Stress & The Brain
by Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.
A few things to remember about the impact of stress on the brain, and
on our students' ability to function effectively— academically and
behaviorally— in a learning environment.
Students vary in sensitivity to environmental stimuli: sights,
sounds, odors, physical sensations, as well as the emotional energy in
the classroom and the teacher’s emotional state.
The emotional climate in the classroom can have a strong impact
on the degree to which factual information can be processed, retained
and recalled.
Emotion is necessary for learning. Emotional impact makes memories
clear and long-lasting.
Context is a factor. Emotions experienced in one setting (with
regard to a particular class, subject area, classroom activity—like
a test—or a particular teacher, for example) tend to be carried to
similar settings and situations.
When our “shields” are up, other systems may be down
(inaccessible, closed channels, etc.)
Our interpretation of events creates the reaction in our brain.
When the brain perceives an experience as positive, pleasantly
exciting and fun, it releases certain chemicals that assist learning and
recall.
When input is experienced as negative or threatening, the chemicals
that are released can have a negative affect on learning and retention.
Stress reactions vary from student to student: What’s challenging
and curiosity-provoking to one student can trigger paralyzing fear in
another.
Anxiety responses can include physical reactions, such as sweating,
dry mouth, shallow breathing, headache, pounding pulse, intestinal distress,
weakness, incoordination, or “freezing” or “going blank.”
Anxiety can also provoke behavioral reactions such as panic, irritability,
depression, agitation, worry, inattention, forgetfulness, distractibility,
not to mention disruptive and sometimes hurtful outbursts.
Downshifting: Neurological “shift” when under perceived
threat to survival centers in brain.
Stress changes chemical and electrical activity in the brain.
Stress hormones affect the hippocampus, inhibiting the growth
of new dendrites (or actually causing dendritic branches to die off),
leading to decreased memory and learning.
Excess cortisol (a chemical released under trauma and stress)
leads to hippocampal damage, and can result in memory lapses, anxiety
and difficulty regulating attention and emotional outbursts in a classroom
setting. (Long-term effects can impact the immune system, blood pressure
and protein metabolism.)
Students under stress are less able to “hear” what is
being said to them or asked of them, and are likely to misunderstand or
distort what they do receive. The resulting downshifted, or survival behaviors
can result in additional anger, punishment, failure or alienation, a cycle
of reactions that compounds the problem. For many students, it’s
just easier to shut down and drop out.
The brain’s main job
is prioritizing information relevant to our survival. Anything that
suggests the possibility of danger, whether real or imagined, becomes
a higher priority than anything else that is going on at that moment.
This data is processed first, shifting our attention from cognitive
processes down to the faster-acting limbic system, while more complex
cerebral operations shut down. Survival always overrides problem-solving,
analyzing, remembering, pattern-detection and other rational processes.
Excerpted and adapted from Creating Emotionally
Safe Schools, by Jane Bluestein, Ph.D. © 2001, Health Communications,
Inc, Deerfield Beach, FL.
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Related handouts:
Stressful or Painful School Experiences that can affect learning and behavior in negative ways.
Ways to Reach More Students
Survey: Is Your School (or Classroom)
an Emotionally Safe Place?
Supporting Kids in Crisis: Non-supportive
patterns to avoid!
Alternatives to Non-Supportive
Responses
Industrial Age Classrooms vs. Information Age Classrooms
Examples of Some New Ways of Thinking
ADHD Look-Alike Conditions
Multiple Intelligences
Working With Different Sensory/Modality
Strengths and Limitations
Water and the Body
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