The Learning-Stimulation Gap

Learning How to Learn

Lets face it, at times learning can be boring. And sitting with something that’s boring can feel hard. So learning can be both boring and hard, which can lead to some big problems… Or, opportunities……

This blog is for the movers, shakers, wigglers, and feelers of this world… I get you!! You sitting still just doesn’t hit the mark.

Imagine trying to learn when you are falling asleep or when opening your eyes first thing in the morning. Or, imagine making an attempt to pay attention to some complicated thing when you are highly overstimulated and buzzing from coffee, or shaky after almost getting side swiped by a car. These changes in your arousal would have a direct impact on your attention and learning aptitude, right?

Well how about if your baseline was always one of these states of arousal? What kind of impact would it have on your attention and ability to learn then?

The gap between what is being taught and what a learner can comprehend varies from day to day, and even subject to subject. Physiological needs of good sleep, proper nutrition, adequate body temperature, and exercise all weigh into how well one is able to focus. Take these foundational physiological needs and add brain connections where messages easily pass from one stop to the next resulting in learning, verse when there are interruptions or miscommunications in the messaging; in other words, an error or glitch with the point of contact with information so that the information does not bridge to bear meaning, consequently causing the information to pass through without sticking.

Under-stimulation and over-stimulation has a direct impact on the sticking or non-sticking during the learning process.

Stimulation is essential to keep the nervous system effectively aroused to learn, in other words, to help information to stick. This may mean that one needs to be less stimulated by limiting distractions that are occurring in an environment, while another person needs more stimulation, such as movement, to engage their brain in thinking about what is being conveyed. Or it could be both, less distraction, more movement.

An example of this is when I listen to a podcast, I can comprehend the information much more effectively when I am taking a walk , cleaning my house, or folding laundry. If, though, I attempt to listen to that same podcast while sitting on the couch or when trying to write a blog, I would be much less successful at comprehending the information as when I am physically engaged. I could do it, but it would take a lot more internal resources to.

When the degree of stimulation, such as verbal instruction, does not arouse a person enough to process and comprehend the information, it is up to a teacher, parent, therapist to understand the learning-stimulation gap and work towards closing it.

Moreover, it is of higher importance to teach the individual to understand this gap for themselves through building internal awareness so that self-advocacy can emerge.

How can we accomplish closing the learning-stimulation gap?

Most of the kiddos I see are movers, wigglers, explorers, but I also see my fair share of kiddos who are easily overstimulated. The learners who require movement, let’s be honest, can be easier to pick out as their need to move can be a bit of a distraction to their peers.

The premise of movement being a distraction to learning is a common misunderstanding. It is definitely a distraction to other learners, but often is a much needed requirement for the learner.

Sensory arousal is a needed element to learn. The skill of knowing the just right type of stimulation or movement needs to be taught as it is very easy to over step the stimulation mark which often results in further cognitive disorganization and emotional dysregulation.

This is where most kiddos that come to see me need support. They choose stimulation that causes them to go too high resulting in them becoming over-stimulated, which typically has a negative impact on their thinking and processing.  Helping them to understand the interoceptive cues, internal sensory cues, of what brings their energy up, down, and to that just right place is a skill that they do not yet possess so helping them learn it will support their success with attending and learning.

Learning occurs differently from person to person. It’s not a one size fits all experience. Partly the reason why is because every nervous system requires different degrees of stimulation to find it’s just right arousal state to in-turn pick up on pertinent information.

When we individuate the nervous system we can then attune to different learning needs and engage the learner through closing the learning-stimulation gap.

This stimulation difference can even be observed through an introvert feeling over-stimulated because of social interactions, and the contrast of an extrovert feeling under-stimulated without it. Now think about the introvert’s experience in the school setting where there is a lot of social engagement, which is often marked by unexpected stimulatory experiences, and the kind of impact it has on their learning-stimulation needs.

Stimulating the senses through doodling, fidgeting, rocking, chewing gum, listening to music through headphones are non-disruptive ways in which one person’s nervous system can become aroused and engaged to attend, while another’s might need absolute quiet or ambient background music to drown out the air conditioning kicking on or someone tapping their feet.

Attention is not a skill that is possessed equally. Attention is an ongoing experience that is constantly impacted by a person’s sensory preferences and needs. Providing a direct feedback system through consistent acknowledgment when a person is engaged verse disengaged is an effective way to build internal awareness to attention regulation. It can be helpful to have the individual choose a hand signal so that they are a part of the process of attuning to engaged and disengaged thinking. As part of this skill development, it can also be helpful to stop communicating when thinking is not engaged and wait to reengage the individual’s attention so that it becomes a direct feedback loop to the attentional regulation process.

This socially-engaged, connection based feedback system helps close that learning-stimulation gap while creating a more meaningful, safe, and heart-centered connection. The emotional health of every learner needs to be the top priority of their caregivers. If a person is in emotional disarray of any kind, their ability to focus, think, and remember information decreases significantly. Understanding what’s underneath a person’s behavior is a necessary element to get them the support that they need.

We have to focus on what we want to see grow to help it to.

Lets focus on the wanted behavior, not the unwanted. This is so much easier to do when we understand what is underneath it. Thinking and learning are skills that must be taught, not expected. The more attuned we become to different states of arousal, the more engaged we can become with the learner and in turn support the learner’s aptitude to learn all while taking care of their emotional health and wellbeing.