At various stages of my step into the arena of curriculum development, I have tried to operationalize my views and create an applied approach to learning.  Probably the most formal pedagogical system I worked on I have called "Holistic Neuroeducation".  I have experimented with it, and it does work.  Here is a definition I worked up in my book on Conceptual Math.

Reprinted from Conceptual Math:

​Holistic Neuroeducation is an approach based on the theories of Paul McLean and other evolutionary biological models. My favorite phrase I love to evaluate is that “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny”.  Basically, his model divides the human brain into the Reptilian, Avian and Primate brain.  I think of this as more of a heuristic than a literal translation.  I prefer to look at the systems in the brain from a functional perspective. 
 
Many have used this evolutionary model to explain processes in the brain and to create effective models for healthy engagement.  Dr. Bruce Perry, MD. created a model for helping children of trauma recover the full and healthy function of their emotional neural pathways.  He calls this model, the Neurosequential Approach.  His research is compelling and fits well with my own understanding of how the brain unfolds its capacities.  His focus is on the emotional system.
 
Conventional education is focused on one and only one goal, academic achievement.  If your child can read by the age of seven he or she is achieving the goal of education. If he or she scores in the 90th percentile on the standardized tests, he or she is succeeding in school.  How we get to that skill, or test score, is undefined.  In fact it is more like, whatever way possible and fast.  It ignores the primary basis for how we learn, or other neural systems, such as emotional networks, or sensory networks.
 
But this push for academic success as measured by tests, has created a certain backlash, and today’s public schools are recognizing that there are other factors involved in a child’s success.  Many states have instituted Social and Emotional Learning standards, and an interest in mindfulness has swept the nation. 
 
However, the attempts to create environments that meet the students’ emotional, sensory or other cognitive needs continue to take a back seat to academic, and are, for the most part add-ons, not core components of the tradition school program.  They are superficial, and so have little chance to do the deep work needed for the foundational neural systems to really be engaged and come alive.
 
The HNE model developed out of the integration of research in neuroscience, evolutionary biology and complexity theory.  This approach honors the initial state of the child, while helping him or her evolve to higher levels of cognitions.  Practices follow the evolutionary biology of development, re-walking students through these stages, and using processes tailored to encourage the unfolding engagement of evolutionary stages of development.  This process is designed to encourage the natural maturation of pathways that may be developmentally stagnant or energetically blocked.   Holistic Neuroeducation aims to bring students into the process of academic learning by moving them through developmental stages.
 
Somatosensorimotor Stage.
 
This stage of development is when sensory and motor systems first begin to form in connection with the growing sense of self-identity.  Critical at this time is the thorough and complete integration of sensory information.  Sensory integration happens as the synchronous activation of various sensory inputs creates networks of functional connections. The maturation of neural pathways between the hemispheres, for example, and the falling away of old reflexes as the new, mature pathways become functionally engaged.  The critical factor in HNE is to begin to encourage the development of this sensory and motor integration from the standpoint of the self.
 
Limbic-Emotional Stage.
 
Emotional systems in the brain represent some of the oldest brain regions.  The hippocampus is a three layer archicortex, evolutionarily older than the neocortex which comprises the dominant mass of our nervous system, this ancient structure is at the heart of the limbic system.  It is critically important in the processes of memory and receives the highest level inputs from all of the sensory systems as they flow through the frontal cortex.  This fantastic region of the brain also is the most sensitive to stress.  Trauma or chronic stress cause a decrease in the size of the hippocampus, and it is demonstrated that this is the result of brain cell death in this area.
 
However, this wonderful piece of our evolutionary history also has the incredible capacity to produce new neurons well into adult hood.  This process of adult neurogenesis is just on way of understanding the valuable nature of nurturing environments on our experiences. 
 
Besides the hippocampus, the amygdala also receives a stream of sensory inputs from across the brain, and the hypothalamus is the point where emotional signals from the brain are turned into neurohormones that then flood and influence the entire body.  This aspect of body-brain served by the emotional system is part of the HNE approach to helping fully integrate self-awareness into our emotional beings.
 
Cognitive-Analytic Stage.
 
