Shifting Focus from Gaming to Math Solving: How Motor Science Can Help Children Overcome Brain Fatigue and Learning Challenges
In the modern world, children are increasingly drawn to video games and online entertainment, while subjects like mathematics often take a back seat. The contrast between the pleasure experienced in gaming and the struggle felt during math-solving highlights the challenge faced by both educators and parents alike.
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| Gaming Addiction: Cognitive Mental Fatigue in Students |
In today’s digital world, children are drawn to video games and screens, often leading to brain fatigue and a lack of focus on academics like mathematics.
We explore how gaming impacts brain energy and cognitive development while offering strategies rooted in motor science to help shift focus from gaming to math-solving, empowering children to succeed in their studies.
Understanding the brain's response to pleasure and pain can provide valuable insights into why children may avoid math and how the principles of motor science can offer a solution.
Highlights:
- Pleasure vs Pain: How the Brain Responds
- Role of the Prefrontal Cortex: Gaming vs Math Solving
- Gaming Addiction and its Impact on Learning
- Hypothalamus and Zeid Energy Regulation
- Shifting the Focus: From Gaming to Math Solving with Motor Science
- Core Problems in Students: Instant Pleasure and Gaming Gratification
- Introducing Motor Science Techniques
Discover how excessive screen time, including video games and digital entertainment, impacts children's learning and brain function.
Pleasure vs Pain: How the Brain Responds
Children typically feel a strong sense of pleasure while playing video games or watching videos. This is because the reward centers of brain are activated, specifically the nucleus accumbens and ventral striatum of basal ganglia circuitry, which release dopamine. This is the "feel-good" neurotransmitter.
Video games and other forms of digital entertainment provide instant gratification, keeping children hooked and reinforcing their desire to continue playing. The prefrontal cortex of brain is responsible for decision-making and focus. This is highly engaged during gaming, but the focus is on pleasure-driven tasks, not the complex problem-solving of mathematics.
On the other hand, when children are faced with challenges like solving math problems, a different set of brain circuits is activated, particularly those in the prefrontal cortex and right parietal lobe, regions associated with reasoning, computation and logical thinking.
For many children, these neural circuits are not as well-developed or as consistently activated, which leads to feelings of mental discomfort or "pain" when engaging with math. As a result, children are more likely to avoid math-related tasks and gravitate toward activities that stimulate the pleasure centers of their brain.
Role of the Prefrontal Cortex: Gaming vs Math Solving
The prefrontal cortex plays a critical role in attention, working memory and executive function. When children play video games, the prefrontal cortex is engaged in goal-oriented behaviors, quick decision-making and strategic planning.
All of these activities of prefrontal cortex contribute to the excitement of gaming. Over time, this creates a strong, well-connected neural network in the brain, making it easier for children to maintain focus on games.
However, when the task shifts to math solving, the same prefrontal cortex may struggle to keep up. The neural circuits required for mathematical reasoning and problem-solving may not be as well-developed or as frequently activated.
This is particularly true if children spend significantly more time playing games than practicing math. This imbalance leads to cognitive fatigue and frustration, causing children to perceive math as a painful and difficult subject.
Gaming Addiction and its Impact on Learning
While video games may offer short-term pleasure, overexposure can lead to negative consequences. Gaming addiction in children is a compulsive engagement mental disorder (CEMD) with video games.
This compulsive mental disorder can disrupt children's ability to focus on academic tasks, particularly those requiring deeper cognitive effort like math solving. Prolonged screen time depletes zeid energy, the learning energy needed to drive focus and cognitive processing. This zeid energy is produced by the neurotransmitters of hypothalamus, called master brain. It is depleted in screen engagement, but it may be refreshed after night sleep.
Learnography is the study of how learning is transferred through brain circuits. In the context of learnography, zeid energy is essential for powering the attention centers of brain, particularly during knowledge transfer.
When children spend hours immersed in games, they exhaust the zeid energy stored in their brain, leaving little energy left for book reading, problem-solving or even staying engaged in the classroom. As a result, their ability to focus on challenging subjects like math is compromised.
Moreover, gaming can interfere with sleep patterns, further reducing cognitive function. Children who are sleep-deprived tend to struggle with tasks that require sustained attention, logical reasoning and problem-solving. These mental attributes are the very skills required for success in mathematics.
