A third of our life is spent sleeping.  Given this proportion, sleep must be important. Just how important is something that researchers are beginning to figure out.  Although chronic sleep deprivation affects people differently, it is clear that a good night’s rest has a strong impact on learning and memory, and adequate sleep each day is very important. Loss of sleep hurts attention, executive function, working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning, and even motor dexterity.

Studies suggest that the quantity and quality of sleep have a strong impact on learning and memory in two distinct ways. First, without enough sleep we cannot focus our attention optimally and, therefore, cannot learn efficiently. When we are sleep deprived, our focus and attention drift, making it more difficult to receive information. Without adequate sleep and rest, over-worked neurons can no longer function to coordinate information properly, and we lose our ability to access previously learned information. In addition, our interpretation of events may be affected. We lose our ability to make sound decisions, because we can no longer accurately assess the situation, plan accordingly, and choose the optimal behaviour. Judgment becomes impaired. Low-quality sleep and sleep deprivation also negatively impact mood, which has consequences for learning. Alterations in mood affect our ability to acquire new information and subsequently to remember that information.

Second, sleep itself has a role in the consolidation of memory, which is essential for learning new information. Learning and memory are often described in terms of three functions. Acquisition refers to the introduction of new information into the brain. Consolidation represents the processes by which a memory becomes stable. Recall refers to the ability to access the information after it has been stored. Each of these steps are necessary for proper memory function. Acquisition and recall occur only during wakefulness, but research suggests that memory consolidation takes place during sleep through the strengthening of the neural connections that form our memories. When we are asleep, the brain is not resting. It is incredibly active. It seems that one of the reasons we need to sleep is so that we can learn. We replay the information we have learned during the day in our brains thousands of times while we sleep that night.  We seem to consolidate the day’s learning while we sleep in order to remember it. Without enough sleep our performance is drastically impaired.

The overall evidence suggests that adequate sleep each day is very important for learning and memory. Sleep is as important in our routines as scheduling time for classes, readings and studying.  When the pressure is on and the work begins to pile up, the temptation is to try to find more time in our day by taking it out of our sleep. Instead of improving the situation, we often make it worse.  What is clear is that if we want to learn well, we must sleep well.

References:

Ellenbogen JM, Payne JD, Stickgold R. The role of sleep in declarative memory consolidation: passive, permissive, active or none? Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Dec;16(6):716-22.
Epub 2006 Nov 7.

')}

a workshop for parents and teachers

Self-regulation is the process of taking control of and evaluating one’s own learning behaviour. Self-regulated learners have a greater awareness of their academic strengths and challenges and a tool kit of strategies they use to tackle the day-to-day challenges of academic tasks. Students who have developed self-regulation skills are more open to taking on challenging tasks, practice their learning, develop a deep understanding of subject matter, and believe that effort will give rise to academic success (Perry et al, 2006).

This workshop will help teachers and parents better understand academic self-regulation, how to teach self-regulation, and highlight strategies that help shift responsibility for learning from the adult to the student.

This workshop will address:

Speaker: Denise Harding

Denise Harding is a professional academic coach at Evoke Learning and a consultant with the Learning Disabilities Association of York Region.

Workshop information:

Friday, March 22, 2013

Cost: $65 non-LDAYR members

$50 LDAYR members

spouse 50% off

Location: York Catholic District School Board, 320 Bloomington Road West, Aurora

4 – 8pm – Assistive Technology Fair, Sponsored by Microcomputer Science Centre

6 – 7.30pm – Workshop, Developing Self-Regulated Learners, Sponsored by Microcomputer Science Centre

To register, please contact LDAYR at 905-884-7933 ext 23 or [email protected]

Select this link to download the workshop flyer (PDF File)

')}

When we get stressed and overwhelmed we do and say dumb things. We babble on endlessly or go completely mute. We snap at our friends and family, or feel annoyed by strangers on the street. Extending further than just our brain, even our bodies can react negatively and refuse to sleep. Physical, emotional and intellectual stress can drag us down. A number of researchers have discovered that psychological stress affects the thinking skills and brain development of even the youngest student.

Stress hormones produced during worrisome times can shape the developing circuitry of the brain. They influence the neural connections in the prefrontal cortex (behind the forehead) that house our executive functions. These functions include our working memory, self-regulation and cognitive flexibility. Executive functions are critical for reasoning, planning and problem solving, and for regulating emotions and attention. They are essential to academic success. The amygdala, at the centre of the brain, is the hub of emotional responses. A storm of emotions raging in the amygdala can weaken the prefrontal cortex, hampering our ability to think and learn. Students under considerable emotional stress underperform in school as stress impairs executive function.

Stress can also affect our emotional intelligence. It negatively impacts our ability to intuit other people’s feelings, convey our own feelings and communicate. Stress can prevent us from being aware of and controlling our emotions, getting along with others, adapting to change, and maintaining a positive mood.

High levels or chronic stress can:

Not all stress is bad. In fact, a little stress heightens alertness and improves our performance on complex tasks. However, at a certain level, stress starts to erode performance. When stress hormones, such as cortisol and noradrenaline, reach high levels, they flood the brain and shut down self-regulation.

Stress from a variety of sources, such as chaotic and poorly run classrooms, or problems with family or peers, impedes learning. The good news is that knowing about the negative effects of stress means that finding ways to counteract it could boost students’ learning capacity. The possibility exists that informed changes to home and learning environments could increase students’ self-control and academic competence. Actively reducing stress in students can improve their well-being and cognitive performance. For example, some Canadian schools have incorporated mindfulness into their curriculum. Students are taught to stop and breath during periods of peak stress. The breathing helps calm emotions by focusing on the student on the breath and helping them learn to pay attention to the moment-by-moment experience without judging or thinking too deeply about it. This dispassionate focus on the present helps to ward off stress that arises from ruminating on past experiences or feeling anxious about an imagined future. The breathing may also develop executive functions directly. Students learn to inhibit the urge to elaborate on thoughts and feelings that pop into their consciousness. The effort helps them deal with the mental conflict of competing stimuli or goals, a skill needed to prioritize.

References:

Blair, Clancy. “Treating a Toxin To Learning”. Scientific American Mind. September/October, 2012: 64-67. Print

Cullen, Lisa. “Stress Makes You Stupid.” Time.com. N.p., 6 Aug. 2007. Web.

Wickelgren, Ingrid. The Education of Character. Scientific American Mind. September/October, 2012: 49-58. Print.

')}