Alworth Memorial Fund collaborate to restore students’ lost learning

The Alworth Memorial Fund hosted a luncheon for over 75 teachers, principals, and counselors at Kitchi Gammi club. The year’s luncheon held by Alworth Memorial Fund, focused on brain development. COVID-19, had learning development trauma on students both inside and outside the classroom.

Patty Salo Downs, the Executive Director with the Alworth Memorial Fund explained how teachers can use psychology techniques with their students. Even activities like memory games or puzzles can help prepared for learning.

“You don’t need to be an armchair psychologist to implement these things. You just have to know what they are and the strategy behind it, the why behind it. And most of it has to do with relationship building.” Patty said.

However, when a teacher is able to build a relationship with their students, their learning significantly improves. Also students confidence in the material grows with a strong learning relationship with their peers and teacher.

Patty furthered explained, when the brain is under stress and anxiety, it’s unable to access the neocortex. The neocortex is the learning part of the brain, and many students had that disconnect with learning during the pandemic.

“You’ve got students struggling to learn. They’re under stress. Their brain isn’t cooperating. And so it was a very untimely situation to occur in the overall development and learning of students.” Patty said.

The Alworth Memorial Fund also had keynote speaker Christine Bright talk about how parents and teachers can help with children learn.

“For parents who have young people who are struggling, if they’re not in their thinking brain then maybe try doing something like going for a walk with them or something that’s patterned and repetitive and rhythmic to help get their brain ready to learn.” Bright said.

According to state test scores, during the pandemic math and science scores decreased significantly.

“The scores have gone down for my young people, too, because we know that we can’t be learning if we’re not in our thinking brains, if we’re not in our prefrontal cortex. So the same strategies apply at schools, right? Like let’s be in gym class, let’s be moving our bodies around, let’s find ways to connect with each other in order that we are prepared to learn.” Bright said.

For more information about child development you can look here https://www.neurosequential.com/nme.

For more information about how students score have fallen you can read our story here https://www.wdio.com/front-page/top-stories/the-nations-report-card-shows-decline-in-test-scores-for-minnesota-wisconsin/.