Your Brain, My Brain Your Intelligence is Within YOUR Control

True or False:

False! New studies have given us information about our brains and have changed the way we think about intelligence.

Your Brain is Like a Muscle The more you exercise your muscles, the stronger they get. That is why people go to health clubs, lift weights and go running. or

Your brain is the same! We now know that your brain is somewhat like your muscles. It needs to be exercised in order to become stronger (smarter). You exercise your brain by challenging it with problems, puzzles, and practice.

High intelligence Researchers have found that being really smart does not, by itself, make you successful. You also have to work hard. As a matter of fact, sometimes smart people don’t always do as well as they should because they only rely on being smart. It’s the hard work and perseverance that counts!

Researchers found a difference… They had two groups of students working hard on puzzles and challenges. They told both groups that they were doing well, but for different reasons.

To one group of students they said, “You are really smart. You are doing so well because you are so smart ”.

To the students in the other group they said, “You are such a hard worker. You are doing well because you work so hard and persevere”.

The work got harder… …and harder and harder. As the problems got harder, the two groups performed differently. One group was able to do the work even though it was really, really hard. The other group became less and less successful at completing it. Who do you predict performed better? Why?

The hard working group continued to succeed, even though they had to work at it. The group that was told they are smart didn’t do as well. Why do you Think that is?

Being smart isn’t enough…. In order to be successful in the world today, you can’t just “be smart”. You have to exercise your smart brain and use hard work WITH your brain in order to accomplish things. Brains + Effort = Success

So it’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest! Like we said in the beginning, your brain is like a muscle, and if you exercise it with learning and puzzles and higher level thinking, you can make it smarter.

The world is not a multiple choice test of questions & answers that can be memorized. It is full of situations and challenges that require you to be smart AND use your intelligence to attain goals. This includes effort, strategies, being persistent. Strategies effort persistence

All of this discussion about brains and effort and our beliefs is related to our: mindset. Everyone has his or her own beliefs and attitudes about how life works.

When we talk about Mindset, we are referring to ourselves as learners, not just in school, but in LIFE. And we aren’t just talking about formal school learning, but LIFE learning!!

Our discussions will not only relate to children, like you, but adults as well. Children like you Adults

Mindset (attitude) Research People who studied achievement and success, discovered two different attitudes or Mindsets that people have. Most people tend to think either one way or the other. They called these two different approaches Fixed Mindset, and a Growth Mindset. Can you make a conjecture about what a person with each of these two different mindsets would be like based on the words “ Fixed “and “ Growth ”?

Fixed Mindset People who have a fixed mindset, believe that their basic qualities, like their talents or how smart they are (intelligence), are permanent or will last forever. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong. I’m an awesome baseball player. I don’t need to practice.

People with Fixed Mindsets have to prove something Very often, people with a Fixed Mindset spend their time proving how smart or athletic or talented they are. They worry, “Will I look smart or dumb?” (Instead of “Am I learning a lot”). Now everyone knows I’m good at Chemistry!

They say, “I’m the most successful person in my business” (Instead of am I doing a good job or am I doing my best?”). They are in competition with others. I am the BEST businessman In the world!

Growth Mindset People who have a growth mindset believe that they can grow and improve the abilities that they have. They believe that if they continue to work hard and persevere they can improve their talents and intelligence with lifelong learning and brain development. + =

Growth Mindset This attitude helps people to enjoy learning instead of looking at it like a chore or a punishment. They are in competition with themselves. This math is hard, but I’m going to keep working until I get it right.

People who studied the two different mindsets also found that having a growth mindset makes people more motivated and productive in schools, in sports and in businesses. That means they wanted to work harder and they got more done.

If people learn because they enjoy it, instead of thinking of it as a chore, then they don’t get so discouraged when it’s harder. If they LOVE learning then they know that with harder work they’ll learn more (20 lb. weight vs. a 5 lb. weight!). The more I learn and work with animals, the better a veterinarian I become.

A True Story of an Individual with a Growth Mindset In 1939 there was a man named George Dantzia who was a graduate student at UC Berkeley. One day Dantzia was late to class. There were two unsolved problems written on the blackboard when he got there. Dantzia went home and worked on the problems for homework. He thought the problems seemed a little harder than usual. A few days later he handed in the problems that he had solved. Later on, his professor was VERY excited! The two problems from the blackboard were two very famous problems. Nobody had told George Dantzia that the problems had never been solved! Dantzia went on to become a very famous mathematician and made many contributions to the field of mathematics.

Einstein? Now this doesn’t mean that Growth Mindset people believe that they can work their brain into an Einstein brain. They just know that they can continue to grow their intelligence and talent. You sure can try though!!

Is this a Growth Mindset ? “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas Edison ( ) Inventor, Businessman Why or Why not?

Almost all great learners have had this kind of thinking or mindset. Here’s another: “It’s not that I’m so smart, I just stick with problems longer” Albert Einstein Is this a fixed or growth Mindset? Why?

What About Me? Do you feel more comfortable with work that you KNOW you can do well at? Are you more worried about learning than you are about being right? Do you think it’s important for others to know just how smart or talented you are? Do you get discouraged when it’s not going well? Do you enjoy experiences that stretch you out of your comfort zone, or do you get too worried about messing up? Do you remind yourself that when it’s not going well, that these are the times when your brain gets the most exercise and you have the greatest opportunity to grow?

Fixed or Growth? Katie was an excellent math student. She always got A’s on her timed tests in addition, subtraction, and multiplication. When it came time for division, Katie’s mom asked her to study the facts the night before. Katie didn’t think she knew it as well but she didn’t want to study. “I’m the best math student in the class, mom. I don’t need to study my division facts”. 42 ÷ 6 =

Fixed or Growth? Ross played the trombone but he wasn’t very good. His brother James teased him, “You should quit. I am so sick of hearing that thing!” Ross could tell that his teacher was getting frustrated with him. Ross felt like everyone was against him. He thought about it. He liked playing trombone, even if he wasn’t very good. If he kept practicing he would improve, sooner or later. He decided that his brother and his teacher were not going to discourage him from playing. He continued to play the trombone and he kept on practicing.

Fixed or Growth? Sonya was a good writer. Her teacher asked her if she would like to write a story for a national writing contest. Sonya told her mother she didn’t want to. What if her writing didn’t win? What should Sonya do?

Fixed or Growth Pamela was an excellent actress. She performed in plays all through middle school. When they announced the fall play her freshman year in high school, she was elated. She wanted to be the lead part, Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Pamela didn’t get the part. An older girl from 11 th grade did. Pamela was so disappointed.

PART II Anatomy of the Brain: Inside our brains there is more than just grey matter. Our brains are made up of specialized brain cells called neurons.

Billions, yes BILLIONS! Our brains are made up of billions of neurons. Some connect to each other and some are just floating around.

Connections What might cause these neurons to connect together?

Learning! That’s correct! After our neuron connection activity, can you summarize how connections are formed? Why are some connections stronger and some weaker? Make a conjecture as to what happens to those connections that are never used? What’s a real life example of connections that might never be used?

Is it really an insult to call someone dense? Less dense ↓ ↓ More dense less neuron connections → → more connections

Practice makes perfect: The more we practice or learn something, the more often those neural pathways fire, the stronger the connections will become. This is the basis for all learning and memory. “Neurons that fire together wire together.” Canadian Psychologist Donald Hebb

Who learns more than and faster than anybody… Babies… Coulson said a baby's brain generates roughly double the number of nerve cells it needs to function; with those cells that receive both chemical and electrical stimuli surviving, and the remaining cells dying

Bibliography By Jacquelinekato (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons