Inactive Brains...

A number of studies have shown that exercise can remodel the brain by prompting the creation of new brain cells and inducing other changes. Now it appears that inactivity, too, can remodel the brain, according to a notable new report.

The study, which was conducted in rats but likely has implications for people too, the researchers say, found that being sedentary changes the shape of certain neurons in ways that significantly affect not just the brain but the heart as well. The findings may help to explain, in part, why a sedentary lifestyle is so bad for us.

Inactivity and the Brain...

Supporting my preference (and as yet unfilled desire) to have some standing tables in our classrooms.

Lots of boys in our learning environment - also lots of people who like to sit about and yet  are fidgety.

We do have a variety of learning spaces but they all encourage various forms of sitting.

Love this bit..

But in the years since, neurological studies have established that the brain retains plasticity, or the capacity to be reshaped, throughout our lifetimes. Exercise appears to be particularly adept at remodeling the brain, studies showed.

There is yet hope for brains for adults who have been trapped in the cycle of a sedentary work environment for most of their life!

Getting some SOLE into my Teaching

SOLE toolkit

Welcome to the Self-Organized Learning Environment (SOLE) Toolkit, an online resource designed to help educators and parents support kids (8-12 years old) as they tap into their innate sense of wonder and engage in child-driven learning.

I have already included this in my Welcome to Nile Room pre-Term1 newsletter. I am super excited.
Sugata is one of my educational heroes and I am absolutely itching to put his research into practise in my learning environment.

Looking forward to inspiring and developing our student's self monitoring, motivation and curiosity - as well as giving them the tools to feel empowered with their learning and giving them input into the direction it takes.

Change

The 9 Best Books for Meaningful Change

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

Yes, its that time again: New Year's is almost upon us. Regardless of where you stand on New Year's resolutions, the new calendar can serve as a helpful reminder about the only true constant in all of our lives: change.

Like it or not, we are all always changing and adapting to circumstances as time rolls on. The positive thing about change is that with some effort we can help direct some (though not all) of the change in our lives as opposed to being victimized by it.

This is not just a sound bite. As a psychologist, I can tell you that real change ultimately comes from within. It is a choice. A decision -- a commitment -- filled with fury, if not sound, signifying everything.

Change is good for your brain and happens to our students in ways we don't often even perceive. It also happens to us both personally and professionally.
I have found the majority of these books useful to cope with change in its many forms over the last two decades in particular. Number 2 is one of my personal bibles and number 3 is my most recent purchase. I haven't read number one but Sir Ken Robinson is extraordinary (and referenced on this blog a few times!).

Even if you don't think you are experiencing change - you are.
Check these out (that will also be good for your brain!)