Improving communication, engagement and resilience in STEM classrooms in South Africa:

handouts about tools for teachers, supporters and learners

1 Hand Model of the Brain

2 Relaxation response

3 Growth Zone Model

With reference to grant reference ES/M500434/1

September 2018

go.warwick.ac.uk/ces

IntroductionThese handouts give information about tools that can be used to improve communication between learners and teachers, engagement in the learning process and a resilient learning approach. They are aimed primarily for teachers and learners of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in South Africa.

Teachers - We suggest that you try one tool at a time, to assess its efficacy with your learners. Please feel free to adapt the tool to meet the needs of your learners. We would love to hear about what you do and how well it (Please contact us at …)

Once you and your learners are using one tool fluently, then evaluate another to add to your repertoire. In this way you can build a bank of tools that work effectively in your context.

Learners – You will probably find some tools more helpful than others. Try one at a time, and once you have mastered one, then move onto the next. We would also love to hear how these tools are working for you – please contact us at …

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1 Hand Model of the Brain

Who is this for? Learners

When might it be used? Once learners are familiar with the concept, they can recognise when their brain has flipped, and take appropriate action. This might be telling the teacher by folding and lifting their fingers or it might be removing themselves from the situation or using a calming technique.

You possess one of the most amazing thinking tools. But sometimes the way the brain works leaves you feeling stupid, or very angry, or not able to think clearly. Many people have found the hand model of the brain helps.

Making a hand model of the brainWhen your fingers are folded over your thumb, you have a useful model of the cerebral cortex of your brain (responsible for higher level thinking with words and symbols) folded over the limbic area (involved in primal emotion – an alarm system) which is represented by the thumb.

When you lift your fingers, you have a useful model of the way the cerebral cortex flips ‘offline’ as the limbic region triggers flight or flight or freeze responses to a threat, such as coming face to face with a tiger.

Adapted from Siegel & Hartzell (2003) Parenting from the inside out, page 173

Now, if you can, watch Dr Dan Siegel introduce his hand-model of the brain, as if talking to parents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm9CIJ74Oxw

Swift reactions to danger enable animals to survive many threats. Our brains react swiftly too, although sometimes the reaction is more extreme than what is required by the situation. The amygdala, the brain’s alarm system, ‘flips’ into survival, getting the body to react to danger by fighting or fleeing or freezing, to save your life. Cortex activity such as thinking clearly is not easily available until the alarm is switched off (find out how to do this in tool 2).

The limbic part of the brain reacts to situations that are similar to situations that have caused harm in the past. These might be situations that have caused physical harm, but can also be situations that have caused social harm, such as being embarrassed or excluded. This part of the brain is not good at telling the difference between social and physical threat. However, a fight - flight- freeze response is not usually an appropriate or helpful reaction to a social threat. This is when you might find yourself feeling stupid or not thinking clearly. It is important to tell yourself that you are not stupid;

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it is just that your brain has flipped. Once you have recovered (“switched off the alarm”) then you will be able to think clearly again.

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2 Relaxation responseWhen the fight-flight-freeze response is triggered, it is difficult if not impossible to think clearly as your brain and body are preparing to save your life! This survival mechanism primes us to fight a physical threat like a wild animal, or run away from danger, or freeze to avoid being seen by a predator. These physical responses are sometimes useful in modern times, for example if we need to jump out of the way of a speeding car, or get away from a mugger, but our bodies also respond in this way to a perceived threat, like a strict teacher or a difficult mathematics test. Our physical responses are less helpful in these situations.

The ‘relaxation response’ switches off the alarm system (activating your parasympathetic nervous system to return to a calm state). You can learn to do this consciously, enabling you to clear your mind and return to thinking effectively. This is well-known and used by divers who need to preserve oxygen and think clearly.

The fight-flight-freeze response triggers the release of hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) resulting in an increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, raised blood pressure and raised metabolic rate, so that you are ready to deal with danger. The relaxation response reverses these bodily processes, decreasing heart rate, decreasing breathing rate, lowering blood pressure and lowering metabolic rate, allowing our bodies and minds to recover and heal.

The technique primarily focuses on your breathing. However some people feel very uncomfortable when asked to focus on their breath. It can also involve focussing on one of the 5 senses or the repetition of a well chosen word, for example ‘calm’, ‘love’, ‘peace’ or ‘joy’. As you repeat your chosen word, in time with the breath if possible, you will find that you are able to step back from everyday thoughts and become calm. You could replace the chosen word with a short prayer or meaningful phrase. For those who prefer not to focus on the breath, you could focus on the surrounding sounds, or on a nearby object.

A: Practise triggering your relaxation response:

Breathe in deeply, counting to five, focusing on expanding your diaphragm rather than your shoulders.

Breathe out, counting to seven.

Repeat for two to three minutes.

B: Practice triggering your relaxation response:

Name five sounds you can hear.

For a more detailed description, see: https://isma.org.uk/pdf/free/the-60-second-tranquilliser.pdfOr:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCsFuoFRp8

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3 Growth Zone ModelTeachers may not notice you are becoming stressed or anxious in a lesson. Many people have found it helpful to build a shared language that is quick and easy to communicate. You and your school/college/university can do this using the growth zone model.

Lugalia et al., 2013

This model has three ‘zones’ which represent ways you might experience a situation.

The green zone = comfort zone: this represents feeling safe and confident, being able to use existing knowledge alone if needed and not experiencing stress. Think of an activity that makes you feel calm, relaxed, at ease. This might include listening to your favourite music or practicing a skill you have already mastered.

The red zone = danger/threat: represents experiencing threat, danger, distress. In this zone, you might a ‘fight, flight or freeze’ impulse to be angry, or to run, or to cry, or a sudden inability to think clearly. Think of an activity that makes you feel very stressed, frightened, panicky. This will depend on your previous experiences and might include being asked to climb 50m in a harness, make a presentation to the whole year or having a large spider land on your hand.

The amber zone = growth zone: amber represents growth. This zone represents feeling challenged which is when you can learn most efficiently. You believe you can improve. You may feel nervous but motivated and engaged, prepared to develop new skills by taking managed risks, exploring strategies, making mistakes, persisting, having coping strategies, supported by your learning community encouraging questioning and providing support.. You might experience such a feeling when trying to develop a new move in sport or trying to beat your best time in a race. You know it is possible but you might not succeed the first time.

You might think of resilience as what it takes to stay in the growth zone, or return to the growth zone if you experience panic.

Create personal growth zone language to help you to recognise which zone you are experiencing at any time:

Think of a time when you were in your green zone, how did you feel or what did you notice?

Calm? Relaxed? Heart rate was slow? ... ... ... ... Think of a time when you were in your amber zone, how did you feel or what did you

notice?Excited? Nervous? Focussed on the task? ... ... ... ...

Think of a time when you were in your red zone, how did you feel or what did you notice?Heart racing? Hands clammy? Mind went blank? ... ... ... ...

Put your own words in the zones diagram to describe what you feel.

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Ask a teacher to put up a poster so that everyone can use the model to communicate effectively.

If you realise that you are in the red zone, use the relaxation response, even in the middle of a lesson if needed.

My growth zone model

Remember you can use the Growth Zone Model to monitor whether you are in the red, or danger zone, and are too anxious to learn well. Use a counter to mark on the page what you are feeling and how your feelings change during a lesson.

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