The Interventionist Blog
No, your brain isn’t made of plastic. But you know how plastic can be made into pretty much anything? Well, your brain is similar. It can change and grow depending on what you put into it and how you exercise it. We used to think that a person’s IQ was really important. You know—that you were born with a certain amount of intelligence, and that’s what you got. If you were really smart when you were little, you were just lucky. But now we know it’s much more complicated than that—IQ isn’t fixed. In fact, it’s becoming a less reliable measure of anything. So what? Well, knowing that your intelligence isn’t fixed is great news—if you’re willing to work to get smarter and to know more things. Parents and teachers used to think that some children just couldn’t learn. Now we know that isn’t true. That doesn’t mean that everyone can learn at the same pace or that everyone will excel right away. We have moved from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. The more we learn about the brain and education, the more we understand that brains aren’t stuck at one place or one intelligence (fixed mindset). Instead, they can continue to change throughout a person’s life (growth mindset). But I CAN’T learn this! (NOT!) There are many reasons that learning can be difficult. Some people have learning disabilities or traumatic brain injuries. Some have ADD. Some students have struggled with subjects for years and feel that there’s no hope. But the newest research is showing that brains are so plastic—so flexible—that they can learn to adapt to very challenging circumstances. HOW do I learn when I think it’s too hard? You fix your thinking. That’s not easy, of course, but the very simple truth is that if you believe you can learn, you will be able to do it faster and better. If you have a habit of telling yourself that something is too hard, you are fighting your own brain. If you give up, you’re not giving it a chance at all. Here are a few ways to change your thinking:
If you’re interested in learning more about brain plasticity and growth mindset, here are a few links: https://hbr.org/2016/07/the-antidote-to-our-anxious-times-is-a-learning-mindset http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/02/26/brain-plasticity-how-learning-changes-your-brain/ https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/
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January 2017
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