Jj is for Jottings 112. What is Neuroplasticity?
Just what is neuroplasticity? It is the term which describes a sequence of processes that take place in your brain in response to incoming stimuli. In other words, your emotions, behaviours, experiences and thoughts physically change the way your brain functions.
“What is neuroplasticity? I think it is – if I keep practising balancing, I’ll get better at it.”
Jj is for Jottings 110. Personality Type in Addition to Intelligence.
Intelligence isn’t the only factor when considering how people operate. We need to consider personality type in addition to intelligence.
In the previous post, we discussed the 8 types of intelligence, which is a broader view of intelligence than is tested by conventional IQ tests. This helps us to see ourselves, our children and other people in a more understanding light. If you are strong in one particular area, it can be difficult to understand why others don’t “get” what is obvious to you. But knowing that there several types of intelligence allows us to be more accepting of differences between people. And the person who doesn’t cotton on to this apparently obvious thing? They may be thinking the same thing about us in a different area of intelligence. Quite humbling, really. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 109. 8 Types of Intelligence.
Most people know about the IQ (Intelligence Quotient) test, and you may have taken an IQ test at some stage. Some scientists argue that tests like these favour people with logical and mathematical abilities, and ignore other areas like artistic, linguistic, musical or interpersonal skills.
Harvard scientist, Howard Gardner finally discovered, after many years of research, that there are 8 types of intelligence. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 107. The Dreaded Apostrophe.
I don’t know why people seem to view it as “the dreaded apostrophe” and have so much trouble with it, more than any other form of punctuation. (For comments on the importance of punctuation in social media, see here.) The basic applications of the apostrophe are really quite easy. Granted, it can get a bit tricky in more advanced situations, but the majority of the population would rarely encounter that end of the scale. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 106. Strategies to Encourage Listening to Sounds in Words.
In the previous article I said that I would discuss general strategies to encourage listening to sounds in words, rather than visualising them. As I said, I have found no hard and fast rules, but these types of activities are helpful.
Shanti is coming to tell us all about strategies to encourage listening to sounds in words.
Jj is for Jottings 105. Phonics: Visualising Versus Listening.
We have another major problem with phonics: visualising versus listening, in addition to the problems created when children don’t know their sound letter links, This is a problem I encounter frequently when working with children, but I have never heard anybody else mention it in those terms. I am referring to the fact that children often use their visual modality when they need to be using their auditory modality. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 104. Sound-Letter Links and Less Regular Words.
Once children know their sound-letter links thoroughly, they are then able to sound out any 100% regular word. These could be real words or nonsense words of any length, as long as one letter equals one sound (with the basic exceptions here). But what of sound-letter links and words which are less regular?
Learning the basics before moving on to sound-letter links and less regular words. Baby alpacas like to learn their sound-letter links, too, it seems. (From the Border Mail, 2014. Photo by Tara Goonan.)
Posture affects mood and cognition. Nina’s posture is upright, and she looks happy and alert as a result.
Jj is for Jottings 103. Posture Affects Mood and Cognition.
How many times were you told as a child: “Sit up straight. Don’t slouch.” Or in my mother’s case, “You’ll get a dowager’s hump.” As is so often the case, it would have been really good to heed the parental nagging. Studies are now finding that bad posture is affecting both mood and cognition. And bad posture is a frequent off-shoot of using smart phones and other technology.
Back in 1984 a study in USA found 58 % of teenage boys and 30 % of girls had spinal damage. Now we have the new “tech-neck” generation who spend their lives peering into computer devices in a bent-over position. So what exactly are the current studies telling us?
It’s not only the obvious head, neck and shoulder pain that’s caused by poor posture; it also reduces respiration, lowers energy and contributes to poor blood flow to the back of the brain. One scientist’s research focuses on bad posture’s effect on mood and cognition. Erik Peper is Professor of Holistic Health Studies in the Department of Health Education at San Francisco State University. In 2004 he and his colleague published their first study in posture.
