Following on from the teacher’s workshops and the parent’s presentation last year. We kicked off the new school year with another visit from Dr Mark Williams. This time, he came to talk to the students about how we learn.
The transition from primary school to high school can be very daunting for students. Understanding how they learn and how they can optimise the process can help students to cope with the extra demands. Many students are also getting greater access to devices including smartphones and laptops and being expected to spend more time on these devices both at school and home. Appreciating the good and bad aspects of these new technologies on their learning and mental health can help them to monitor and respond to issues that may arise. Therefore, in sessions with years 5-8, Dr Mark explained the brain basis of learning and memory including:
With Years 9 to12, Dr Mark discussed the neuroscience of emotions. Teenage years are an important period of development when we start to develop more complex relationships and learn to manage our emotional responses in a more mature way. An understanding of how and why our emotions develop during these years can help students to navigate this tumultuous period of development. The interaction between emotions, stress and learning are also important for students to appreciate to get the best out of their learning and their mental health. In addition, social media and gaming can have negative impact on the development of our social brains. An appreciation of the issues can help students to regulate their use.
Dr Mark explained the brain basis of emotion perception and regulation including:
For further information and resources, please go to Mark's website.
The transition from primary school to high school can be very daunting for students. Understanding how they learn and how they can optimise the process can help students to cope with the extra demands. Many students are also getting greater access to devices including smartphones and laptops and being expected to spend more time on these devices both at school and home. Appreciating the good and bad aspects of these new technologies on their learning and mental health can help them to monitor and respond to issues that may arise. Therefore, in sessions with years 5-8, Dr Mark explained the brain basis of learning and memory including:
- Five keys to learning
- How emotions and memory interact
- The good and bad aspects of stress
- How to take notes that are effective
- The importance of sleep for learning
- How to use the pomodoro technique to improve learning.
With Years 9 to12, Dr Mark discussed the neuroscience of emotions. Teenage years are an important period of development when we start to develop more complex relationships and learn to manage our emotional responses in a more mature way. An understanding of how and why our emotions develop during these years can help students to navigate this tumultuous period of development. The interaction between emotions, stress and learning are also important for students to appreciate to get the best out of their learning and their mental health. In addition, social media and gaming can have negative impact on the development of our social brains. An appreciation of the issues can help students to regulate their use.
Dr Mark explained the brain basis of emotion perception and regulation including:
- Why the social brain has such an impact on our survival
- Why emotion perception will be important for future employment
- How we recognise facial expressions and the body/brain interaction
- The importance of emotions in memory
- The importance of sleep when regulating emotions
For further information and resources, please go to Mark's website.
2023 Wellbeing Workshops
