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VIEWS FROM THE PEN OF… NIOMI CLYDE ROBERTS The amygdala never forgets
In our regular series highlighting authors in education, we hear this month from NIOMI CLYDE ROBERTS, who explains how our past experiences shape our current thinking.
In chapter four ‘Toolbox’ I talk about how we always remember how we felt in a situation, because the emotional feedback always supersedes our logical thought process. Of course there are people out there who are very logical and tend to acknowledge how they feel, but don’t always respond or react, but that doesn’t hide the fact that they have felt a certain way. The crucial pointer to remember is that we will only be able to use our internalized past experience to inform our thinking, viz. ‘people will always take information and perceive it with their inbuilt perspective. What I mean by this is that experiences that have happened in the past that have caused hurt, anger or humiliation stay with us. As much as you try to forget the experiences, they remain within our thinking, like a fight or flight mechanism. The amygdala remembers.’ (The EQ Teacher, page 47). I very much used to be a firm believer in gut instinct until I was
halfway through carrying out research for my book. It suddenly dawned on me that my gut instinct is only built on my own experiences and as we know, sometimes the emotions we associate to a situation may not be entirely accurate. It changed the way I thought about gut instinct and I still very much believe your gut tells you if a situation is wrong or right, but I challenge my thought process more, when using my gut instinct (my primal/original thoughts) to make an informed decision. I tend to now reflect and view the scenario from different angles, but also consider that my emotions connected to the cognitive bias, may not be correct. Cognitive bias is also an interesting facet of our perceptional understanding. This thought capsule from The Emotionally Intelligent Teacher captures how we can view cognitive bias… ‘Perspective is so important. Unfortunately, our perceptions do have a cognitive bias and so it is important to unpick how we feel, as we may have processed a situation incorrectly. Check, review and re-evaluate.’
Hardwired – the good and the bad It is clear that our brain is a complex, multi-layered facet that sometimes retrieves information accurately, depending on how an individual may be feeling. Our brains are hardwired to remember situations – both good and bad. This does make communication and some situations more complex, as there are a range of different experiences brought to the table. However, if handled in the correct way, these prior thoughts and perspectives can be broken down and understood. One of the main reasons I wrote this book is because over the
last ten years I’ve seen and heard about situations that genuinely make me so disappointed in people’s lack of self-awareness and lack of mutual respect for a fellow human being. If you are in an educational environment that is toxic, any negativity is felt much more strongly when fear is already embedded. Trigger points are very raw. But when you feel safe and trusted in your setting, any criticism or negativity is lessened and felt more acutely.
To purchase a copy of The Emotionally Intelligent Teacher please visit
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/emotionally-intelligent-teacher- 9781472974655/
March 2022 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION (BESA) Have you ever
been to Bett? In her regular column for Education Today this month, JULIA GARVEY, Deputy Director General at school suppliers’ association BESA, looks ahead to Bett.
Bett is the largest educational event in the UK, usually taking place in January. This year it has been rescheduled to 23-25 March at the Excel Centre in London. If you’ve never been before then I highly recommend a trip, and this year more than ever the time is right for you to discover everything Bett has to offer. Why? Because Bett has something for everyone, an inclusive roundup of the great and the good of EdTech and because it is free to attend. How many times can you say that these days? Remember the adage like a kid in a candy store? That’s me at
Bett. For anyone who loves education technology, or who is interested in ‘the next big thing,’ then Bett is a must-visit event. For over 30 years Bett has been showcasing the best of technology from the first BBC computers through to whiteboards and LMS systems, right up to VR and AI today, Bett has been the place to wonder at all that is shiny and new for schools. But it is also the place for those of us who are technology shy.
Who are keen to find out more about technology and how it can be used to reduce workload and improve student outcomes, but who don’t really know where to start. Bett offers a no-risk environment to browse, identify and try technology solutions that could make a real difference in your school. It is also a place to visit to get practical support and hear from
other teachers and schools about their technology challenges and the solutions they have implemented with success. Coming off the back of the last two years, where many schools have been forced to embrace online learning, digital classrooms and Microsoft Teams or Google Classroom, Bett will be a welcome opportunity to take stock. If you’ve never been to Bett it can be a bit overwhelming to walk
into the Excel centre and be greeted by literally acres of exhibition stands. But that is where BESA can help. Pop along and visit us on the information point, tell us what you are looking for, or what you want to know, and we can help guide you to the right workshop, discussion or exhibition stand for your needs. With a bit of careful planning this is an event that can truly inspire and provide you with the knowledge and guidance you need to develop your school technology strategy for at least the next 12 months. Here are some more reasons to give Bett a try:
• See tech in action – don’t just read about it, actually experience it for yourself • Listen to fellow teachers share their experiences via the conference programme • Connect with other teachers – there are plenty of opportunities to meet and mingle with your peers • Benefit from show discounts – if you are looking to purchase new resources for your school then you may be able to take advantage of one of the many special show discounts that exhibitors make available • Come and meet BESA – our stand is the information point for the event and we will be on hand to answer any questions you might have. We’ve also got details of the next set of our LearnED Roadshow events that will be rolling out from May and come and find out more about how we help connect schools with reliable, trusted suppliers covering the full range of teaching and learning products and services Bett takes place at ExCeL London, from 23-25 March 2022. You can register for your free ticket here
https://www.bettshow.com/
Julia Garvey, Deputy Director General, BESA
Besa.org.uk
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