Cognitive capacities are not something you are born with, they develop with experience and can be nurtured.  Attention, executive function and even creativity can be nurtured and developed.  This is the gateway to academic learning.  What builds motivation, or will power?  How can creativity be cultivated so that students engage in meaningful learning?  This section of the program utilizes principles from programs of mindfulness, meta-cognition, inner strength and attention exercises.
 
Entering Easily into Academics
 
The walk-way into academics following the building of the foundation is what will make the learning both possible, and meaningful.  This system was developed through conversations with academics and educational leaders treading this translational world of understanding education from the lens of brain development.  When we work with the early streams, we are building a foundation of knowledge that can be drawn on for more abstract tasks that are demanded by higher level academic work.  It is not that the work before the later phases is not academic work, but when we move into this last phase we are working to bring things into explicit memory.  The work here is truly the evidence we as educators look for when we want to see that students really understand what they have learned.  It is their perspective and understanding that makes this different than the earlier phases.
 
What exactly are cognitive capacities?  Unlike traditional school subject areas, neuroeducation promotes the development of general cognitive capacities that can be utilized to address any content area.  Cognitive capacities can be connected to any of the phases of HNE. So for example, the capacities of attention, self-regulation and motivation are intimately connected to phase 1, the somatosensorimotor system.   Capacities for emotional well-being, collaboration, shared social problems solving and leadership relate intimately to phase 2, the emotional- limbic system development.  Higher cognitive functions, actually emerge from the development of these foundational neural pathways.  Once these are established, they can be further elaborated on by connecting these capacities to higher abstract goals.  Since we are working in this section with first to third graders, the building of these capacities must be done with the awareness of what will lead to the most flexible and meaningful integration of these capacities. 
 
This highly complex system of the brain is not inaccessible.  This simple model taps into the way the nervous system naturally develops through evolution, and allows the brain to work how it was designed to.  The complexity is there, but the simple elegance of the system is also there.  The general principles that apply across all domains.  These are where we can begin to understand how to approach the problems of each individual child.

Having completed the top 10 Cognitive Capacities to develop in our youth, let's delve in a little more deeply.  Discernment has been on my mind lately as I have taken my own deepdive into the world of AI.  How do we know what is true anymore.  It is so easy to create fake images, news stories, and the like.  

Discernment is the ability to distinguish right from wrong, truth from falsehood.  In Christian circles, discernment is thought of as a spiritual gift.  I see it as one of our greatest cognitive capacities.  It can be developed in each of us.  Personally, I am noticing that my own discernment has been elevated.  I am not sure what has caused the shift, but I can tell without even listening to the words, whether something is true or not.  This is discernment in the highest secnse of the word. a spiritual ability to sense truth.  But how do we teach this?

At first we should probably help our kids through noticing patterns of behavior.  To get into the sensing part, can be something you might choose to experiment with, depending on the open-mindedness of your audience.  You can even host these conversations, and have them play games where they tell 2 truths and a lie, and have them look for signs of lying.

Beyond just the actual act of sensing a lie, there are many ways we can teach out kids to be on the look-out for manipulation.

Here is an example of a loose curricular framework focused on developing awareness around the concept of manipulation.  

Developing Discernment: The Art of Seeing Clearly

Discernment is one of the most powerful forms of intelligence, because it allows us to navigate complexity without falling into fear or naivety. The question isn’t just who or what do I trust?—it’s how do I recognize truth and integrity in a world full of noise?

Discernment starts with detecting manipulation. 

 Tell-Tale Signs of Manipulation - Learning to detect when something is off.

1. Contradictions in Their Own Story
 How to Detect It:
If someone keeps shifting their logic, contradicting what they said earlier, or using reasoning that doesn’t align, it raises a red flag.
Example: A person says they value honesty but then justifies deception.

If someone’s words and actions don’t match, or their story keeps changing, that’s a sign they might not be trustworthy.

​ Discernment Practice:
Ask, “Is this consistent?”
If their story keeps shifting, it might be manipulation or self-deception.

2. Emotional Manipulation (Forcing a Reaction)
How to Detect It:
If a person’s language is designed to provoke a strong emotional response instead of offering balanced information, I note that as a potential manipulation attempt.
Example: “If you really cared about people, you’d agree with me.” (This is guilt-tripping, not reasoning.)

