeply, and relax shoulders and drop head forward. Allow head to roll slowly from side to side (not backwards). pg. 9

  15. Neurologically Speaking… • Vestibular (movement sense) and cerebellar systems are the FIRST sensory systems to mature. • These systems lay the foundation for other areas of the brain to develop and mature.

  16. Does damage to cerebellum influence Cognition? • YES! • Movement and Thinking go hand in hand!

  17. Movement and Learning • It is physical movement that creates nerve cell networks which are the essence of learning. These neural networks enable your body to become an instrument of learning. • Nerve networks grow out of unique sensory experiences, laying down intricate patterns that govern all of our higher level brain development. Carla Hannaford

  18. Sensory Integration Sensory Integration is the ability to: • Take in • Sort out • Connect information from around our environment in a meaningful manner

  19. The power of TOUCH • The simple act of touch, increases the production of hormone called nerve growth factor (NGF), which activates nervous system and nerve net growth and development. • When touch is lacking, children (adults) exhibit depressed motor and mental functioning.

  20. Implications to lack of TOUCH • The absence of touch slows nerve development and nerve cell death will occur. • Study with preemies: Project Kangaroo: Premature babies were carried around in pouch in front of their mothers, next to skin. This constant touch has greatly decreased mortality rate in these preemies. TOUCH ALONE stimulates sensory-motor growth, nerve net growth, and gives babies fighting chance to live. Carla Hannaford

  21. How can you incorporate touch into your classroom? • Having clay or squeeze ball during a lecture enhances intake of information. Whenever, touch is combined with other senses, brain becomes more active, builds more nerve networks thus enhances more learning potential. Carla Hannaford • Gentle touch on shoulder when child acts good will encourage better behaviors. When acting inappropriately…ignore and do not reward with encouraging touch

  22. Brain Gym Exercise • Lazy 8s: Draw infinity symbol with finger and gradually with writing implement (large to small). Follow own finger with eyes open then closed (^kinesthetic sense). ENERGY 8’s: Both arms at same time. • Double Doodle: Draw with both hands simultaneously (shapes, pictures, name) in air or with pencil in both hands. Variations: Doodle in air with shoulders, elbows, feet, or hands and feet at same time. Paul and Gail Dennison

  23. Motor Lab • Obstacle course set up to stimulate sensory motor systems to enhance learning • Remember…movement and learning have a direct link!

  24. Transitions • Animal walks (handout) • Crawling • Hopping • Stepping stones • Rolling • Walking backwards • Balance beam • Tall Kneel walking

  25. Warm-Up Activities • Alerting and Arousal activities to improve attention to task • Wall/desk push ups • Stand and Stretch Break • Clapping songs • Simon Says • Kid Aerobics to music • Erase/clean chalkboards using a mitt with both hands • Putty or play doh activities prior to handwriting tasks • Dust students with feather duster to alert them • Brain Gym Exercises, Paul E. Dennison Ph.D., and Gail E. Dennison • Sensorcises, Laurie Glazener

  26. Sensorcises • Active Enrichment for the Out-of-Step learner • Benefits all learners! • Listening to lectures can tire your brain! • Strengthen the brain-body connections and enhances learning Laurie Glazener

  27. Here’s a Thought! • Have you entertained the idea that your “problem students” may have an underlying reason (other than environmental) as to why they act the way they do? • Answer not being: • Lack intelligence • Lazy • Willful disobedience

  28. May NEED to REWIRE their Systems! • Possible Answer: • Lack physical skills to sit in a chair • Lack physical/neurological skills to sit still in a chair • Lack physical skills to hold a pencil • Lack bilateral integration of eyes to read text from left to right • Lack physical/neurological skills to look at you • Lack physiological skills to pay attention to you • Live in stressful or threaten environment

  29. Try Some Brain Compatible Teaching • Relaxed alertness is the key! • Sharing Breaks with Peers • Safe and secure teaching environment • Laughter! • MOVEMENT for meaningful involvement and revving their learning engine (brain).

  30. Dr. Jean Tooty Ta

  31. Leslye Barnes, LOTRMorehouse Parish Schoolslbarnes@mpsb.us

  32. Resources • Paul E. Dennison, Ph.D., and Gail E. Dennison, Brain Gym, Edu-Kinesthetics, Inc. (888) 388-9898 • Eric Jensen, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), (800) 933-2723 • Carla Hannaford, Ph.D., Smart Moves, Why Learning is not all in your head, Great River Books

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