“The ability to achieve is anchored to quality and consistency of rituals in your life,” according to Horacio Sanchez, speaker at the Curriculum Breakfast on Sept. 11.
A room of nearly 300 educational leaders and instructors nodded in agreement as they listened to Sanchez, author of “A Brain-Based Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap.” The professional development, organized and hosted by the Regional System of District and School Support (RSDSS), Region 6, was intended to help educators curb unwanted student behavior. The event was held at the San Joaquin County Office of Education.
Sanchez applied brain research to the classroom, emphasizing that established school and classroom rituals can lead to an improved and positive school environment.
By establishing rituals and maintaining those rituals, students will be able to react better in certain situations, Sanchez stated.
“The best teachers oftentimes begin their classrooms with a ritual,” Sanchez said.
Schools need to improve homeostasis to be preventive, Sanchez said. Homeostasis, the state of a neutral and regular environment, can be improved in schools by establishing and maintaining rituals. According to Sanchez, rituals help the brain not become overstimulated when put into a stressful situation.
Students who are overstimulated may be seen as overreacting to situations when really it is because they have a chemical imbalance in the brain. For example, a bouncy kid has a dopamine imbalance, Sanchez stated.
“If kids are overstimulated anything can trigger an unwanted behavior,” Sanchez explained.
Sanchez compared this idea to an adult driving: when an adult is lost and begins to become stressed, typically the adult will turn the radio off. Sanchez explained that this occurs because the brain becomes overstimulated when there is stress – any noise becomes irritating.
The audience was entertained with funny comments and relatable anecdotes while Sanchez spoke about the biology and neuroscience of the brain. Throughout the presentation Sanchez also asked for participants from the audience to act out scenarios, helping explain why some students act differently than others when placed in the same situation.
Sanchez explained that behaviors are directly linked to chemical balances and imbalances in the brain. While some behaviors can be genetic, the chemical reactions in the brain are the ultimate causes of behavior.
Knowledge of causes of human behavior can help teachers motivate students to learn.
“Success secretes dopamine, and dopamine increases motivation,” Sanchez said. If a child never feels successful then they will not be motivated. “If there is only failure, eventually they will quit,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez spoke about the need for children to succeed on their own time; not every child will accomplish the same learning goals at the same time. “Anytime a kid makes progress, it is a success,” Sanchez said.