Be wary of emotional pressure tactics: guilt, shame, flattery, or urgency.
If someone makes you feel like you owe them something just for existing, that’s a red flag.

Discernment Practice:
Ask, “Am I being asked to think or just to feel?”
Pause before reacting emotionally to see if you still feel the same way later.

3. Black-and-White Thinking
How to Detect It:
If someone presents only two extreme choices, ignoring nuance, they are likely controlling the narrative.
Example: “Either you’re with us, or you’re the enemy.”

Manipulators limit your options to control your choices.
Reality is usually more complex than two choices.

Discernment Practice:
Ask, “Are there more than two options?”
If someone is making you choose between only extremes, step back.

4. Overuse of Flattery or Devaluing
How to Detect It:
If someone praises me excessively or belittles me repeatedly, it’s usually a sign they’re trying to influence my behavior.  Manipulators alternate between idealizing and devaluing to keep control.
Example: “You’re amazing, but if you don’t agree with me, I’ll be so disappointed.”

Watch for people who love-bomb or tear you down to control you.
Healthy relationships don’t require you to earn someone’s approval.

Discernment Practice:
Ask, “Is this flattery balanced with honesty?”
If someone’s approval feels conditional, they may be controlling you.

5. Information Control
How to Detect It:
If someone withholds key details, distorts facts, or overwhelms with too much information, it’s often an attempt to control perception.
Example: “Trust me, I know what’s best. You don’t need to read the details.”

If someone is limiting what you can know, they might be hiding something.
People who truly have nothing to hide encourage independent thinking.

Discernment Practice:
Ask, “Am I allowed to question this?”
If questioning is discouraged, it’s a red flag.

Developing  Discernment
Discernment is not about distrusting everything—it’s about trusting wisely.
To reloop negative thinking patterns around trust, try:
 1. Recognizing fear vs. intuition. (Fear screams, intuition nudges.)
 2. Questioning extreme thoughts. (Is there a middle ground?)
 3. Pausing before reacting emotionally. (Give yourself space.)
 4. Checking for manipulation patterns. (Are they using guilt, control, or fear?)
 5. Trusting actions more than words. (People show their truth through behavior.)

Final Thought: Discernment Creates Freedom
Discernment doesn’t mean never trusting—it means choosing trust consciously.
It keeps you open but protected.
It allows you to engage deeply without being easily manipulated.
It gives you freedom from unconscious programming—so you can make decisions based on clarity, not fear.

Empathy hits our list as number 10.  Tied with compassion, empathy is understood as the neural foundation upon which compassion is built, and that by intentionally engaging those empathic circuits, we create the conditions for authentic, emotionally-informed compassionate action to emerge.  

• Empathy is the cognitive and emotional capacity to feel with another--to imagine their experience, to mirror their emotional state. It’s a skill rooted in Theory of Mind, neural mirroring, and social-emotional development.
  
• Compassion goes one step further: it is empathy with action. It not only feels what another feels but wants to alleviate suffering. Compassion engages both cognitive awareness and moral choice. Neuroscience shows it activates regions linked to caregiving and reward, not distress.
  
  

From Empathy to Compassion: Building the Neural Pathways of HumanityBefore we can care for others, we must be able to feel with them. Empathy is the first bridge--the quiet attunement that allows us to sense what another might be feeling, to imagine their experience as if it were our own. It is not agreement or approval, but connection. And it begins in the brain.
Empathy is rooted in neural systems that are present from birth, yet shaped by experience. The mirror neuron system, the insula, and parts of the prefrontal cortex all contribute to our ability to perceive and process the emotional states of others. Like language or music, these circuits can remain dormant, underdeveloped--or they can be awakened, strengthened, refined.
When a child is seen, soothed, and understood, these neural pathways begin to light up. When students are guided to recognize facial expressions, reflect on feelings, or consider someone else’s perspective, empathy begins to crystallize into consciousness.
But empathy alone is not enough.
What we seek is not just the ability to feel what others feel, but the motivation to respond with care. This is compassion--the flowering of empathy into purposeful, humane action. Compassion integrates the heart’s resonance with the mind’s discernment. It transforms feeling into doing.
And here’s the beautiful part: by developing the neural substrate of empathy, we lay the groundwork for compassion to grow organically. With guidance, reflection, and repeated engagement, compassionate action becomes not a performance, but an extension of who we are.
In this way, compassion is not a commandment--it is a capacity. And it begins, always, with the simple, sacred act of feeling with another.

