I love you, brain. You are beautiful.
I vividly recall about 10 years ago, sitting in a teacher inservice watching a video clip on neurochemical activity in the brain. We learned about seratonin, addiction, ADHD, the importance of sleep, novelty and the brain, the importance of hydration and the brain. Fascinating stuff!
I was fortunate to work with an adminstrator who was in love with the brain and in love with learning. She was always taking risks and worked hard to convince teachers to try new things as they related to learning and the latest brain research. She encouraged kids to have water bottles on their desks, she asked teachers to plan for exercise breaks for the kids with cross- body movements, she established cross-age classrooms where kids were grouped by their learning readiness, instead of chronological age.
What do effective brains have in common? Read about it here:
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/08/22/10-habits-of-highly-effective-brains/
What about the gifted brain?
A common issue with gifted folks is MULTIPOTENIALITY.
This is being good at many things and being interested in many things.
The iss ue with this is having the energy, time and sometimes, money, to pursue all of those things with th passion you want.
This young lady speaks eloquently to that.
http://youtu.be/IAX6jrldSuY (Video where she speaks about Multipotentiality)
I vividly recall about 10 years ago, sitting in a teacher inservice watching a video clip on neurochemical activity in the brain. We learned about seratonin, addiction, ADHD, the importance of sleep, novelty and the brain, the importance of hydration and the brain. Fascinating stuff!
I was fortunate to work with an adminstrator who was in love with the brain and in love with learning. She was always taking risks and worked hard to convince teachers to try new things as they related to learning and the latest brain research. She encouraged kids to have water bottles on their desks, she asked teachers to plan for exercise breaks for the kids with cross- body movements, she established cross-age classrooms where kids were grouped by their learning readiness, instead of chronological age.
What do effective brains have in common? Read about it here:
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/08/22/10-habits-of-highly-effective-brains/
What about the gifted brain?
A common issue with gifted folks is MULTIPOTENIALITY.
This is being good at many things and being interested in many things.
The iss ue with this is having the energy, time and sometimes, money, to pursue all of those things with th passion you want.
This young lady speaks eloquently to that.
http://youtu.be/IAX6jrldSuY (Video where she speaks about Multipotentiality)
Endorphins, Seratonin, Dopamine- oh my!
What happens to your brain on exercise?
Why do I say "on" exercise?
Because exercise is a powerful "drug" in keeping your gray matter fit!
Endorphins- the big E.
Endorphins are released within 30 minutes of the start of physical activity in order to bind to opioid receptors in your brain's neurons, according to Bryan Mawr College.
Seratonin- is a mood enhancer and assists in regulating sleep and appetite.
More seratonin means less depression.
Dopamine- related to coordination and muscle memory. It also lifts your mood.
"I like to say that exercise is like taking a little Prozac or a little Ritalin at just the right moment," says John J. Ratey, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of A User's Guide to the Brain. "Exercise is really for the brain, not the body. It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and feelings of well-being."
Stephen C. Putnam, MEd, took up canoeing in a serious way to combat the symptoms of adult ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Then he wrote a book, titled Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind, about the benefits of exercise on troublesome brain disorders such as ADHD, a neurological/behavioral condition resulting in hyperactivity and the inability to focus on tasks.
Putnam cites studies of children who ran around for 15 to 45 minutes before class and cut their ants-in-the-pants behavior by half when they got to class. As with most exercise, the effects were relatively lasting -- smoothing out behavior two to four hours after the exercise.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/train-your-brain-with-exercise
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/101972-chemicals-brain-stimulated-exercise/#ixzz1xVH76Pbb
"Using sophisticated technologies to examine the workings of individual neurons — and the makeup of brain matter itself — scientists in just the past few months have discovered that exercise appears to build a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhance cognitive flexibility. Exercise, the latest neuroscience suggests, does more to bolster thinking than thinking does. " http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-exercise-could-lead-to-a-better-brain.html?pagewanted=all
What happens to your brain on exercise?
Why do I say "on" exercise?
Because exercise is a powerful "drug" in keeping your gray matter fit!
Endorphins- the big E.
Endorphins are released within 30 minutes of the start of physical activity in order to bind to opioid receptors in your brain's neurons, according to Bryan Mawr College.
Seratonin- is a mood enhancer and assists in regulating sleep and appetite.
More seratonin means less depression.
Dopamine- related to coordination and muscle memory. It also lifts your mood.
"I like to say that exercise is like taking a little Prozac or a little Ritalin at just the right moment," says John J. Ratey, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of A User's Guide to the Brain. "Exercise is really for the brain, not the body. It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and feelings of well-being."
Stephen C. Putnam, MEd, took up canoeing in a serious way to combat the symptoms of adult ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Then he wrote a book, titled Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind, about the benefits of exercise on troublesome brain disorders such as ADHD, a neurological/behavioral condition resulting in hyperactivity and the inability to focus on tasks.
Putnam cites studies of children who ran around for 15 to 45 minutes before class and cut their ants-in-the-pants behavior by half when they got to class. As with most exercise, the effects were relatively lasting -- smoothing out behavior two to four hours after the exercise.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/train-your-brain-with-exercise
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/101972-chemicals-brain-stimulated-exercise/#ixzz1xVH76Pbb
"Using sophisticated technologies to examine the workings of individual neurons — and the makeup of brain matter itself — scientists in just the past few months have discovered that exercise appears to build a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhance cognitive flexibility. Exercise, the latest neuroscience suggests, does more to bolster thinking than thinking does. " http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-exercise-could-lead-to-a-better-brain.html?pagewanted=all
So many ways to grow
You can visit Twitter and try these hashtags to find discussions and resources about the brain:
#neuropsych
#brain
#neuroscience
#cognitivescience
To learn something new:
#skillshare
#trivia
#wired (the coolest stuff in technololgy)
#musedchat
Pinterest
Pinterest is kind of cool- you can see "idea" boards of things that other people like. It is very visual and you can then link to the sources for more information.
Can you be too good looking?
Robin McMaster has an interesting blog on the brain and creativity:
http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com/2011/05/seize-day-power-up-creativity.html
The 2012 stuff is cool:
1. How belly fat affects your brain- who knew? (April 2012)
2. The brain on celebration- I love this one. I will have a future post on perfectionism that speaks to this.
3. Mind games and self talk
4. What do looks have to do with success? December 2011
You can visit Twitter and try these hashtags to find discussions and resources about the brain:
#neuropsych
#brain
#neuroscience
#cognitivescience
To learn something new:
#skillshare
#trivia
#wired (the coolest stuff in technololgy)
#musedchat
Pinterest is kind of cool- you can see "idea" boards of things that other people like. It is very visual and you can then link to the sources for more information.
Can you be too good looking?
Robin McMaster has an interesting blog on the brain and creativity:
http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com/2011/05/seize-day-power-up-creativity.html
The 2012 stuff is cool:
1. How belly fat affects your brain- who knew? (April 2012)
2. The brain on celebration- I love this one. I will have a future post on perfectionism that speaks to this.
3. Mind games and self talk
4. What do looks have to do with success? December 2011
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