School leaders need to consider six steps to keep their brains healthy both personally and professionally as they age, Deborah Estes told principals during her Assembly session on “Brain Power.” They also should consider how the brain operates as they develop instructional experiences for students.
“There are six key elements to keeping a person’s brain active,” Estes said, basing her advice on “The Nun Study,” which was conducted among Sisters of Notre Dame in Minnesota.
The keys are:
- Daily exercise
- Nutrition, which may mean eating more but smaller meals
- Consuming ample water
- Consistent engagement of the brain such as by working a daily crossword puzzle
- Avoiding sedentary activities
- Relieving stress
She also pointed out that movement is essential to efficient operation of the brain as it brings more oxygen to it, and suggested that students be provided opportunities to move at least every 14 minutes in the classroom.
It’s important for teachers to identify what is relevant to students.
“The more we can connect with kids, the more meaningful learning will become to them,” she said. “Too many times we try to take students from where we think they are to where we want them to be rather than starting at a level that has meaning to them.”
Estes can be contacted at the Estes Group, Inc., [email protected].
