1. THINKING ABOUT THE THINKING BRAIN Lesson 1

2. Give me an example of a problem or obstacle you have experienced about learning in one of your classes INTRODUCTION WARM-UP

3. Do you ever think about your brain? Do you ever think about how to use your brain best? Do you take your brain for granted? YOUR BRAIN

4. “ I ’ m usually good at classes like Social Studies and Physical Education, but I get nervous before a math or a science test. It ’ s like I try to memorize everything, but when I sit down to take the test I can ’ t remember anything. My heart starts beating really fast, my palms get sweaty, and I just draw a blank. ” Suzanne 6 TH Grader in El Paso, Texas

5. “I’m not the best at English or Social Studies. It’s mostly because English is not my first language. Everybody else seems to know so much more than me that I get discouraged real easy. They can learn things so much faster that I just feel dumb and don’t even want to try.” Thomas 8 TH Grader in Boston, Mass.

6.  https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=HMUKGTkiWik https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=HMUKGTkiWik STAR WARS

7.  Luke had a fixed mindset  A Fixed Mindset is the belief that your intelligence, talents, and abilities are set and there is really nothing you can do to change or improve them.  Yoda had a growth mindset  A Growth Mindset is the belief that people can learn, they can change, and they can become better at something with effort, learning strategies, and help from others. MINDSET

8.  The brain has an amazing ability to grow and develop just like a muscle.  With a growth mindset, people believe they can learn, change and develop.  Do you know that people are not born “dumb” at Math or English, but that everyone can learn and improve... at ANYTHING? GROWTH MINDSET

9.  https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uwsZZ2rprqc https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uwsZZ2rprqc A Clip About Grit

10.  Grit: The combination of both persistence and resilience  Persistence: You keep going even when the going gets tough and you stay focused on the task at hand without getting distracted.  Resilience: You show toughness when you get knocked down and you bounce back and try again. GRIT Terminology

11.  When things come easily you are not really learning.  Learning comes from struggle, from trying and failing, and then learning from your mistakes.  School is learning and learning is hard so school is supposed to be hard. What has GRIT got to do with Learning?

12. THE HUMAN BRAIN

13.  A Fixed Mindset is the belief that intelligence, talents, and abilities are set and there is really nothing you can do to change or improve them.  A Growth Mindset is the belief that people can learn, they can change, and they can become better at something with effort, learning strategies, and help from others.  Grit is a combination of persistence & resilience  A growth mindset helps you to understand that learning is hard work and possessing grit helps you to keep trying until you succeed. MINDSET & GRIT

14.  Duckworth, A. L. (2013b). True grit. The Observer: 26(4), 1-3.  Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Ballantine Books: Random House.  Florida Virtual School (2013, August 14). Grit: the key to success at FLVS. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? https://www.youtube.com/watch v=uwsZZ2rprqc&list=UU9PsiogWteIFRmR6yZq4CGv=uwsZZ2rprqc&list=UU9PsiogWteIFRmR6yZq4CGQ  King, R., & King, D. (2011). Step-It-Up-2-Thrive. Thrive Foundation for Youth, Menlo Park, CA.  Lucas, George (1977, May 25). Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope [Video file]. Twentieth Century Fox. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_QcRPNfUuE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_QcRPNfU REFERENCES