They asked 24 healthy men and women to generate positive and negative thoughts in either an upright or slumped position. Almost all of them reported it was easier to recall positive thoughts when sitting erect.
A later study involved 28 college students. They found that recalling any thoughts -positive or negative – takes a great deal more effort in a slouched position.
In a much larger study of over 200 students, almost nine out of ten found it easier to recall negative memories in a slumped versus an upright posture. This included memories of despair, vulnerability, powerlessness and defeat. On the other hand, in an erect rather than a hunched position the numbers reversed. Nine out of ten found it was easier to access positive and empowering images.
Other studies have confirmed these findings. New Zealand psychologists reported that upright participants reported higher self-esteem, more arousal, better mood, and lower fear, compared with slumped participants.
In another posture study, Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy and colleagues measured testosterone and cortisol. Testosterone is related to dominance and assertiveness, and cortisol is the stress hormone.
After just two minutes, volunteers expressing high-power body postures experienced a 20% increase in testosterone and a 25% decrease in cortisol. This compared with a 10% decrease in testosterone and a 15% increase in cortisol in those who folded up their bodies and made themselves look small. For other effects of technology on brain chemicals, see here.
Cognition refers to the process of thinking. It is the identification of knowledge, of understanding it and perceiving it. Professor Peper’s latest study recruited 125 university students to perform a mental maths test, and the results have just been published. The students found the test much more difficult while sitting in a slouched position than sitting erect. This was particularly the case for those who were the most anxious about the test before it started. Co- author, Richard Harvey, said that maintaining a defensive posture can trigger old negative memories in the body and brain.
They concluded that posture makes a giant difference. The slumped-over position shuts people down and their brains do not work as well. They cannot think as clearly. Sitting in a collapsed posture may project a submissive, defeated, or depressed individual. But people tend to adopt a slouched posture while looking down at digital screens.
The good news is that we do have a choice. Awareness is the key. We can consciously use an empowered position to optimise our focus when looking at screens. In fact, at any time, not just when looking at screens.
“Chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in” are the key words for good posture. When sitting, the bottom should be right at the back of the chair so the body is at a 90º angle. This realigns the pelvis in the correct position.
Many exercises can also correct a rounded posture by strengthening the muscles between the shoulder blades.
Another option is to have lessons in the Alexander Technique. This helps change faulty postural habits, improve mobility and relieve tension and stress.
Be vigilant at all times, especially when using a smart phone. Adjust posture as soon as a slouched position is noted. You might even use that smart phone to help you develop a new habit. You could set an alarm every half hour to remind you to check your posture. After a while you will begin to remind yourself and no longer need external reminders.
If you give it some thought, you will find that your own experience supports the evidence in the studies above. What happens when you receive bad news? You sag, physically and mentally. And when you receive good news? You open up and straighten up, often with your hands and arms moving upwards and outwards. You feel alert and bright. As adults, we need to be aware of and correct these negative postural tendencies in ourselves and in our children, particularly where screens are involved. Or, better still, send the children outside to play! For assistance on how to manage children’s screen time, see here. For some of my observations on the overall effects of screens on children, see here.
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Jj is for Jottings 102. Effect of Vowel Shapes on Consonant Sounds.
Following on from the previous article on Vowel Shapes, we will talk about the effect of vowel shapes on consonant sounds. This is especially important in sound production for speech therapy and also useful when learning sound-letter links. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you read the previous article first, to make sense of what follows.
Effects of vowel shapes on consonant sounds. This vowel is /ah/. It doesn’t have much effect on any consonant sounds because it is quite neutral in shape.
Here are some common examples of how the vowel shape can influence the production of a consonant. This is not an exhaustive list, but these are major examples which crop up all the time. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 99. Print Books are Better than Digital Books for Toddlers.
The question of whether print books are better than digital books for toddlers is a concern for many parents who are looking to do the best by their children. Here are two pieces of evidence, one anecdotal and one from research, which will answer this question. Continue reading
