Teaching With the Brain in Mind

ally relearn to mobilize themselves in the face of
threat. Team activities and sports can contribute, as
can theater or drama with public performances.
For many students, the Outward Bound type challenge
or ropes courses provide a great vehicle to
learn to choose in the face of perceived threat.
Biology is giving us another way to approach
some of the persistent problems educators face.
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How Threats and Stress Affect Learning
The role of excess stress helps us understand why
so many students have problems with discriminating
between what’s important and what’s not. Stress
contributes to more illness, poor pattern recognition,
and a weaker memory. The impact of threat
reminds us to be careful. We can’t afford to allow
environmental threats, and we certainly must eliminate
our own threatening behaviors and policies.