The Decline in Empathy: What the Research ShowsA landmark study by researchers at the University of Michigan (Konrath et al., 2010) analyzed data from nearly 14,000 college students between 1979 and 2009. Their findings were stark:

• Empathic concern declined by 48%, and
  
• Perspective-taking declined by 34%.
  

This wasn't just statistical noise--it represented a generational shift. Students in the 2000s scored dramatically lower in empathy than those in the late 1970s or 1980s.  The causes are complex and intertwined, but here are a few key factors discussed in the literature:

1. Digital technology and social media:  Increased screen time has reduced face-to-face interaction, which is essential for developing emotional attunement and reading social cues.  Online environments often reward performance over authenticity, and disinhibition can lead to cruelty without immediate consequence.
   
2. Cultural individualism:  A cultural shift toward self-focus, competition, and personal branding can weaken the drive to connect with or care about others’ inner lives.  Empathy, which requires presence and vulnerability, is de-emphasized in favor of efficiency, status, and control.
   
3. Information overload and compassion fatigue: Constant exposure to global suffering--without meaningful outlets for response--can lead to emotional numbing.  The human nervous system is not wired to hold the suffering of millions. Without local, relational outlets, we disengage as a survival mechanism.
   
4. Economic and social instability: When people are under chronic stress or threat, their capacity for empathy diminishes, as the brain prioritizes self-protection over connection.
   

Empathy isn’t just a “soft skill”--it’s the engine of moral reasoning, community building, and human conscience. Without it, relationships degrade, institutions become indifferent, and societies grow cold.
A decline in empathy predicts:
Increased polarization
Breakdown of civil discourse
Higher rates of bullying, narcissism, and cruelty
Decreased willingness to help those outside one’s in-group
🌟 What Can Be Done?The good news is: empathy is not fixed. Like a muscle, it can be strengthened with intentional practice and cultural support.
Programs that integrate:

• Social-emotional learning (SEL)
  
• Literature and narrative immersion
  
• Mindfulness and reflective practices
  
• Face-to-face dialogue across differences
  …have been shown to rebuild empathy, especially in young people.
  

Even simple classroom activities--like sharing personal stories, practicing perspective-taking, or role-playing moral dilemmas--can reactivate dormant empathic pathways.
To address this quiet crisis, we must begin by recognizing that empathy is not simply a trait we either have or lack--it is a capacity that can be nurtured, shaped, and restored. The neural networks that support empathy are built through lived experience: through face-to-face connection, through listening deeply to others' stories, through pausing long enough to feel what another might be feeling. If we want to reawaken compassion in our youth, we must create the conditions for it to arise. This means slowing down the pace of constant performance and reintroducing moments of presence, reflection, and relational learning into our classrooms and communities. It means offering children safe spaces to feel, to express, and to make sense of what they see in others and in themselves. And it means modeling compassion ourselves--not as a performance of virtue, but as a daily practice of choosing to care. The architecture of empathy is still within us, waiting to be rebuilt. And when it is, compassion will follow--not out of obligation, but as the natural expression of a heart that has remembered how to feel.

What I really wanted to write here was gratitude as the gateway to humility.  Gratitude seems like an odd duck in this line up.  How can we think of this as an ability?  But it is, and it can and should be develoed for several reasons.  First and foremost, we have within our own make-up a negativity bias.   It refers to the tendency of the human brain to  Give more weight to negative experiences, emotions, or information than to positive ones of equal intensity.

It’s a strange truth about the human mind: we tend to notice what’s wrong more easily than what’s right. A single harsh comment can echo in our minds for days, while a dozen kind words may pass through us like wind. We fixate on the mistake in the sentence, the one dark cloud in the sky, the slight misstep in an otherwise beautiful day. This isn’t a personal failing--it’s a universal tendency, known in cognitive science as the negativity bias.

