Put your left foot in the air out in front of you.
Now move it in a clockwise direction, making little circles with it.
Put your left hand in the air while youB次元官网网址檙e doing this, but keep looking down at your rotating foot while drawing the number six with your raised hand.
See what happened there? Yeah. The human brain is weird.
This was one of the many entertaining exercises Gary Anaka put his audience through one night last week in the gymnasium at Belmont secondary, during his presentation entitled B次元官网网址淭he New Science of the Teenage Brain.B次元官网网址�
The approximately 200 people in attendance B次元官网网址� made up mostly of parents of teenagers, with a smattering of teachers and a few students B次元官网网址� were up and down in their seats all night, laughing, groaning, shouting, high-fiving and following along with Anaka, as he made them perform all kinds of movements to explain and reinforce his message.
Anaka taught in high school environments for 32 years in both Canada and Australia. HeB次元官网网址檚 presented professional development workshops to tens of thousands of teachers, support staff, students and parents in more than 50 school districts in B.C. and other provinces and is the author of the book Your Magical Brain: How it Learns Best.
His message is an important one, and itB次元官网网址檚 one weB次元官网网址檝e heard over and over again throughout history B次元官网网址� so much so that itB次元官网网址檚 become a clich茅.
B次元官网网址淚f you donB次元官网网址檛 use it, you lose it.B次元官网网址�
The difference between the clich茅 weB次元官网网址檙e all familiar with and the message Anaka was sharing is that his message is now backed up by neuroscience.
The development of the B次元官网网址� the three dime-wide sheet of brain matter right behind your forehead B次元官网网址� doesnB次元官网网址檛 begin until the age of 11, according to Anaka.
This area of the brain is what controls and regulates mood, cognitive behaviour (the ability to retain information) and decision making and moderates social behaviour.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 the crux of the issue, Anaka says, when trying to figure out whatB次元官网网址檚 going on in the teenage brain. They have an underdeveloped B次元官网网址� and currently developing B次元官网网址� prefrontal cortex and they have approximately 15 years to make it into what it will be for the rest of their lives, so itB次元官网网址檚 important to work it out. ItB次元官网网址檚 also why, he says, we see teenagers B次元官网网址渂eing wacky,B次元官网网址� making bad decisions, rebelling and having mood swings.
The key ingredient in growing a good prefrontal cortex, Anaka says, is .
Dopamine is a hormone produced within the body that plays an important role in motor control, motivation and cognition, so stimulating the production of this natural chemical is imperative to developing a high-functioning brain during the maturation of the prefrontal cortex.
The way to do this, Anaka explains to the crowd, is to build cognitive capacity, or memory, by engaging in repetition, avoiding social isolation to build social skills and getting daily exercise.
He adds teenage brains, and everyone elseB次元官网网址檚, need to be engaged in whatB次元官网网址檚 happening to retain the information. In order to be engaged, thus producing dopamine, whatB次元官网网址檚 happening must be interesting for them, so finding things that will engage them is also important, as long as those things arenB次元官网网址檛 video games or other screen-based activities.
Because, as Anaka says, B次元官网网址淚f your bum is numb, so is your brain."
For more information on Anaka or his brain coaching, including a schedule of future workshops and presentations, head over to .