Hypothalamus and Zeid Energy Regulation
The hypothalamus, often referred to as the "master brain", plays a critical role in regulating zeid energy and the flow of cognitive activity through zeidstream, which is the learning stream in brain circuits. In learnography, the hypothalamus regulates motivation, focus and the distribution of mental energy needed for learning, writing and working.
When children engage in activities that consume high amounts of zeid energy, such as extended gaming or binge-watching videos, the hypothalamus cannot regulate enough energy to support subsequent cognitive tasks, such as math solving.
Over time, this creates a pattern of cognitive fatigue, where children are more likely to default to low-effort, high-reward activities (like gaming) rather than putting in the effort required for learning.
Shifting the Focus: From Gaming to Math Solving with Motor Science
To help children shift their focus from the pleasure of gaming to the challenges of math solving, it is essential to harness the principles of motor science. This is a field that emphasizes the brain's capacity for learning through movement and action. Motor science involves the activation of motor circuits in the brain, which are responsible for physical movement, but also play a crucial role in cognitive tasks.
By incorporating motor-based techniques into math learning, we can help children build stronger neural connections in the brain regions associated with math solving.
Here is how motor science can support this shift:
1. Physical Engagement in Learning
Studies have shown that learning through physical activity, such as using object manipulatives, book reading, page writing by hand or board performance, activates the motor cortex and enhances cognitive function. Incorporating movement into math lessons can make the learning experience more engaging and reduce cognitive fatigue.
2. Task-Based Learning
Break down complex math problems into smaller and achievable tasks that children can work through step by step. This method mimics the way video games present challenges in increments, providing children with a sense of progress and reward. Each small success can release dopamine and motivate students to continue learning the tasks in mathematics.
3. Brainpage Making
Encourage students to create "brainpages" by actively rehearsing and recalling math concepts and solutions. This method helps reinforce neural connections related to problem-solving. In learnography, the thalamus plays a crucial role in converting knowledge into motor knowledge through thalamic cyclozeid rehearsal (akin to spaced repetition), which can help students retain information more effectively.
4. Regulation of Screen Time
Set clear boundaries for gaming and screen time to preserve zeid energy for academic tasks. Encouraging breaks from screens, especially before bed, can improve sleep quality and enhance cognitive function for math solving.
Core Problems in Students: Instant Pleasure and Gaming Gratification
The allure of gaming and digital entertainment is strong, offering instant gratification and pleasure. This attitude can easily overshadow the more challenging and less immediately rewarding task of solving math problems. However, with the right techniques, it is possible to shift children’s focus from the pleasures of gaming to the intellectual challenges of math solving.
Could you differentiate between pain and pleasure? When babies come on the earth after delivery, they first feel pain and start crying. It means pain comes before pleasure. Pain is the fundamental sensation of human beings. Pleasure means there is no pain in brain, body and behavior.
By applying the principles of motor science, regulating zeid energy, and encouraging active engagement in learning, we can help children strengthen the brain circuits needed for success in mathematics. With practice and the right approach, the pain of math-solving can transform into a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
Call to Action: Introducing Motor Science Techniques
As parents, educators and caregivers, it is our responsibility to help children find a healthy balance between the pleasures of digital entertainment and the intellectual challenges of learning. Take proactive steps today to reduce excessive screen time and introduce motor science techniques that engage the brain in active and hands-on learning.
Implement screen time limits, encourage physical engagement in math learning, and foster an environment that supports cognitive development. Let’s shift the focus from short-term pleasure to long-term academic growth. Together, we can help children build the resilience and brainpower needed to overcome learning challenges and excel in subjects like mathematics.
Start by taking small and actionable steps:
Set boundaries for gaming and screen time: Create a daily schedule that includes time for both leisure and learning.
Incorporate movement-based learning: Use interactive methods like manipulatives or hand-writing to make math more engaging.
Make math enjoyable: Break down problems into smaller and rewarding tasks, helping students build confidence.
Let’s work towards creating a future where children can enjoy the best of both worlds - thriving academically while maintaining a balanced relationship with technology.
The change starts now!
Shifting Focus from Gaming to Math Solving: How Motor Science Can Help Children Overcome Brain Fatigue and Learning Challenges
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