From an evolutionary perspective, this bias once served us well. For our ancestors, missing a sign of danger could mean death. The brain adapted by becoming highly sensitive to threat, failure, and disapproval--anything that could jeopardize survival. That adaptation lives on in us today. Even in a world where most of us are no longer running from predators, our nervous systems remain tuned to detect the bad before the good.
This is why we often remember painful experiences more vividly than joyful ones. Why criticism lingers while praise fades. Why a moment of social rejection can burn far longer than hours of connection. It’s not weakness--it’s wiring.

But here’s the hope: while this bias is built in, it’s not unchangeable. The human brain is plastic--it rewires with experience, especially when we bring conscious awareness to what we’re doing. And one of the most powerful ways to shift this inner balance is through the simple, transformative act of gratitude.
Gratitude does not deny pain or pretend everything is fine. Instead, it invites us to pause and notice the good that is also present. The warmth of sunlight on your face. The unexpected kindness of a friend. The breath you’re taking right now. When practiced regularly, gratitude begins to build new neural pathways--ones that can balance the brain’s tendency to tilt toward fear and sorrow.
Studies in neuroscience have shown that cultivating gratitude increases dopamine and serotonin, the brain’s feel-good chemicals. It strengthens relationships, improves sleep, reduces stress, and--perhaps most importantly--reorients our attention toward life’s gifts, however small.

In a world that so easily overwhelms us with negativity, gratitude is a quiet rebellion--a way to say: I see the good, too. I choose to remember the light.   While gratitude might seem like a simple or even sentimental practice, research shows it can lead to lasting changes in how we think, feel, and relate to the world.

 Long-Term Effects of Gratitude Training
One 2016 study (Kini et al., NeuroImage) found that even weeks after a gratitude writing intervention, participants showed greater activation in these regions compared to control groups. The effect persisted, suggesting a re-patterning of neural activity toward prosocial and positive thought. 

Increases in Empathy and social cognition (medial prefrontal cortex) and  Reward and motivation (ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens) have been noted with gratitude training.

​Gratitude reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety--not just short-term, but sustained over months, even after the structured practice ends. This has been demonstrated in studies comparing gratitude journals to neutral journaling or expressive writing. Longitudinal research shows gratitude practices can improve sleep quality, reduce blood pressure, and lower cortisol levels--suggesting gratitude doesn't just help us feel better, but also heals and stabilizes the nervous system.  Over time, gratitude training appears to increase baseline levels of: Optimism, Altruism, Contentment, Trust in others.  These traits reinforce a positive feedback loop--gratitude increases well-being, and well-being makes it easier to feel grateful.
What other practice can have better effects than this simple focus on gratitude.

Getting Started:
Even 2–4 weeks of consistent gratitude journaling (3–5 entries per week) can start shifting emotional tone. But longer-term changes (3+ months) are more deeply ingrained when:
The practice is authentic and emotionally engaged (not just listing items mechanically)
Gratitude is directed toward people, not just things (relational gratitude is more impactful)
Reflection is paired with sharing, storytelling, or acts of kindness
Gratitude isn’t just a fleeting feeling--it’s a form of attention retraining, a way to reshape the lens through which we see the world. Like strengthening a muscle, the more we practice, the more natural it becomes.
And with time, it does more than lift the mood. It changes the mind.
It softens the heart.

And it slowly makes trust, joy, and peace the default rather than the exception.

Gratitude for Success and Personal Gifts
Gratitude has one additional benefit, in that it protects against ego-inflation.  When students experience success, when they are taught to be grateful for thier gifts and talents, rather than prideful, the avoid the traps of competition, comparison and arrogance.

Gratitude, when practiced sincerely, interrupts ego inflation. Not by denying our gifts, but by placing them in context. It reminds us that we didn’t create ourselves. That our talents were shaped by others, by time, by grace. That someone taught us to read. Someone held space for us to grow. That every step was walked on ground we did not lay.
Pride isolates. It says, “Look what I did.”
Gratitude connects. It says, “I’m thankful I got to be part of this.”
And in that shift, we do not lose our joy--we deepen it. Because true joy doesn’t come from standing above others, but from standing with them in awe. Gratitude keeps us grounded and luminous, letting us celebrate without losing our humility.
It is possible to shine without casting a shadow.
Gratitude is how we remember how.