Tippecanoe School Corporation
Neuroscience Education
Welcome to the TSC Educational Neuroscience Resource Site! The goal of a Neuro Educator is to apply focused preventative applied educational neuroscience strategies to the classroom setting.
This site will be updated regularly and is intended to serve as a support for TSC's Educational Neuroscience initiative. As this page is a fluid document, please feel free to email any hints, tools, or tips that would contribute to the mission of social and emotional learning.
- "Where do I begin?"
- Tier 1 Supports
- Resiliency Team
- Testimonials
- Book Recommendations
- Neuroscience Videos
- Learning Links
- Conscious Discipline
- Digital Wellness
- Educational Neuroscience: TSC Common Language
- Building a Brand
- Applied Educational Neuroscience In Action in the TSC
- Mindfulness Matters
"Where do I begin?"
1. Teacher Brain State
Increase understanding of Applied Educational Neuroscience. #brainaligned #adversityresponsive
A dysregulated adult brain is not biologically able to regulate a dysregulated student.
PEOPLE CHANGE PEOPLE. This is not a curriculum, nor is there a program. This is a mindshift and a foundation for how we sit beside our students in relationship and development. "Be a thermostat, not a thermometer."
The most important brain state in the classroom is that of the teacher. This sets the stage for success of students in the classroom. We share neurobiology like a lending library! Attachment to adults is the prerequisite to learning from them. -D.Nibarger
2. Implementing the TSC Neuroscience Educator website as a resource
The information represented and linked on this site is intended to help educators (and anyone working with our TSC students) develop a passion, awareness of, and understanding for Applied Educational Neuroscience. In addition, the site lays the groundwork for TSC's common language to be adopted and implemented within classrooms in the district. Tools for applying educational neuroscience are layered throughout the site.
Tier 1 Supports
Resiliency Team
Resiliency Team: a group of teachers trained to respond to adversity in flexible and innovative ways.
"In the best schools, everyone in every position is a teacher. There are dozens of job titles, but they all share the same role: change a kids life." -Hal Bowman
Resiliency teams cultivate brain-aligned productivity while minimizing emotional toll on the school community. They serve as safety touchpoints for all stakeholders. Members are respected and connected and are willing to lead by practice so others may mirror their lead.
Learn more: The 7 C's of Team Resilience
Testimonials
"THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am absolutely just amazed by all the neuroscience and mindfulness. I try to use it daily in my classes and at home. I learn something new/more every time I listen to you and speak with you."
-TSC Teacher
"In the midst of doing my daughter’s hair in a wacky style, I was growing frustrated with her because all of her scrunchies are all knotted up and she can’t hold still to save her life. I was lecturing her about taking care of her possessions and she stops me and utters the phrase, “How can I help you?” She has never used those words before, so I am guessing she’s picked that up from you, Anne. Man, did it stop me in my tracks! I had to stop and collect my thoughts. Then I started to smile, then chuckle, then couldn’t help but hug her and start over. It was adorable. You are making a difference!"
-TSC Parent
"I’m on my way to competition right now and my kids are singing in the back of the bus—I’m glad they’re self regulating "
-TSC Teacher
"Thank you for coming in and talking to us about the brain it helped a lot."
-TSC Student
"These past lessons have been very eye opening and I am beyond grateful for the new found knowledge on my brain !!"
-TSC Student
"I just wanted to say thank you so much. It helped me a lot. I think that every morning and every night I will start breathing because it helps relieve me a lot. And so I just wanted to say Thank You so much!"
-TSC Student
"The information presented was inspiring, and I appreciate the opportunities you provided to us today."
-District leaders outside of the TSC
"Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! Everyone took something away from the presentation. The feedback from staff was loud and clear - this is an important topic; it takes time and commitment; they really enjoyed your presentation style!"
-Preschool provider in Tippecanoe County
"The Applied Educational Neuroscience framework helps kids to see themselves FIRST, in order to truly see others."
-TSC Teacher
"The AEN framework is a breath of fresh air. This is NOT something else on top of all we teachers are already doing."
-TSC Teacher
"Kids do get the science and with consistency, the capacity and sustainability is built."
