The Neurology of Academic Mindfulness

The human brain is a biological organism that has been studied from outside the body for centuries but only recently from the inside. Psychologists, sociologists, and educators observed from the outside and sought to adjust what could be controlled. But today neurologists and medical doctors are now able to study the brain from images of its inside. BurstTutors blends social and medical sciences about the brain/mind to engage students, mindfully, in the learning process. Knowing how the brain operates and how to be mindful of its processes, allows learners to unlock its potential. Understanding the balance between the brain’s impact on the learner and the learner’s executive function upon the brain leads to greater control over the learning process.

The single most influential inhibitor to optimal brain engagement is distraction. Distraction comes at the learner from without—in the environment—and from within—ruminations, intrusive thoughts, and emotional reactions. Whether distractions come from outside or inside, they are the most frequent and impactful hinderance to learning—in or outside the classroom. Managing distractions is possible with training and practice AND a mindfulness of what occurs in the brain.

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain in which higher order thinking occurs. Planning, organizing, imagining, and communicating spring forth from the prefrontal cortex. These functions differentiate humans from the animal kingdom. While there are some animals, such as primates and dolphins, that do communicate, humans are the only ones who can recall history, imagine a future, and create stories to retell and envision. While the prefrontal cortex is the most powerful center of creativity, it is also the most fragile of brain regions. Not only is it situated behind the forehead region of the skull, where brain injuries often occur, but it also requires the most attention from the “self”—you and me and your child.

The Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex (VLPFC) sits just behind the temples within the prefrontal cortex. It serves as the brain’s braking system, stopping the brain from acting upon a stimulus. When distracted from within or without, it is the VLPFC that inhibits our focus on the distracting stimulus. “Inhibiting distraction is a core skill for staying focused” (Rock, 2009). BurstTutors Academic Coaches help our students to make crucial decisions to avoid distractions before they occur. Stopping one’s attention and refocusing uses more precious, mental energy than a practiced strategy. Sitting near the front of class and close to the teacher is not simply a behavioral approach to heighten attention, it is also a strategy of conserving distracting mental energy.

An inverse relationship is at work between the prefrontal cortex’s mental processor and the limbic system’s fight or flight instinct. While prefrontal processing requires much energy, the limbic system requires very little energy to engage and easily persists in that aroused state, sapping power from the prefrontal cortex. Something as simple as a threat to one’s status can put the limbic system into a “RUN!” instinct even though what is needed is a thoughtful response. Teachers who use messages of shame or embarrassment to motivate can engage the limbic system, essentially shutting down the student’s executive function in the prefrontal cortex. Simple tools of mindfulness enable the student to harness the limbic instinct and settle it down in order to utilize the powers of the prefrontal cortex. Academic mindfulness is one of the five core strategies taught in every BurstTutors academic coaching session.