Learn how understanding brain development can help better explain our students’ behaviour, with Jonathan Newport.
In our classrooms, we all face moments that leave us feeling perplexed and wondering, ‘Why did that happen?’ Perhaps a student shouts at a member of staff, maybe they slam the door as they leave the classroom or perhaps they suddenly shut down, seemingly out of the blue. What we see is the external behaviour. Yet beneath the surface, something is shaping that behaviour: the brain itself.
We’ve long known that behaviour is a form of communication and now, thanks to a growing understanding of neuroscience, we can discern more clearly what the brain is trying to communicate and, perhaps more importantly, why.
Looking beyond what we see
Our brains are extraordinary networks, continually interpreting the world and influencing how we feel, think and act. When a child struggles to regulate their emotions or reacts impulsively, it isn’t ‘bad’ behaviour; it’s a reflection of their brain’s current state of development.
Having worked closely with acclaimed author and neuroscientist, Dr Dean Burnett, I have come to understand that much of what we label as ‘behaviour’ is rooted in unconscious neurological processes. When stress or uncertainty arise, the brain’s emotional and survival systems leap into action, sometimes leading to behaviour that needs support. For children and young people, whose prefrontal cortex is still forming, their capacity to pause, reflect and choose differently is a continuous process – and this lasts well into adulthood.
Development over time
The brain develops gradually, with each stage influencing how we experience and express our emotions.
- In early childhood, rapid neural growth lays the foundation for learning and memory formation. During these years, the limbic system (the brain’s emotional centre), is highly active. This means that young children feel their emotions deeply and often express them physically.
- As children move through childhood, the prefrontal cortex begins to strengthen connections with other areas of the brain. This enables greater reasoning and planning but impulse control can still be inconsistent.
- By adolescence, these neural pathways ‘prune’ unused connections, while fine-tuning those that remain. Combined with hormonal changes and heightened sensitivity to reward and risk, it’s little wonder teenagers can veer between seemingly remarkable maturity one moment and unbridled emotional turmoil the next.
Understanding these stages reminds us that behaviour isn’t always intentional; it’s developmental. So, when a student struggles to sit still, appears defiant or withdraws from engaging with us, we are witnessing a brain still learning how to co-ordinate complex thoughts, feelings and experiences.
Three key things to know about the brain and behaviour
Experience shapes the brain
Our brains are sculpted by experience. Secure relationships, play and predictable routines strengthen neural pathways associated with safety and trust, while stress and adversity can overload the brain’s alarm system, reshaping how it perceives and reacts to the world.
Early trauma can adversely impact brain development, particularly in the regions linked to emotional regulation and memory. Children who have lived through instability, abuse or neglect may develop an overactive ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response, primed to detect threat even where none exists. Their resulting behaviour is simply a subconscious attempt at self-preservation. They’re not being deliberately ‘challenging’ or ‘defiant’.
This understanding of the brain-behaviour connection is crucial because it allows us to shift our mindset from “What’s wrong with this child?” to “What happened to this child?”
The power of plasticity
Perhaps one of the most hopeful findings from neuroscience is that behaviour is not ‘fixed’. Through a process known as neuroplasticity, the brain can adapt and form new connections throughout life. Every positive experience a child has lays down new neural pathways that reinforce safety, connection and resilience.
Happily, this means that change is possible. A child who has learned unhelpful coping mechanisms can, with ample time, reassurance and repetition, learn new ways of responding and develop healthier habits and behaviours.
Learning through co-regulation
At the heart of supporting behaviour lies the concept of regulation: the ability to manage emotions, thoughts and actions in response to what’s happening around us.
For most children, self-regulation starts with co-regulation. The process of co-regulation is the way in which emotionally regulated adults ‘lend their calm’ to a dysregulated child. Through a gentle tone of voice, soft facial expression and predictable responses, we signal safety. Detecting this, the child’s nervous system can begin to relax.
We often expect children to control emotions they have not yet learned to understand. But what they need most in those moments is our presence; someone who can remain regulated when they cannot. This doesn’t mean accepting unsafe behaviour; it means recognising that behaviour is a message and it’s our job to work out what that message is.
From insight to action
It’s not just the brain in isolation that influences behaviour; our nervous system is constantly responding to sensory input from our surroundings. Noise, lighting, movement, temperature and even seating arrangements can all influence how safe or stressed we feel. A calm, predictable environment reduces the activation of the stress response and supports learning. For some learners, alleviating the sensory load can have a transformative impact on how calm and regulated they feel. When we adapt our environments to meet children’s sensory and emotional needs, we’re creating the conditions in which all learners can thrive.
Neuroscience doesn’t provide a magic formula for supporting behaviour, but it gives us something far more valuable: understanding.
When we interpret behaviour through the lens of brain development, we see that every reaction has a reason and every child has a story that shapes how they respond to the world. In classrooms, this understanding has the power to transform practice.
We pause before reacting. We notice patterns rather than just incidents. We remind ourselves that a dysregulated child needs connection over correction.
The more we understand the hidden world of the brain, the more effectively we can support children to develop resilience, manage their own emotions, build and maintain strong relationships, and flourish both within and beyond the school gates.
References
- Brain architecture – Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- Early childhood and the developing brain – Richard Batcheler, Isos Partnership (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- The teen brain: 7 things to know – National Institute of Mental Health (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- Sarah-Jayne Blakemore: how to understand teenage brain development – Alexander McNamara (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- Attachment and child development – NSPCC Learning (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- Toxic Stress – Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- Fight, flight or freeze – Mindscape (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- The neuroplastic brain: current breakthroughs and emerging frontiers – Parisa Gazerani (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- What is polyvagal theory? – Polyvagal Institute (Accessed 15 January 2026)
- How sensory processing issues affect kids in school – Child Mind Institute (Accessed 15 January 2026)
Author
Jonathan is the Global Managing Director and Chief Learning Officer at Team Teach and a behaviour specialist with over 30 years’ experience. He leads work across education, health and social care to improve safety, wellbeing and outcomes- through relational, positive behaviour support.
