MODULE 5: Lessons 2 and 3
July 9
TODAY'S MESSAGE
TODAY'S ASSIGNMENTS:
#1. Begin lesson 2 by reviewing the notes on Altered States of Consciousness and Sleep Disorders.
#2. Complete the lesson 2 practice activity.
#3. Complete the lesson 2 assignment.
#4. Begin lesson 3 by reviewing the notes on Drugs and Consciousness.
#5. Complete the lesson 3 practice activity.
#6. Complete the lesson 3 assignment.
TEACHER TALK 1
Sleep is food for the brain. During sleep, important bodily functions and brain activity occur. Lack of sleep can age your looks, cause moodiness, weight gain, forgetfulness, and depression. Sleepiness can make it hard to get along with your family and friends and can negatively impact your grades and athletic performance.
Skipping sleep can be harmful, even deadly, particularly if you are behind the wheel. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsiness and falling asleep at the wheel causes more than 100,000 car crashes every year. Most of these accidents are among people under the age of 25. When you do not get enough sleep, you are more likely to have an accident, injury and/or illness. According to some estimates, 90% of people with sleep apnea also suffer from other health conditions. (adapted from: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/10-results-sleep-loss?page=2)
The presentation below will help you distinguish between the different sleep disorders.
Your assignment today asks you to take some time out of your hectic schedule to meditate. Studies show that this skill can actually help you through the challenges of adolescence and help you with your concentration and impulse control.
Students who meditate before an exam perform better than students who do not. These mindfulness activities help reduce symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression.
I always find that students are fascinated about how their brains work. So what is going on in your brain when this happens. Let's focus on three structures of the brain: the brainstem (our “reptilian” brain, responsible for breathing, heart-rate, etc.), the limbic system/amygdala (our “mammalian” brain, involved in emotion and memory) and the cortex (our “human” brain, responsible for thinking and self-regulation). If you think back back to Module 2 you may remember how close the amygdala is to the pre-frontal cortex. Mindfulness can help the thinking part of the brain process the raw emotion of the limbic system. And that can lead to better decision-making — it allows a mindful pause, a skillful response instead of an unthinking reaction.
Mindfulness can also play a role in the neuroplasticity of the brain — our experiences can actually transform our brains, the way exercise can transform our bodies.When we practice mindfulness, we learn that much of the chatter of the mind is just that: chatter. It’s not reality — it’s worry, it’s anxiety, it’s baseless projection. Mindfulness teaches you to be aware of your thoughts,
The TED talk below will show you that doing nothing for 10 minutes just may be the most productive thing you do all day. The second resource shows that skills like memory are the first to go when we're tired. This test assesses your ability to remember how long ago something happened - your 'temporal' memory. If you're tired you won't be as good at remembering when you saw or did something. The test is in three parts and I suggest you take a five minute break in between each part.
TEACHER TALK 2
Closing out our module on Consciousness is the study of the effects of drugs. There are certain drugs that alter moods, emotions, and perceptions. These drugs are called the Psychoactive Drugs. As you learned psychoactive drugs fall into three major categories; the Depressants, Stimulants and Hallucinogens.
Depressants have the capability to reduce the activity of the central nervous system. It slows down reactions and reduces the strength of response. It can also cause drowsiness, sleep or it can even cause death depending on the dosage taken. Drugs such as barbiturates, narcotics, minor tranquilizers and alcohol fall in this category.
There are serious social problems involving depressant drugs. These are the use of Alcohol and Heroin. The used of alcohol in beverages are widespread in our society. Many people are addicted to the point where these people suffer from actual physical reactions, sweating or tremors when deprived from using these drugs.
Stimulant drugs have the capability to improve performance on many tasks as well as in keeping someone awake in a period of time. Stimulants have opposite effect to those of the depressants. These drugs increase the activity of the Central Nervous Systems. It also speeds up reactions; produce a feeling of light headedness, alertness and euphoria. Drugs such as caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines and cocaine belong to this category. Continued use in these drugs may lead to a cycle of arousal. It will be then followed by depressions in the time that the effect of the drugs wears off. There are cases that individuals who take these drugs will develop increase dependence on the drugs making larger and larger dosage or intake as necessary.
Hallucinogens have the capability to produce perpetual and temporal distortions. Hemp and shrooms all contain substances of hallucinogens; others have been produced synthetically. These drugs affect the perception and thinking by producing distortions. The distortion that is produce might be pleasurable or it may be upsetting and frightening.
Drugs of Abuse. Genetic Science Learning Center. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/abuse/. Educational Use Only License.
Mouse Party. Genetic Science Learning Center. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/mouse/. Educational Use Only License.
SHOUT OUT
CONTACT ME
E-mail: christopher.watson@ncpublicschools.gov
Text anytime between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
NCVPS Psychology
CITATIONS
Today's Assignments (Book Icon Orange, David Peters, Wikpedia Education Program Case Studies.pdf, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
Teacher Talk (Red Silhouette - Teacher, Ben from Openclipart, Openclipart, Creative Commons CCO 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication license)
Shout Out (callout-quote-bull-speaking-bubble, Pixabay, Pixabay, CCO Public Domain license)
Important Dates This Week (Blank Calendar Page Icon, Jackaranga, Jackaranga, GNU Free Documentation License)
Contact Me (Smart phone mobile phone, Pixabay, Pizabay, CCO Public Domain)