The organized brain

THE ORGANIZED BRAIN

The Biology:

The reticular activating system connects the lower parts of the brain, which is the brain stem, to the cerebral cortex through various neural paths linking our involuntary functions like reflexes to our conscious thinking.  It is a bridge between the upper brain and the lower brain. It controls the ability to focus and sift through incoming information. A chemical that plays a part in these executive functions is seratonin, which impacts memory, inhibition and transitioning. Seratonin regulates important functions , such as appetite, sleep, aggression and mood. It helps other chemicals, like dopamine, move. A student’s emotional state can impact chemical levels in the brain that can make students unavailable for learning. If students’ basic needs are not being met, the reticular activating system cannot connect the mid brain to the higher level cortices. As teachers, we need to monitor our students’ emotional state and ensure their basic needs are being met, or students won’t be able to learn, regardless of the instructional strategies we employ.

Literacy Instructional Practices to support executive functioning:

• 
  Group Thinking Conferences for Reading and Writing
  
• 
  Writing Checklists for Revising and Editing
  
• 
  Sustained Talking and Listening