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← Older posts Newer posts →Buddhism expert contests claims about brain science
SCIENTIFIC studies purporting to show the ancient Buddhist practice of meditation leads to permanent beneficial changes in the brain rest on shaky foundations, a world authority on Buddhism has warned.
Bernard Faure, a visiting professor of Buddhist studies at the University of Sydney, said in a recent Sydney Ideas talk that little was known about the impact of meditation on the brain, and the interpretation of research results had ”a lot of wishful thinking”.
via Buddhism expert wants science to rethink meditation claims.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentIt’s a worry: study predicts lifetime of anxiety
A survey from Macquarie University’s centre for emotional health, which asked people about their everyday worries, found more than 80 per cent of the 282 respondents under 30 worried moderately to a lot about work or study.
More than half worried about social interactions, and nearly 70 per cent stressed about their image, including looks and achievements.
via It's a worry: study predicts lifetime of anxiety.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentVideo Interview: Traditional vs Brain-based learning, Assoc Prof Mike Nagel, 12 mins
Associate Professor Mike Nagel Duration: 12 mins
Assoc Prof Mike Nagel will be speaking at our Mental Health and Wellbeing Seminars on applying the new brain science to working with young people. The remaining seminars for this year will be in the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Sydney. To register or download the brochure click on one of these locations or go to the events section of our website. These events are extremely popular so we urge you to book your seat soon!
Check your calendar and plan to attend an important Australian event!
The University of the Sunshine Coast and its sponsors cordially invite you to the 1st Australian Biennial Conference on the Brain and Learning – Building Healthy Minds. Held in the beautiful city of Brisbane, this interdisciplinary conference focuses on improving the lives of young people by making cutting-edge research in neuroscience, psychology, education and health understandable and applicable to those who work with young people in multiple contexts on a daily basis. With international and national speakers presenting insights into their work and research this inaugural conference will provide delegates with an opportunity to expand their own knowledge and understanding relating to Building Healthy Minds within their own professional practice. Check the website to see the list of amazing speakers and full details of the conference at: www.brainandlearning.com.au
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 CommentPositive education
I read with interest this week an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald by John Weekes, the headmaster of Knox Grammar.
He was discussing the concept of Positive Education. Essentially, Positive Education embeds the tenets of Positive Psychology into the curriculum, both explicitly and implicitly.*
Weekes says, “Our focus on academic outcomes such as the Higher School Certificate and NAPLAN results threatens to make us factories for one-dimensional students.” He continues, “Our goal should be to produce resilient young people with broad talents and life skills.”
Positive Education activities focus on building relationships, identifying one’s strengths, goal setting, mentoring, teamwork, overcoming challenges, perseverance and how to deal with success and disappointment with the aim of increasing mental resilience and wellbeing.
And it’s not only for the students. According to Weekes, teachers at Knox are also benefitting from the program being run by Dr Suzy Green and Paula Robinson from the Positive Psychology Institute and the program’s efficacy is being studied by the University of Wollongong.
Geelong Grammar in VIC and St Pauls in SA are also leading the way in Positive Education in Australia, with the former hosting Martin Seligman a couple of years ago in order to train the Geelong staff in the philosophies of Positive Education. Many other schools and even childcare centres are following suit in and around Australia. Is yours?
*Full Disclaimer: I presented a workshop at Knox early this year as part of their staff training in Positive Education.
Author: Dan Haesler, he is a teacher, writer and speaker at the Mental Health & Wellbeing of Young People seminar at the Gold Coast. He writes for the Sydney Morning Herald and blogs at http://danhaesler.com/ and tweets at @danhaesler
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment7 Internet Safety Tips to Help Parents Keep their Kids Safe Online
Like many parents with young children, I wondered how early and how often my young daughter should be on the computer. The advice experts’ offer was both surprising and reassuring.
1) It’s almost never too early. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no computer usage before age two, by age three many children are active on the computer.
2) Be first to introduce your child to the computer. Today preschools are using computers, so start positioning yourself early on as the authority over computer usage in your home. Kids also encounter computers during playdates in friends’ homes. Every family has their own rules, so make sure your child understands your rules. You may, for example, want to tell your young children they’re allowed to play on a computer only if a grownup is in the same room.
3) Teachable moments. Use your computer to teach children boundaries. Setting time limits and making rules like always wash hands first and take turns help your children to learn to follow rules in any context, not just in regards to computers.
4) Together time. Placing your computer in a shared space like the family room establishes an early pattern of parental authority and allows you to monitor your children’s online activities. When your kids are young, interact with them by playing online games and visiting some of the many wonderful educational sites.
With older children, it’s important to regularly discuss the websites they’re visiting. Ask them to share their favorite ones with you. Discuss the accuracy of online information sources. Find common interests you can pursue together online. Be sure to make your full access to their accounts a condition of their joining social networks.
5) Become more tech savvy than your kids. If you’re not already computer literate, ask a friend to teach you. Or maybe there’s a teenager in your neighborhood who you could hire to tutor you. You can also find online tutorials. Learn how to use Facebook or MySpace before your kids do, so when they join these social networks, you can monitor their online social activities.
6) Online social networking starts earlier than you think. Those cuddly critters with codes attached? They’re your child’s first foray into online social networking. Some social networking sites geared to children—Webkinz, for example—don’t reveal names, emails or other personal information but others may not have as many safeguards. Get familiar with children’s sites before introducing them to your child.
