The Unteachable Moment: Lessons from the Neuroscience of Stress, Conflict, and (Mis)behavior

Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-unteachable-moment-lessons-from-the-neuroscience-of-stress-conflict-and-misbehavior/5022148/

I become an agent of change only to the degree that I begin to live to help things go right rather than simply to correct things that are going wrong.
â€" The Arbinger Institute (2006)

Excellent, effective educators often notice and tap into the teachable moment â€" that magical time when something unexpected happens and an unplanned, but fabulous opportunity arises to share a new insight or to guide ­children in exploration or discovery. A second path to ­effective teaching â€" and parenting â€" especially of young ­children, lies in honing our ability to also recognize the unteachable moment, when tempers and emotions run hot and things seem to erupt out of control. A conventional behavior intervention perspective might see this as an opportunity to highlight the consequences of inappropriate behavior and teach new skills. Neuroscience research offers a more nuanced perspective and sheds light on ­strategies for a more responsive approach.

The Behavioral ABCs

If you speak when angry, you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.
â€" Groucho Marx (1954)

Perhaps you’ve been part of a scene like this: two children tug on the same block. You offer a kind word about taking turns. Child A stops and, perhaps a bit reluctantly, lets go. ...