Beyond initial learning: Using NsLLT to guide professional work

This section of the blog will be devoted to refining our thinking about applications of the NsLLT within the Arwood Neuroeducation Model (ANM). The questions are from individuals who have spent several years learning about the NsLLT, applying the work to a professional setting, and want to continue their learning.

The first question is from Faith Kempf who wants to know about the relationship between neural integration and inhibition as she often sees students who have behavior that suggest such inhibition and integration may not be at its expected level. So, let's begin with her description of what she sees and her thinking about theoretical application, "They often screech, moan, get agitated or angry in rooms because the input they have is meaningless to their system.  They are looking for something that they can process.” Faith suggests that “Good visual input would allow them to inhibit the meaningless and thus integrate the new information." Here is my response:

We have two ways of processing input: 1) from the way that people in our environment assign meaning or mark meaning for us; and 2) from the way that our internal neurobiological systems process input. Either way, we have to be able to make meaning from either or both of these types of processing. The goal of supporting these neural actions is to create neuro-semantic (meaningful) networks that can use language for us to assign meaning and or to make meaning from what is meaningless. Unfortunately, we can only get to that level with a full language grammar that supports concrete level or above thinking. Let’s break this down.

The following is based on the NsLLT. So, let's start with the input level:

Features of the senses enter receptors and begin to be "utilized" by the structures. If the structures (receptors) can utilize the input, then the structures mechanically turn the physical input (semantic features) into electrical stimuli through chemical changes of the cellular structures. Therefore, even at the cellular level, there is an inhibition taking place of anything that cannot be utilized. For example, for a blind person, the eye does not use the light features as meaningful. However, if the structures are able to begin the process of sending the chemical cellular changes, then the next set of cells synapse the previous set of features so that the cells reach out and interconnect with other cells creating an overlap or chemical messages up through the brain stem to the lower levels of the cerebrum. This second level of processing creates perceptions. In other words, the pathways are inhibiting what can't be processed while integrating by an overlap of what is processed. Recognition of the world around us occurs at this level and allows for imitating, regurgitating, copying, responding to models, etc. Animals like cats and dogs have awesome sensory integration and perceptual recognition of past experiences. PLEASE note that there are no concepts nor language as humans know at this level. This lack of conceptual language does not mean that students don't or can't use such perceptual recognitions...for example, a student may begin to rock when they feel a lack of meaning or they may start screeching during a noisy transition because the input is louder than their internal understanding of what others need or want. These two levels of sensation and perception allow for a two-way input -output educational system of stimuli and rewards/punishers. This creates a testing model of what we teach and what we want given back. These two levels of integration and inhibition will not create a system of conceptual imaging that allows for "understanding" of concepts related to others or to academics. In these two levels, you get to increase your rewards throughout the year and also reteach and reteach and repeat and reteach. You can expect about 40-60% of the students passing tests at expected grades using an input-output modality type of integration and inhibition. This percentage relies on being tested in what is taught.

Let's move on to what happens beyond the lower two levels of neurobiological processing The lower-level pathways tend to move meaningful, what can be processed, input onto to other cellular structures. Cellular structures (neurons and other cells) continue to process what is meaningful to the individual's neurobiological system with dendrites continuing to grow and reaching out to connect to other cells for increased excitation. This is complex integration which has to happen before the cells prune and stop future non-meaningful input. This stoppage of non-meaningful input is a more complex inhibition. Beyond this early level of inhibition the continued layers of input create maximum inhibition. Maximum inhibition occurs when the cellular structures create circuits that are complete. Neuroscientists are currently mapping a lot of these circuits. For example, there are ventral and dorsal circuits for shapes of ideas (visual processing) which interconnect through all regions of the brain. This suggests that the human can use shape for processing meaning as an image, which in this case is a visual image such as the shape of a concept or word in reading. Since neuroscientists suggest that 95% of people tend to use visual processing for creating the circuits, then understanding what one reads probably uses more shapes than anything else. This third level provides the conceptualization of the world...our unique brain prints or reality. This is why when a teacher says, "We are going outside in a few minutes to play on the playground" one student images leaving now to play, another sees themselves on the climber, another sees herself with a kickball, etc. This unique past connection to what a student knows, and processes is why input-output types of teaching is not effective for all students. Without layers of inhibition, integration is also limited as is the conceptualization.

As the cellular structures develop the neuro-semantic circuits that create images (auditory or visual which can be overlapped visual and/or movement) or concepts, then regions of structures connect to form networks that are interconnected on both sides of the brain as well as within the regions of the brain. These networks allow for the synchronization of the neuro-semantic circuits. Such synchronization allows for language to represent those images in multiple ways—-read language, written language, spoken language, calculated language and also allows language to represent thinking about who we are (social development-viewing). At this level, language mediates all form of literacy and attaches meaning to regions of the brain in larger areas allowing for a life span of learning conceptually. 

The key to integration and inhibition for our species is at the third or conceptual level of learning. IF the world we live in does not provide meaningful input, then we are psychosocially arrested at the preoperational level of thinking—-me, mine, the world revolves around me, I want, I need, this is the way we have always done something, etc. Age or developmental growth does not change the way others assign meaning nor the way we are able to neurobiologically process what is meaningful to our systems beyond the first 2-3 years. So, when a 5-year-old says they cannot hear the sounds of letters, they can't hear them. End of discussion. When a 10-year-old says they opened the window because they saw the window. Then that is what they know. Windows open, so they opened the window even though the teacher has been telling the children not to ever open the windows. If you want this student to not open the window, then 1) there has to be more meaningful activities in the classroom (even-based); 2) the input about the window not being opened needs to be presented in a visual way to be processed; and 3) there needs to be made some connections (neurosemantic networks) to why we don't open and preferably what we can do instead of opening. 

Maximum inhibition and integration at the network level provides maximum synchronization for maximum linguistic displacement, semanticity, flexibility, productivity, and efficiency.