The Interventionist Blog
So you’ve decided that online education is the best route for your family – great! We are glad you are here! Virtual education allows your child to work at a pace that is comfortable for them, some flexibility in your schedule, maybe a little traveling, or just a better alternative to your local school. Now that you’ve gotten used to being online daily, working through curriculum, and attending virtual classes, are you finding that you or your child spend a lot of the day just sitting?
Sitting down, especially at a computer, for long periods of time can have some negative effects on the body and even the mind! Neck and back pain, poor posture, digestion issues, and even slower brain function are just a few side affects you may experience from sitting all day. Yikes! But don’t worry, there are some easy and fun ways to incorporate movement into your family’s very busy day so you can avoid those long lasting effects.
There you have it! And when you’re thinking of putting off that few minutes of movement just remind yourself of this: 150 minutes of physical per week can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, mood, memory, and even learning! That’s 30 minutes five days per week – you and your child’s spine, heart, tummy, and brain will appreciate it!
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No, your brain isn’t made of plastic. But you know how plastic can be made into pretty much anything? Well, your brain is similar. It can change and grow depending on what you put into it and how you exercise it. We used to think that a person’s IQ was really important. You know—that you were born with a certain amount of intelligence, and that’s what you got. If you were really smart when you were little, you were just lucky. But now we know it’s much more complicated than that—IQ isn’t fixed. In fact, it’s becoming a less reliable measure of anything. So what? Well, knowing that your intelligence isn’t fixed is great news—if you’re willing to work to get smarter and to know more things. Parents and teachers used to think that some children just couldn’t learn. Now we know that isn’t true. That doesn’t mean that everyone can learn at the same pace or that everyone will excel right away. We have moved from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. The more we learn about the brain and education, the more we understand that brains aren’t stuck at one place or one intelligence (fixed mindset). Instead, they can continue to change throughout a person’s life (growth mindset). But I CAN’T learn this! (NOT!) There are many reasons that learning can be difficult. Some people have learning disabilities or traumatic brain injuries. Some have ADD. Some students have struggled with subjects for years and feel that there’s no hope. But the newest research is showing that brains are so plastic—so flexible—that they can learn to adapt to very challenging circumstances. HOW do I learn when I think it’s too hard? You fix your thinking. That’s not easy, of course, but the very simple truth is that if you believe you can learn, you will be able to do it faster and better. If you have a habit of telling yourself that something is too hard, you are fighting your own brain. If you give up, you’re not giving it a chance at all. Here are a few ways to change your thinking:
If you’re interested in learning more about brain plasticity and growth mindset, here are a few links: https://hbr.org/2016/07/the-antidote-to-our-anxious-times-is-a-learning-mindset http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/02/26/brain-plasticity-how-learning-changes-your-brain/ https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/ |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2017
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