Impulse Control: The Marshmallow Theory

Friday's lesson with Dr. Brain was very interesting! We introduced and discussed impulse control (the degree to which a person can control the desire for immediate gratification) and delayed gratification (the ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward). Then we did The Marshmallow Theory with the kids. We gave them each one marshmallow and told them they could eat it at any point they wanted to, but if they waited 10 minutes, they could have another marshmallow. After that, if they waited another 10 minutes they could get a third marshmallow. Finally, if they were able to wait an additional 10 minutes after receiving the third marshmallow, they received a final fourth marshmallow. The results were very interesting! I must admit that I did not think many of my students would be able to wait for the fourth marshmallow! To my surprise, 18 out of 20 students were able to wait for the fourth marshmallow! One student ended up taking a bite of the first marshmallow, therefore not receiving the second, third, or fourth marshmallows. Another student licked the second marshmallow, so she did not receive the third or fourth marshmallows.

Once The Marshmallow Theory was complete, I introduced the yearlong Marshmallow Theory we would be participating in. Students got to choose between Skittles and M&M's. They each got a Tupperware container labeled with their name. We started this past Monday. Each day when students come in they get ONE piece of candy to add to their container. If they can wait until the following day they will get 2. If they can wait until the following day they will get 3...and so on and so forth. They  have the potential of getting 103 marshmallows if they are able to have impulse control/delayed gratification until the last day of school! At any point, individuals may eat their candy, but at that moment, they must turn in their Tupperware containers and will no longer receive a piece of candy per day. We have stressed to the students that it doesn't matter what their peers choose to do. There is no judgment or pressure. It's all based on each individual's impulse control/delayed gratification. 

Our goal is to track these students' behaviors and grades throughout their education at Bradford and compare the results of The Marshmallow Theory with their success in school!

To end the lesson, Dr. Brain led students through a "mindfulness" breathing technique.

Once we come back from Christmas Break, our next lesson will focus on goal setting!

You can see some snippets from our impulse control lesson by visiting the following link. (Disclaimer: The only way I could get the file to upload was to use YouTube. This is not a public link; it is unlisted, so only those with the specific link can view it.) https://youtu.be/MpeUI7yeiC4

Welcome!

Welcome to our Brain Based Learning Blog!

Dr. Brain and I will be conducting 10-12 weeks of research in my 2nd Grade classroom! After attending the "Learning and the Brain" conference in Boston last month, we came to the realization that there isn't a lot of research on how to implement learning about the Executive Functions [Prefrontal Cortex] in the classroom. Going to the conference helped me to understand WHY we do the things we do at Bradford...for example why we have PE every day for 45 minutes and why we have recess every day for 30 minutes. It confirmed so many of the things I know to be true about doing what's best for the child. It provided affirmation for me, supporting the songs, chants, and rhymes that I try to use with everything I teach. There are so many wonderful Brain Based Learning methods and techniques we are using as teachers at Bradford. But how can we teach our kiddos about the Executive Functions?

We are so very excited for this adventure. This is something that is brand new! I don't know of any other schools implementing this kind of learning. This is one reason why we are piloting this program in my classroom; we hope to develop a curriculum to implement schoolwide next year! Each week we will focus on a different Executive Function of the brain. Follow along as we hope to post pictures, videos, and results of our lessons!

As parents of students in my class, we hope to receive feedback in the comments section after each week's post. If you want to share any improvements you've noticed in your child at home or exciting "Ah Ha!" moments, we would love to hear about it!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at sarah.poling@bradfordprepschool.org and/or richard.robinson@bradfordprepschool.org.