UNDERSTANDING AND TEACHING “ALL KINDS OF MINDS”

Roby Marcou, M.D., F.A.A.P.,F.S.D.B.P Developmental Pediatrician, Singapore NESA April 2013

INSPIRATION

1966 • MISINFORMATION

1986 • DEMYSTIFICATION

1996 • OBFUSCATION

2006 •  ILLUMINATION

TODAY • APPLICATION

It’s all about the brain…

The  Brain  

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The Brain Function

Neurons  Make  It  Happen  6  

4 Year Old Brain

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9 Year Old Brain

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17-19 year old brain

Developmental Differentiation • The scope and sequence as it relates to the development of the individual student

• Piaget- Cognitive/Constructivist Theory- •  Nature and nurture, child and environment equally important

•  Child actively engages the environment through observation and action

•  Universal sequence of development

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Neuronal Growth In Early Childhood

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So therefore in early life… • How you learn and what you do impact the underlying architecture of brain function

• Your potential, as dictated by genetics and in utero events, is potentially modified

• Children learn best by immersive, experiential learning with ample opportunity for incidental learning (this is NOT the same as multi-tasking!)

• Children do not have the neuronal architecture in primary school for tasks which are very demanding of independent executive function

Commentary • There are no pictures which show what happens to neuronal architecture if: • 4 year olds spend 2 hours per day with an IPAD • 4 year olds spend 2 less hour per day actively engaged in play both social and non-social in nature

• The brains of autistic children look differently than this. Tangles of neurons. Autistic children are very adept at focusing on IPADs.

One observer:

 Dr.  Michael  Rich:  Center  of  Media  and  Child  Health  Harvard  Medical  School:  

 “Their  brains  are  rewarded  not  for  staying  on  task  but  for  jumping  to  the  next  thing.  The  worry  is  we’re  raising  a  generaHon  of  kids  in  front  of  screens  whose  brains  are  going  to  be  wired  differently”  

All Kinds of Minds: Considerable variability in… • Neurological readiness • Previous educational exposure • Language backgrounds • Intrinsic aptitudes:

• Specific learning differences/disorders • Developmental variations in specific domains of development

• Intellectual potential • Temperament for learning

Most substantiated learning differences are neurobiologically based…ADHD- 5% of children

Dyslexia- 5-10 % of children

These are diagnoses on a continuum…..

• There are specific tests which define the diagnosis, but not a single blood or medical test, for example

• Students can have a wide range of severity, and a wide range of associated strengths and challenges

• *****many students who are NOT diagnosed have variations in their learning that are similar, but not as severe!!

Development and Education

Educational Differentiation: • Accurate recognition of the individual’s developmental and skills differences and their impact at that point • Describe strengths and leverage students to their strengths

• Describe weaknesses and remediate or bypass them humanely and positively

• Demystification • Focusing on evidence based approaches and developing a clear hierarchy of need for the child

Developmental Differentiation • Consider a culminating or capstone experience typical for

your grade group.

• What element of neurological maturation is perhaps being challenged at an outer limit of what is meaningful?

• How are you currently accommodating the most challenging student in your class. What sorts of developmental issues does that student present with?

Neurodevelopmental Constructs

• Attention • Executive F’n • Language • Memory • Spatial Ordering • Sequential/Temporal Ordering

• Neuromotor Functions • Social Cognition • Higher Order Cognition

• Cross-Construct Phenomena: Speed, volume dependence, complexity

Some Common Developmental Differences:

• Attention • Motor • Language

• Working Memory/ Executive Functions

• Strategies which are best practice for children with these variations OFTEN meet the needs of unidentified students as well.

ATTENTION AND INTENTION SKILLS INTAKE OUTPUT MENTAL

ENERGY •  MENTAL

ACTIVITY •  SATIABILITY •  DEPTH OF

FOCUS •  DURATION

OF FOCUS •  SALIENCY

CONTROL

•  PREVIEW •  SPEED •  REFLECT •  INHIBIT •  SELF

MONITOR

•  ALERTNESS •  CONSIST-

ENCY •  SLEEP/WAKE •  MENTAL

EFFORT

EXAMPLE: attention issues/insatiability

• Age 2 terrible tantrums • Age 6 demanding of teacher attention • Age 9 social issues, wants his own way, class clown!!

