What is a ?

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin….

How would you describe your brain? My brain is like…

What if I told you that your brain is like a muscle?

Make your hand into a fist… …then stroke the back of it.

That’s what the surface of a mouse’s brain feels like!

Hands up who likes chips?

It’s all about surface area

The human brain is the most complex thing in the world And everybody is born with one – no matter who you are or where you come from.

What might this be?

A Short Tour of Your Brain Our brains contain billions of neurons. These connect in large networks. Electrical and chemical messages pass along them.

A Short Tour of Your Brain Every time you think, millions of messages are flying around your brain – faster than a jet plane!

A Short Tour of Your Brain The more you use your brain, the better it gets. That’s why practice makes perfect!

So the human brain is the most complex thing known to humankind… …It sends billions of messages faster than the speed of a jet plane. …And, it’s like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets… …but can we prove this – or is it just a nice idea?

What do you think? How could we prove that the brain is like a muscle?

It’s time for a little experiment!

There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, “It is just as I feared! – Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard.”

As we learn, changes happen within our brain. Neurons respond to what we are doing. A Short Tour of Your Brain

As we practice, we keep using the same neurons. This increases blood flow to that part of the brain and helps us to build memories and improve our skills. A Short Tour of Your Brain

How did that poem go again?

There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, “It is just as I feared! – Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard.”

Your intelligence, talent and ability can go up and down. Your brain can change – and you can change it!

Having a growth mindset means believing this. It means believing that you can change your brain!

Here’s a great idea… Let’s investigate whether you really can improve your intelligence, talent and ability

Your chall enge is to inter view 3 peopl e to find out what they can do now that they could n ’ t do in Septe mber

Everybody in this room has improved their intelligence, talent and ability This means growth mindsets are true – you can change yourself. Your intelligence is not fixed!

I can’t do it…yet!

How did that poem go again?

There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, “It is just as I feared! – Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard.”

What do we need to remember? 1)My brain is like a muscle. 2)Every time I try hard, I make my brain more powerful. 3)No matter what happens, I’ll keep on trying!