*Importance of Brain Development for Better Tomorrow

By Gulzar Khalfan

*Goal

*To create awareness among teachers about brain development and their role in supporting the holistic and optimal development of a child.

*Rationale

*To educate teachers their roles in holistic and optimal development of a child from childhood to human development.

*Objectives

*understand the role of the brain in human development.

*to know exquisite structural and functional development of the brain.

*understand factors that affect the progress of development.

*Ice Breaking Activity

*Ask Participants to form a circle. You will need a ball. Start by telling name and two sentences about like and dislike. Then throw a ball to any participant she / he will introduce herself.

*Definition of Brain*• An organ of soft nervous tissue contained

in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and

intellectual and nervous activity.

*• The brain is the center of the system. The brain is located in the head, protected by the skull and close to the primary

sensory apparatus of vision, hearing, balance, taste, and smell.

*• The brain controls the other organ systems of the body

*• The whitish mass of soft matter (the center of the nervous system, and the seat of

consciousness.

*• The organ or seat of intellect; hence, the understanding.

*Parts of Brain

*Functions of Brain

*Frontal Lobe (concentration, emotional control motor projection, problem solving, thinking and personality building)

*Temporal Lobe (smell, hearing, balance, emotion, language)

*Occipital Lobe (receives and process visual formation)

*Parietal Lobe (sensory projection, touch, speech, visual abilities)

*How Brain works?

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UukcdU258A

Video

*Video

Brain Development Page 1.3.B

Daniel Keating (3:36)

Video: BD1_Keating1

*Group Activity

*Did you find the building a house metaphor useful?

*According to Dr. Keating, what are the implications of a strong foundation for later development?

*Does a solid foundation predetermine a strong healthy development throughout life?

*Neuroscienceuncovers some of the answers to questions we

have about the brain. The human brain - a complex three pound organ - is at the centre of human development.

*GenesGenes set the parameters for the basic

structures of the developing brain. Experiences and genes interact to establish neural circuits and shape the brain’s architecture.

*Video

Brain Development Page 1

Fiona Stanley (3:18)

Video: BD1_Stanley1

*Video

Brain Development Page 1

Fraser Mustard (1:22)

Video: BD1_Mustard1

*Discussion – Whole Class

*Why do Fiona Stanley and Fraser Mustard think it is important for those working with young children and their families to know about early brain development?

*When does the Brain development start?

*Brain development begins soon after conception and continues after birth. The building blocks - brain cells known as neurons - and the basic structures of the brain are formed before birth.

*Billions of neurons, all with the same genetic coding, make trillions of connections with each other to build the neural pathways of the human brain and nervous system. Some of the neural pathways are built before birth but most are constructed after birth.

*Videos of Early Development

Week 1 – 9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l9GE_eaMSsWeek 10 – 14 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sivegxcp2BkWeek 15 – 21http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsjcqkOjp0U

Week 28 – 37http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIzb-IqF4i8

*Group Activity

1. Make your own Brain Cap

*In this activity you will learn where in the brain specific information is processed to produce different behaviors.

2. Pin the function on the Brain

* To introduce the idea that different parts of your brain help you do different things and to assess student comprehension of functions of various brain regions.

3. Make a Neuron

* Create a model of a neuron by using clay or play dough.

4. Message Transmission

* Let's make a chain of neurons...have everyone stand up and form a line. Each person in the line is a neuron.

Factors Affecting the progress of

Brain Development

Stress

Positive Stress

Tolerable Stress

Toxic Stress

*Effects of Toxic Stress on Brain

Development*Brain circuits are especially vulnerable as they are developing during early childhood. Toxic stress can disrupt the development of these circuits. This can cause an individual to develop a low threshold for stress, thereby becoming overly reactive to adverse experiences throughout life.

*High levels of stress hormones, including cortisol, can suppress the body’s immune response. This can leave an individual vulnerable to a variety of infections and chronic health problems.

*Sustained high levels of cortisol can damage the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for learning and memory. These cognitive deficits can continue into adulthood.

*Nutrients for Brain

DevelopmentGlucose: A child's brain depends on glucose for fuel. Something as simple as skipping breakfast can cause enough of a deficiency in blood sugar (glucose) to impair cognitive abilities.

Iron: It carries oxygen in the blood and helps transport that oxygen into the cells where it is used.

B vitamins: The B vitamins act to help unlock the energy in glucose. A deficiency in B vitamins can interfere with learning by causing personality changes including aggressiveness, hostility and depression.

*Vitamin A: This nutrient is needed for proper development of the nervous system in the growing fetus. There is also growing evidence that it is needed for optimum brain function during life.

Zinc: Zinc is an integral part of the communication structure between nerve cells. Therefore it is important to proper brain function and deficiencies in zinc appear to be linked to cognitive impairment.

* Nutrition Video

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ikn9v_XYA8

*CONCLUSION

*Brain plays important role in human development.

*Learnt structure and functions of brain.

*How brain develops in early years.

*Factors that affect development of the brain.