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The SAD Brain

Strategies that Help Distressed, Anxious or Depressed Learners

Saints Institute of Teaching & LearningWith much appreciation for all you do!

mary@maryfowler.com

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Your Role

• Witness (watch, notice, name)

• Empathize (not sympathize) & Appreciate

• Build Resource Capacity (enable, not disable)

Stop Beliefing! Start Observing.

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SAD Students NEED

• Loving support of a competent caring adult• Words to tell the stories they live by• Absence of inescapable stress• Buffers and protective shields • Talents expressed & nurtured• Sense of mastery• “Required helpfulness” (Rachman ’79)

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Phrases that Irk

• I know you can do this.• You were so well-behaved yesterday.• You don’t want to let your group down, do

you?• You should know the rules by now!• Why are you behaving that way!*?!• I’m only trying to help you.• I really care about you, so why don’t you care?

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Learners w Disturbed Emotions

• Mis-read Situations

• Mis-perceive Threat

• “One size fits all” context

• Susceptible to emotional states

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Limbic System

–PFC has no direct connectivity w emotional system

– Emotional system has lots of connectivity w thinking system

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Appraisal

• SNS—readies us for reaction• PSNS—calm in eye of storm, restorer

Threat or Challenge?Dependent on resources & perception of resources.

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Knee-jerk AppraisalsArousal > Appraisal > Reaction or Action

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From Reaction to Response

Prefrontal Cortex• Reality testing• Error monitoring• Guide thought and attention• Inhibit inappropriate actions• Regulate emotion

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To Influence Resource Appraisal

Quiet the Biology Physical, emotional, mental

Deliberately Design Positive Emotional Systems

Build Resource Capacity Structures, skills, strategies, supports

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Space Savers

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Build Capacity—3 C’s

It’s not what happens to you but how you handle it. Suzanne Kobasa

3 Stress-hardy Characteristics

• Commitment—involved, sense of belonging, purpose, can make a difference

• Challenge—opportunities not crises, possibilities not limitations

• Control—ability to take influential action

Positive Social Climate Builders

• Social Referencing—eyes• Familiar Friendly Face—connection • Ordinary Magic—mind over mess

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Small Steps

Essential Question

• If the story is not working, what is the choice or action that will shift the story?

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Meaning, Purpose, Mastery

Personal relevance & meaning

Story larger than self(philanthropy)

Sense of capability or capacity building.

Authentic Tasks

A Cause—be of service (Learningtogive.org)

Supports & Scaffolds

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Micro-size

The journey of a thousand miles begins w one small step.

• Set goals—build goal getting skills.• Break it down—seeds make trees.• Take a break—avoid meltdown.• Negotiate how much—increase w graph.• Student assessment.

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Healing Power of Relationship

I will act as though what I do makes a difference.

Wm. James

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Recommended Resources

• Capacitar.org (emergency tool kit for teachers)• Learning to Give. Org• On Playing A Poor Hand Well, Mark Katz• The Neuropsychology of Emotional Disorders:

(Feiffer, et.al.) Chapter 11, “Mindful Discipline for Distressed Learners.” Mary Fowler

• The Drama of the Gifted Child, Alice Miller• Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Robert Sapolsky