Herbert Puchta joined us live from Austria, where he encouraged us to THiNK beyond language. He gave us lots of insights into the teen mind, whilst delivering some practical advice about the best ways to educate the next generation of global citizens. He even shared some content and video footage from his course book, THiNK!
Throughout the webinar, Herbert asked us to look beyond language, and to consider issues such as behaviour, motivation, self-esteem, concentration, discipline and the dynamics of the teen classroom. He told us about the mismatch between the development of the limbic system (which causes impulsive behaviour) and the prefrontal cortex (which is responsible for logical thinking), and the impact that these two areas of the brain have on a teenager’s learning experience.
Herbert explained why we need to introduce quality discourse in the classroom, as opposed to focussing on superficial content: Dialogues about rights, freedoms and responsibilities encourage emotional engagement and increased cognitive commitment, whilst social media triggers the limbic system and causes feelings of short-term pleasure. This led Herbert to stress how it’s more important than ever to engage in real world content and drive the higher-level thought centres in the prefrontal context, and to ensure that we’re engaging in the correct levels of fun and seriousness.
So, if you want to develop basic and critical thinking skills in your learners, foster an exploration of values, and help to develop the right level of self-esteem in your students, ensure to talk about topics that are related to values!
If this article has sparked your interest and you want to learn how THiNK can make a difference to your students’ learning and engagement, simply click on the webinar recording below: