Teachers' Professional Development Day with Nathan Wallis
On Monday January 29th the Central City Schools Cluster, of which Hagley is a part, hosted Nathan Wallis from Brainwave.
Nathan is an expert in brain research as it relates to child development. His focus with us was on the mystery that is the teenage brain.
Nathan brought sound research and energy to the day. His key messages were around the frontal cortex of the brain being under construction in teenagers and they therefore default back to their emotional brains. The old saying of “What were you thinking?” which leads to the response from a teenager as “I wasn’t” is actually accurate. At times they really are not using the part of their brain that controls higher level thinking, language and decision making.
One area of particular note to teachers was that validating teenagers' feelings by saying things such as "I can see this has upset you" or "I know you put a lot of effort into that piece of work" shows young people that you have listened to them and heard them. Another way teachers can use some of Nathan’s knowledge is in telling students what you want them to do rather than focusing on what you don’t want them to do. This is an example of cognitive behaviour therapy.
The rest of the day saw Nathan work with our Guidance Team and then the Year 11 Tutors to see how his messages can inform our practice in these areas. It was a very successful day.
Attached to this article is a link to a clip of Nathan presenting at Hagley. It has been edited to capture key points. I hope you find it interesting.
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