Nathan Wallis - Engage Your Brain 1-7 Years

Engage Your Brain: 1 - 7 Years

This talk focuses on the social/emotional aspects of your brain development – how feeling impacts our thinking. While the times that this brain really has the steering wheel is 2-8 and again in the middle of adolescence, it is relevant to all learners that want to feel engaged, enthusiastic and passionate about
what they do.

The fundamental mistake New Zealand society has made over the last few decades, is thinking that a two year-old is a little seven year-old and that the earlier we get ready to be seven, by learning numeracy and literacy, the better off we will be. That’s just not how our brain develops. A large part of
intelligence is problem-solving and problem-solving is hugely dependent on creativity. Creativity largely comes online, between the ages of two and seven, in a free-play, child-lead environment. It’s development is inhibited if we focus instead on seven year old formalised literacy and numeracy.

This talk supports the research behind play based learning. Learning is so much easier when the learner is engaged. Come along and learn how to engage your brain.