5. How can we ensure that we help the children at Burley and Woodhead ‘prune’ their brains and develop strong neural pathways so that they become confident and successful young people in whatever they choose to do? A good starting point is to teach them about their brains, what they are, how they work and how they can develop their conscious brain through learning. In this staff meeting we will learn about the brain, the different parts of it and their different purposes. We will also explore and signpost ways that children can explore and represent this learning in September.

6. Running order Brain anatomy – 20 -25 mins Fantastic Elastic Brain book The human brain and nervous system 1.Chocolate Bar about the brain – 5 mins 2.Scan and add further detail from the Fantastic Elastic Brain – 5 mins 3.Scan and add detail from the human brain and nervous system handout – 5 mins 4.Look at our brain posters Learning something new – 20 – 25 minutes Watch Sentis – neuroplasticity Watch Robert Winston – neural pathways You CAN grow your intelligence handout 1.Watch the video about neuroplasticity from Sentis. 2.Complete activity option 3 in pairs from the Brainology handout Reflection – 10 minutes How can we present and represent this learning with children in September?

7. The Chocolate Bar – an activity to use as a starting point to determine what people already know Fold your piece of paper into 8. You have two minutes to collect information about the brain from other people inside the room and write it down (one piece of information per piece of chocolate) Return to your table and collate your ideas by tearing off your chocolate pieces. Group your pieces and give each group a heading. Create another chocolate bar – this time, use the handouts to add information about the brain to your collection. Can you create any new group headings? Review Do you know more or less about the brain than you thought at first? What surprises you about your brain?

8. Brain Introduction – in pairs, complete the quiz 1 – What does a human brain weigh? 2 – Complete this sentence – The human brain looks like… 3 – An adult human brain is: A.The size of a grapefruit B.19 times bigger than a dog’s brain C.About the size of your fist D.All of the above 4 – how much power does your brain generate when you are awake? A. Enough to power a light bulb B. Enough to power an IPAD c. Enough to power a dishwasher

9. 5. The Cerebrum is the biggest part of your brain. What do you think its main job is? 6. How many neurons can be found inside a human brain? A.100 billion B.100 trillion C.100 million 7. How do neurons help you learn and remember things? 8. True or False – your brain is responsible for your feelings and your emotions. 9. Make a list of ways that you can make the most of your brain and get it in tip top shape for learning. For the answers, watch The Learning Brain from the brainology pages of the Growth Mindset Blogbrainology pages of the Growth Mindset Blog

10. cell body axon axon transmitters Parts of a Neuron dendrites

13. Ideas to do with children in September Write instructions about how to take care of your brain like you would take care of a pet. Provide each child with a brain hat upon which they can annotate aspects of an area of learning – eg – what happened when you learned to ride a bike/play a piece on the piano/learn a mathematical pencil and paper method etc… Assemble a labelled diagram of the brain and know the role of each part. Create a chain of neurons that link up learning across the class Create a neuron which represents a learning journey of something that a child has already accomplished Create a neuron which represents a learning journey that is yet to be undertaken