Linda Karges-Bone, a professor of education at Charleston Southern University and leading instructor on brain development, has been teaching cutting edge “brain training” initiatives in the country’s 11th largest school district of Orange County, Fla.
Cheryl Wood and Mandy Ellis of the Orange County (Fla.) school district and leaders in the “Rules of Engagement” professional development initiative with Linda Karges-Bone of CSU.“Have you ever heard of the amygdala?” asks Karges-Bone of hundreds of Florida educators who attend the three-day “brain training” initiatives that she has been leading there for more than three years.
As Karges-Bone explains, the amygdala is a cluster of almond-shaped structures deep in the brain that fire up when a child or adult is under stress, in crisis, or suffering from anxiety. When the amygdala turns on, the pre-frontal cortex, where higher-order thinking and creativity thrive, can barely function. The result: behavioral issues, cognitive struggles and creativity blockages.
The three-day “Rules of Engagement” professional development sequence – which Karges-Bone developed along with a team of Orange County public school leaders, teachers, and administrators – instructs educators about the differences in students’ brains, and the impact of gender and personality on behavior. Opportunities to create more “brain-friendly” classrooms and strategies to enhance the function of the brain, especially when dealing with at-risk youth, are key components of the teaching.
Karges-Bone says that “the brain is our most important tool in teaching and yet we know so little about it.” She added, “Consider the fact that if one were to count the ‘connections’ in the pre-frontal cortex alone, it would take 32 million years to finish the counting, and still we say that a child cannot learn or that we cannot teach a child. We simply haven’t stumbled on the right set of connections. Brain training is about making connections – for students, parents, and teachers.”
The initiative led by Karges-Bone has unfolded over the three years since she began working with the Orange County public schools. Since that time, hundreds of teachers from dozens of schools have completed the sequence.
Karges-Bone’s perspective on brain-based teaching reflects her worldview as a Christian scholar. “The brain is God’s gift to us. It is a unique, mysterious gift that he wants us to unwrap and then use to give him glory. I think God feels real joy when a child who has felt alone or frustrated or stupid suddenly experiences confidence and creativity because a teacher was able to reach him or her in a way that made sense to that one, precious brain,” said Karges-Bone.