Teaching With the Brain in Mind

promised or a peer cheer for celebration sets the
unsettled brain at ease (Calvin 1996).
Some stress is not necessarily bad for learning.
At Stanford University, Seymour Levine showed that
young rats exposed to stressful shock experiences
performed better as adults than the nonstressed
controls (Thompson 1993). But the rats were not
being asked to write a research paper. Those studies
remind us that the military is well known for purposely
creating stressful environments. Navy and
Marine boot camps demand an endless list of perfectly
executed chores. To force recruits to meet the
standards, threats of physical retribution are commonplace
(push-ups, laps, extra duties). But all
this purposeful stress is for a good reason: Actual
combat is both stressful and threatening. More
important, the recruits are rarely asked to think
creatively, which is impaired by stress. In short, for
most learning conditions, low to moderate levels of
stress are best. High stress or threat has no place in
schools.
Threat and Learning
It should be noted that outwardly we all respond
to potential threats differently. Some dismiss them,
while others consider them a challenge and rise to
the occasion. For others, they’re devastating. However,
the brain responds to threats in predictable
ways. The moment a threat is detected, the brain
jumps into high gear (see fig. 6.2).
The amygdala is at the center of all our fear
and threat responses (LeDoux 1996). It focuses our
attention and receives immediate direct inputs
from the thalamus, sensory cortex, hippocampus,
and frontal lobes. Neural projections (bundles of
fibers) from the amygdala then activate the entire
sympathetic system. Normally, it triggers the
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FIGURE 6.2
Faster
Threat
Response
(Amygdala)
How Threats and Stress Affect Learning
Simple Functional Reaction to Threat
3
Emotional
Stimulus
Goes to
Sensory-
Sorting
Structure
(Thalamus)
The Brain Gives
Threatening Stimulus
an Immediate Priority
Slower,
More
Thoughtful
Response
(Cortex)
release of adrenaline, vasopressin, and cortisol.
These immediately change the way we think, feel,
and act. Figure 6.3 summarizes the more detailed
biological pathways of stress and threats.
Alan Rozanski reported in the New England
Journal of Medicine that even harsh comments and
sarcasm can trigger heart irregularities in patients
predisposed to them (Rozanski 1988). New research
reveals that threatening environments can
even trigger chemical imbalances. Serotonin is the
ultimate modulator of our emotions and subsequent
behaviors. When serotonin levels fall, violence
often rises. Not only can these imbalances
trigger impulsive, aggressive behavior, but they
also can lead to a lifetime of violence.
Students who have had early and constant
childhood exposure to threat and high stress, particularly
those who have come from families of vio-
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