7) Bullies and predators. The same guidelines that apply to protecting your children from bullies and predators in real life apply to cyberspace. Not surprisingly, online bullying may be the more common threat. Taking precautions like following your children’s online social networking and keeping in touch with the parents of your children’s friends will help keep you aware of potentially harmful situations.
By Frances Archer
7 Internet Safety Tips for Kids | North Texas Kids.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentCyber-bullies….revenge of the nerds factor?
PSYCHOLOGISTS and educators need to go back to the drawing board on cyber-bullying and admit they have little idea what is driving the epidemic among students, a study suggests.
And, in a finding that has surprised the researchers, it found cyber-bullying does not appear to have the same roots as traditional bullying.
via Cyber-bullies truly in a league of their own, researchers find.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTexting can be good for you
This study contrasts a rash of research suggesting social media and overuse of technology causes depression and can lower self-esteem. Unlike those studies, which focused on people who use mobile technology and social networks to compare themselves to others, the UC Berkeley texting study focused on person-to-person communication, which may account for the divergent results.Instead of causing isolation, text messaging can help forge healthy relationships and leave people feeling more connected, even if their communication is limited to simple, short digital notes.Short texts have impact in other ways beyond everyday mood. Affirmative text messages help smokers kick the habit by offering encouragement, and this study shows quick bursts of communication can also help people struggling with mental health problems, or even simply raise the spirits of someone having a bad day. Perhaps therapists in the future will hold text-only sessions?The rise of constant communication is creating a world where real-life and online identities blur, as do the lines between work and home. This can stress people out and create problems, but the benefits of access to positive affirmations and mental health professionals should not be overlooked. As this study shows, technology can make a positive impact on emotional well-being.
via Happiness Is a Warm Text – Mobiledia.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentThe new adolescence
Scientists describe how new research has changed our understanding of adolescence which was thought to start with the physical changes to the body around puberty and to be completed when growth stopped in the late teens. Now researchers believe the brain goes on maturing and is not fully developed until at least the age of 24
via Teenage plus: The new adolescence – Life & Style – The Independent.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTips on helping young people make friends
At any age friends play an integral part in people’s lives. For young people the forging of friendships is important for their social and mental development. However the process of making and keeping friends is not always easy.
Children who feel they do not have friends may become withdrawn, exhibit antisocial behaviour and even become aggressive. They may also find it harder to self regulate and foster positive emotions.
What parents and care givers can do to help:
Getting together. When children are younger it is important to give them opportunities to interact with their peers. This could be through an informal get together with friends or family. These early social interactions help them to develop important social skills needed for making friends.
Model positive social skills. Teach one positive social skill at a time. It may be something as simple as speaking in a clear voice or smiling when someone talks to your child.
Coaching. This involves prompting, reminding and gently encouraging children to use the positive social skills they have learned. Support their learning by giving positive feedback and praise.
Problem solving. Help children solve friendship problems. Talking problems through with a supportive adult helps children to think about what happens with their friends, how they feel about it and what to do next. Thinking things through like this helps to build more mature communication skills. Help then to navigate social interactions by talking to them about your own childhood experiences.
Encourage activities. Children who have a wide range of interests are more likely to have something in common with others and so find it easier to make friends and get along.
Children who have friends show more cooperative behaviour and feel more connected at school. Conversely, children who lack friends are more likely to be bullied and to show behavioural and mental health problems. Educators can play a key role in teaching and promoting positive friendship skills.
How teachers can help:
Be a role model. Lead by example. Be sure to have a caring, empathic and respectful attitude to all students. Connecting with students in a personal way provides an important model for friendly behaviour.
Create learning opportunities. Introduce classroom routines to teach friendly behaviour. For example, you might model giving compliments and then set up situations where students can practise giving and receiving them.
Integrate friendship skills. Provide children with varied opportunities to practise what they are learning and reinforce core social skills. Literacy, drama and social studies lessons all lend themselves well to this. For example, you can select story books and writing topics that endorse key social messages (e.g. what makes a good friend).
Group work. This is an effective way of providing children with opportunities to practise the skills of cooperation, including giving and receiving help, collaboration, sharing ideas, and listening to one another’s point of view.
Don’t ignore the playground. The playground is a less structured environment than the classroom so it can be more demanding for children where children need to practice self regulation. It also lends itself to bullying and other antisocial behaviour. A whole school approach is needed to establish clear behaviour guidelines for the playground. Classroom teachers may also need to plan ways to support particular children with strategies to manage friendship issues outside the classroom.
Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: Australian Government. Department of Health and Ageing.
Teens who experiment with drugs have differently wired brain- new study
Why do some teenagers start smoking or experimenting with drugs-while others don’t?
In the largest imaging study of the human brain ever conducted-involving 1,896 14-year-olds-scientists have discovered a number of previously unknown networks that go a long way toward an answer.
Robert Whelan and Hugh Garavan of the University of Vermont, along with a large group of international colleagues, report that differences in these networks provide strong evidence that some teenagers are at higher risk for drug and alcohol experimentation-simply because their brains work differently, making them more impulsive.
Their findings are presented in the journal Nature Neuroscience, published online April 29, 2012.
This discovery helps answer a long-standing chicken-or-egg question about whether certain brain patterns come before drug use-or are caused by it.
via Scientists discover number of unknown brain networks linked with teen drug abuse.
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