•  IDENTIFICATION and DEMYSTIFICATION • Age 15 X-games wanna-be • Age 21 starts first business- thrill activities for young-teens

• Age 29 not satisfied with current empire!

A mind at a time: Ali age 12

Key Variations

• Very creative artist- visual and musical

• Passive thinker for less creative domains

• Dislikes writing • Difficulty with group

discussion •  Frustrates her teammates • Often ‘on the wrong page’

Key Interventions

• Strengthen strengths and ensure this is seen by peers

• Explicit structures for task completion

• Proximity, positively reinforce gains

• Keep material topically relevant

• Active supervision for homework

LANUAGE FUNCTIONS • SOUNDS • WORDS • SENTENCES • DISCOURSE • PRAGMATICS • EXPRESSIVE AND

RECEPTIVE • ORAL/WRITTEN •  1ST LANGUAGE ISSUE

An example: phonological processing (language, sequencing, speed, working memory, paired recall)

• 4 year old can’t rhyme • 6 year old can’t associate grapheme/phoneme

IDENTIFICATION/REMEDIATION • 10 year old can’t spell, but not a bad reader • 12 year old a pretty good reader, wants to study French

• Taking the French IB higher exam • Prediction??? • Intervention???

A mind at a time: Marty Age 7

Key Variations Key Interventions

• Excellent athlete • Everyone’s best friend • Sharp in math • Excellent builder •  Late talker • Poor vocabulary • Grammar, syntax

immature • Poor direction following • Acts up in MT class

• D/C MT • Speech-language therapy • Keep it visual • Pre load with content

vocabulary • Comprehension monitoring • Multisensory learning • Careful monitoring- highly

at risk for ‘SLD’

Motor Function: Fact or Fiction • Eye hand coordination is important for handwriting

• Children with handwriting difficulties do better on a keyboard

• Music training can improve math learning

Societal Significance of Motor Function

• Which Society?? The Australian boy who can’t run well or the Taiwanese girl who can’t write precisely?

• Which Gender?? • Which Season?? • Which Year??

ORAL MOTOR GRAPHOMOT. FINE MOTOR GROSS MOT.

PROPRIOKIN-ISTHETICS

TONGUE POSITION

FINGER POSITION COPYING

PIANO GYMANSTICS

VISUAL SPATIAL

XX COLORING KEYBOARD HITTING A BALL

MOTOR PLANNING

SOUND PRODUCTION

SHOELACES TAE KWON DO

MOTOR MEMORY

SOUND SEQUENCE

LETTER FORMATION

LAY-UP

COORDINAT-ION

CHEW AND SWALLOW

PENCIL GRIP KNITTING BIKE RIDING PRECISION

MONITORING NEATNESS WATCHING BALANCE

TONE CONTROL

DROOLING GRIP UTENSILS POSTURE

Other Motor Patterns to Take Note Of

• Pseudo motor dysfunction: rapid speed and poor legibility- think much faster than they write, impulsivity– not a motor issue

• Functional undermining: load dependent

• Bimanual coordination issues • Perching

A mind at a time: Michael, Age 11

Key Variations Key Interventions

• Bright • Early reader • Creative • Walked at 16 months • Articulation issues- age 3 • Awkward pencil grip • Poor bike rider • Excellent pianist and

keyboardist

• Speech language therapy • Alternative writing

implements •  Lined paper • Support areas of motor

efficacy • Protection from

humiliation (posted work) • No cursive!! • Dana/alphasmart

Ages and Challenges

Motor dysfunction

•  5 year old on the playground

•  11 year old during PE •  15 year old taking notes

from the board •  17 year old speaking in

front of the class

Oral language

•  ‘use your words’ in preschool

• Bilingual new arrivers •  Learning a 3 language • Understanding slang • Writing for an audience • Answering and asking