-TSC Teacher
Book Recommendations
Neuroscience Videos
*Dr. Bruce Perry 60 minutes segment, March 2018, + other video clips available upon Google search
The Psych Show: How to learn major parts of the brain quickly
Learning Links
| Brain-Aligned Tools & Strategies |
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Bridging Research And Implementing Neuroscience with Courtney Boyle |
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Carol Dweck "Change your words, change your mindset" |
| Center for Courage & Renewal, Parker J. Palmer |
| Edutopia |
| Health, Wellness, and Mindfulness Resources for Home (contributed by Alexandra) |
| iGen |
| Meena Srinivisan |
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Minds in Motion by Morgan Peterson |
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Neuroscience for Kids *lists additional book titles for students |
| Play a Tune |
| ROOTS Education, Trish Keiller |
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The Responsive Classroom + The Responsive Classroom on Edutopia |
| TCU Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development |
| Understood |
Conscious Discipline
We welcome to our team the following Coaches from Conscious Discipline:
Building Champion Contact List by School (see here for the names of The TSC Conscious Discipline Building Champions)
Join the 2023-24 CD Book Study by filling out our form.
Follow our journey #CDatTSC
Original funding for this project provided by North Central Health Services.
Digital Wellness
Educational Neuroscience: TSC Common Language
Prefrontal Cortex: Where we do life. Cognitive, Emotional, Behavioral Functioning. Offline when faced with danger/fear/stress, etc. Communicates with words and spoken language. Moderates social behavior. Personality and decision making come from here.
Amygdala: The Emotional Brain. Fight, Flight, Freeze. Involved in fear and aggression. Prepares you for an emergency. Almond shape. Part of the Limbic System.
Calm Corner (TSC Common Language)
Amygdala Reset: Washington Schools
Amygdala + Mindfulness Strategies
Dr. Lori on Amygdala Reset Spaces
Regulation: Regulation is the act of being able to adjust and control our emotions, actions, behaviors, body, language, and mindset within our environment. Regulation is when a person moves from handling emotions in their limbic system or brain stem to handling them within their prefrontal cortex.
Hippocampus: Processing term memory and emotional responses. Formation of new memories and learning emotions. Part of Limbic System in each temporal lobe, seahorse shaped. Chronic stress causes increased levels of cortisol and adrenaline that damage and kill cells in the hippocampus. Frequent breaks boost attentiveness and maximize new learning.
Neuroplasticity: ability of the brain to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections through experiences. Brain's ability to make lasting change throughout an individual's life. Brain's capacity to change and adapt. The muscle building part of the brain=the things we do often, we become stronger at, and what we don't, fades away. We become what we think and do.
STRATEGIES:
Focused Attention Practices: Focused Attention Practices: an exercise to quiet the thousands of thoughts that distract and frustrate us. Think: calm, quiet, predictable, part of our schedule and routine.
Examples of Focused Attention Practices (Mindfulness) can be found at the following listed below. There are numerous focused attention practices available! Other examples not listed below include: white noise, yoga, use of sound, touch, etc.
Breathing Videos Playlist (Thanks K. Chesterman)
| Free Apps | Purchase Apps
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Headspace |
| Stop Breathe Think
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Calm |
| Stop Breathe Think Kids
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Calm (free for educators) |
| Mindful Schools
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websites: GoZen!
PeaceOut:Relaxation for Kids via YouTube
Relax and Breathe: Do Nothing for 10 minutes via YouTube
Early Mindfulness Practices: Laying a Foundation
Focused Attention Practices Listed
Deanna's Focused Attention Practices
Brain Intervals: Brain Intervals: quick opportunities to change up predictable routines of receiving incoming information. Think: active, reawaken, energy, movement. Rule of thumb is student age plus 2=get up and move.
Examples of Brain Interval videos are highlighted below. There are numerous brain interval activities available! Other examples not listed below include: riddles, hidden pictures, brain teasers, jokes, soduko, thumb war, crossing the midline games, YouTube, Playworks.org, GoNoodle, OriginsOnline.org, Pinterest, etc.
Example! Example 2! Example 3! Example 4!
Applied Neuroscience Education in the TSC
Brain Intervals Examples - Credit: Anne LeClere, Avon Community Schools
Brain Training - Credit: K. Chesterman & Wea Ridge Elementary
Brain Intervals and Focused Attention Practices - Credit: Sarah Robey
The 90 Second Rule: When a person has a reaction to something in their environment, there’s a 90 second chemical process that happens in the body; after that, any remaining emotional response is just the person choosing to stay in that emotional loop.
Something happens in the external world and chemicals are flushed through your body which puts it on full alert. For those chemicals to totally flush out of the body it takes less than 90 seconds.
This means that for 90 seconds you can watch the process happening, you can feel it happening, and then you can watch it go away.
After that, if you continue to feel fear, anger, and so on, you need to look at the thoughts that you’re thinking that are re-stimulating the circuitry that is resulting in you having this physiological response over and over again. -Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
Here is the web site that describes her professional work.
http://drjilltaylor.com/about.html
https://www.originsonline.org/
Building adversity responsive and educational neuroscience informed classrooms.
Building a Brand
Applied Educational Neuroscience In Action in the TSC
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