Porträttfoto: Sara Appelgren
Specialpedagogik Combining brain research with relationship-building in schools isn’t an either/or proposition, according to behavioral scientist Lena Skogholm.
READ MORE ”Relationer står inte i vägen för kunskap utan bär den”
Learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but within a brain constantly interpreting its surroundings. This is the perspective of behavioral scientist and author Lena Skogholm, who has long worked to make neuroscience applicable in everyday school settings. In her view, relationships, safety, and communication aren’t additions to instruction, but rather its prerequisites. Understanding these connections is crucial for educators and policymakers seeking to optimize learning environments.
Her new book, “Why Students Behave the Way They Do,” compiles research on how the brain responds to safety, stress, and interaction in school, and likewise serves as a commentary on recent debates about relationships in education: the importance of building relationships is not in contrast to, but proven by, neuroscience.
With safety, mental bandwidth is freed up for learning.
Lena Skogholm describes how our oldest nervous systems still influence student behavior in the classroom. She refers to part of this as the brain’s “countryside.”
“Evolution has created biological programs that were built in because they were crucial for survival. Those programs are still active in the student’s brain today.”
Trust is central. The brain needs to know that the person speaking is safe and well-intentioned. This impacts whether the student opens up to logic and problem-solving or enters a state of vigilance.
“If I don’t know the person giving me information, if I don’t know what kind of person they are, how should I know if I can listen?”
This is evident in everyday situations. A student who shuts down, reacts quickly, or avoids tasks often does so because the brain is occupied with assessing safety, not because the student is deliberately defiant.
“As long as the student wonders if something will make them feel foolish, exposed, or otherwise unsafe, the brain is occupied with that. With safety, however, mental bandwidth is freed up for learning.”
In the book, Lena Skogholm also highlights research on structure, rules, and consequences. She doesn’t aim to condemn or accept a position, but to show how different elements affect the brain. She repeatedly emphasizes that consequences shouldn’t create fear or threat, as this leads to a defensive state.
“If the student experiences that the underlying message is that something subpar will happen if they make a mistake, then the threat system kicks in and learning ability decreases.”
She describes a common misconception about consequence ladders: that they automatically generate calm. The research she draws on shows that the effect varies, and can lead to more resistance in students who are already struggling.
“As far as I know, there is no research that clearly shows that consequence ladders function for everyone. In students with already high stress levels, they can even trigger problem behaviors.”
And aren’t these precisely the students who need the most support – but who are also most at risk of being subjected to consequence ladders if they are implemented?
Instead, Lena Skogholm suggests that schools clarify the positive consequences of functional behaviors, and at the same time formulate a support ladder for when things don’t go as planned.
“We train the young brain to spot the benefit of functional behaviors. And when the student fails, we show that we are here to support them so that it goes better next time.”
Another central element in her book is the model of the “sunshine brain” and the “gray-scale brain” – instead of clinical terms, Lena Skogholm uses pedagogical ways to describe how emotional state affects learning.
“With positive feelings, a network lights up in the left hemisphere. I call it the sunshine brain because you intuitively understand what’s happening. Then we think better and remember better.”
When negative feelings dominate, another network is activated.
“Then the brain goes into alert mode and we get tunnel vision. This helps us understand how easily we can lose mental bandwidth.”
In the classroom, word choice, tone of voice, and small affirmations turn into important tools.
“Remove the gap between thought and tongue. As soon as you see something good, say it. That’s how we build up the brain’s internal work environment.”
Lena Skogholm also highlights the interplay between structure and flexibility. Clarity creates safety, which in turn makes flexibility possible.
“The more prepared you are, the more you can improvise. The structure provides the well-trodden path that the reptile brain needs.”
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