Meditation and Working Memory

I thought these two articles by Mark Sisson of The Primal Blueprint and Mark's Daily Apple (his blog) went hand in hand with the learning and psychology post. And they have inspired me to take up yoga...

Finding Focus in a World of Distractions by Mark Sisson

How to Get into the Flow by Mark Sisson

Primal Blueprint 101 

Enjoy!

Psychology and Learning

Dr. Tom Salb  (psychologist) briefed athletes at our gym on how psychology affects performance (good and bad) and what we can do to make sure our brains don't get in the way of our performance (in the gym and in life in general). I saw how relevant the things he talked to us about are in the training and performance improvement realm.


Calm Your Limbic Response

For optimal learning, our limbic brain must be used for basic maintenance only (breathing, blood pumping, etc.) while our pre-frontal cortex should be fully engaged. We do not want our limbic system engaged for more than basic maintenance because it takes blood and resources away from where its needed (our limbic system is responsible for our "fight or flight" responses to stimuli). This highlights the importance of class openings - instructors and facilitators have a responsibility to put our learners at ease and to calm their limbic brains for optimal learning. 

Think about any classes you've ever taught or taken (as a child or as an adult). On the first day, everyone's limbic brain is on high alert, in fight or flight mode. Learners wonder "How will I do in this course?" "Will the teacher like me?" "How will I do compared to other students?" I think there are a few common learner responses to this:

• Fight - These are students who speak out, dominating the air time, trying to gain favor with the teacher (sometimes costing them respect of their peer learners).
• Flight - These are students who withdraw. They see the competition and don't want to be a part of it, so they recede into their own mind and perhaps focus on the materials, but aren't interested in group interaction.
• Mediate - These are students who see the fighters and those who are withdrawing and attempt to provide medium ground - helping the facilitator calm everyone's nerves/limbic responses. They help the group move from the forming/storming stage to the norming stage. These are the learners who earn the respect of their peers because they're not "in it to win it" - they're true leaders, concerned more about the success of the group than their own success. For this reason, the Mediators often are the best performers. Their limbic brains are calmed and they're using their prefrontal cortexes to learn the new information and to help other learners succeed.

Fight, Flight, and Mediate happen in the online environment, as well. Online these responses may be more difficult to identify and may not have as obvious an impact on the group. 

• Fight - Online courses may have "bullies" in discussion forums or chat rooms. 
• Flight - Learners may be too intimidated to contribute (although the online environment does make it easier for those who communicate well in the written form to formulate responses, which may draw out some learners who might shy away from face to face interactions). This intimidation may result from fear of the online learning environment (including unease with technology) or fear based on online interactive experiences. (Dominant Fighters might intimidate learners. Facilitators' abilities to communicate and facilitate online may also intimidate learners who flee.)
• Mediate - Experienced online learners who are willing to lead in the virtual environment often take leadership roles in online classrooms. They can help calm other learners' anxiety by offering advice and feedback, as well as by stepping in to cool down a "Fighter" or an aggressive or distant (not enough feedback/unclear feedback) facilitator.

Helping Learners Calm the Limbic Response

Instructors/teachers/facilitators have a great responsibility for helping learners calm their limbic responses. Setting the tone at the beginning of the class and maintaining control / readjusting when learners fight for control or "fall off the grid" is important to ensure every learner is ready and able to learn. Here are some tips for facilitators to help calm the limbic response and engage the prefrontal cortex. 

• Set the students at ease - Open the class with something not at all class or competition related. Usually, facilitators open with introductions. This may feel threatening to those who "Flee" and the "Fighters" may use this as an opportunity to gain dominance. Fun icebreakers might be a better way to encourage everyone to participate and keep them at ease. In the online environment, a discussion forum for introductions is very helpful. Encouraging learners to post photos and information about their personal lives can help the online learners "connect." Facilitators can also provide online games or surveys to create a more relaxed atmosphere and help learners acclimate to the online learning technology.
• Provide clear expectations - Reassure students that their individuality is valued and they'll be "graded" not on how they compare to others, but how they meet a standard. Be clear on what that standard is. Rubrics are especially helpful in this regard. Provide the course outline, so the learners know where they're going and how they are going to get there. Setting clear expectations and giving consistent and clear feedback is especially critical in the online environment. Simply passing back a grade of 65% on a written project or other non-multiple-choice-type assessment without any feedback as to how that grade was earned teaches the learner nothing and may cause the learner to Flee or Fight.
• Reassure anxious students - Pay attention to your learners. Seek out and understand their fears, watch their reactions as the class progresses. Address issues and concerns as they come up (either one-to-one or in front of the group, depending on the learner and the situation). This is also really important online. Do not let one learner dominate discussions or stifle other learners' participation.
• Intervene when appropriate - Don't let a student dominate the discussion or sidetrack you as an instructor. You will lose control of the classroom and won't meet learning outcomes you set out to deliver. Your learners will tune out or may join the Fighter in controlling your classroom; either way, they're not interested in learning anymore. Be tactful in your intervention - try not to alienate or embarrass the discussion dominator - you still want them to contribute, but you want to ensure they are respectful of everyone's time and that everyone has a chance to share their experiences. Online facilitators should monitor forums and provide feedback when necessary to encourage dialogue and respectful discourse.   

Improve Your Working Memory

The other really interesting Dr. Salb discussed was how to improve working memory. This is memory that we use to store a phone number in our head as we decide what to order or that we use to remember directions while we're driving. He told us about a game we can play to improve our working memory. It's called N Back. You can get it here. I definitely can use the working memory improvement. One of my pet peeves is I forget names almost as soon as a person introduces him/herself. Maybe N Back will help. Worth a shot.

Conclusion


The techniques in this article can help you maintain a positive learning environment in the classroom (in person or online). If you're monitoring learner responses and are ready to intervene with a technique that you know the student will respond to, your learners will start your course in the optimum learning frame of mind and maintain that frame of mind as the course progresses. Do you have any experiences to share where you've had to deal with an addled classroom or an angry or reticent learner? How did you calm the room down? What works? What doesn't?