Recently, I spoke at a wonderful Saturday-morning-gathering of learners, parents and educators. My topic was the three networks of the learning brain. In this three-part blog post series, I share with you, my blog readers, my notes from that presentation.

 

When my son was a senior in high school I had a parent-teacher conference with his chemistry teacher.

 

“Mrs. Bomar,” he told me, “your son has the back pocket filing system. He works on his assignment in class then files it in his back pocket. If he happens to be wearing the same pants the next time in class then he turns it in.”

 

This son usually failed daily grades but aced exams. So he managed to keep a C average in high school. The first time, in his school career, he earned straight As was as a graduate student when he finally could study something that could sustain his attention  100% of the time.

 

Part Three: Strategic Networks (the Thinking Brain)  

 

This brings me to the third network in the learning brain: the strategic network. Or the “thinking brain.”

 

The strategic networks are located directly behind the forehead or the prefrontal lobes. This part of the brain is responsible for managing what goes in, what goes on and then what comes out. It’s like the store manager who coordinates the inventory, the employees and the customers’ needs. If the store manager drifts off task then the store isn’t run very efficiently, but when the store manager wakes up then the store runs more smoothly.

 

Our strategic networks enable us to plan, execute the plan and monitor. Our strategic networks are involved in planning in everything we do from a simple task like sweeping the floor to something complex such as choosing a college. Our strategic networks establish a goal, a plan, execute the plan, monitor the plan, and then make adjustments to the plan. We call this executive functions.  A deficit in this network, leads to some people carrying the diagnosis of ADHD.

 

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An ADHD diagnosis indicates a deficit in the strategic networks, however, it is more than focus, attention or hyperactivity.

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Executive function skills have been described in many ways by researchers. One way of looking at this deficit is to look at six aspects of behavior.

1. Activation
   1. Organizing
   2. Prioritizing
   3. Activating
2. Focus
   1. Focus
   2. Sustaining
   3. Shifting attention to tasks
3. Effort
   1. Regulating alertness
   2. Sustaining effort
   3. Processing speed
4. Emotion
   1. Managing frustration
   2. Modulating emotions
5. Memory
   1. Utilizing working memory
   2. Accessing recall
6. Action
   1. Monitoring action
   2. Self-regulating action

Read my previous blog posts about ADHD. 

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Development plays a role in executive function skills. The brain isn’t fully developed until age 25-30. Development isn’t on a continual upward slope. And development is not uniform across all behavior patterns. It kind of like the Texas two-step. Two steps forward and one step backward. Sometimes it’s three steps backward and a twirl.

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Quick Recap:

ADHD is more than attention focus and impulsivity or hyperactivity. Executive functions are the store manager of the brain. The strategic networks are developing. Development is not a continual upward slope and is not uniform across all thinking skills.

 

As Teachers: how can we use this information?

1. Encourage active goal setting. Ask you student, “What would you like to finish by 9:00?”
2. Connect the details to the big picture by pointing out the WHY or connect to previous knowledge.
3. Encourage self-reflective thinking. Stop work and ask about progress on the task.
4. Ask students to stop working and ask, “What is the assignment? What are we looking for?”

 

I love showing parents and educators about how the brain learns. Learning how to manage stress can be a game changer in productivity and creativity. Contact me about presenting to your group or at your school.