The Incredible Truth About Your Brain!
Neuroplasticity is perhaps the single most important concept in terms of learning and the brain. The more we fire, the more we wire. This is core to the concept of Dweck's Growth Mindset. The knowledge that our brain is constantly changing and growing - that cortical plasticity extends throughout the human lifespan - shifts our understanding of what is possible for learners. Learning is not just changing the external behaviour, but changing the very wiring of the brain as it relates to those behaviours. Deep, lasting change is possible at all ages.
The more students know and understand about the brain and how we learn, the more likely they are to develop a growth mindset.
Please explore our collection of resources and research into the field of neuroplasticity.
Article
| Speaking Up Without Freaking Out | Using Cognitive Reframing to develop agency over your anxiety and become a more confident and better communicator. |
| Why Students Forget - and What You Can Do About It | Our brains are wired to forget, but there are research-backed strategies you can use to make your teaching stick. |
| Reading to Rewire | For children at risk of dyslexia, early reading at home may reroute the brain's networks, building new capacity. |
| Nature, nurture and neuroplasticity | Looks at the latest research into the role of neuroplasticity in the treatment of genetic brain diseases and brain damage through stroke and trauma. |
| What is brain plasticity and why is it so important? | Good overview of neuroplasticity for adults and older students |
| Neuroplasticity - The 10 fundamentals to rewiring your brain | Written by a woman who overcame extreme depression using neuroplasticity. (Also has links to other related articles) |
| A Growth Mindset Improves Achievement | 2019 Research Journal article about experiment that reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement |
Videos
| Neuroplasticity | A great explanation of neuroplasticity and how we can rewire our brains (2 mins) |
| You can grow new brain cells | Neurogenesis - growing new neurons as we get older (11 mins) |
| The myth of talent and the power of practice | Author of 'Bounce', Matthew Syed, discusses the 'talent versus practice' theory. He looks at the role of opportunity and deliberate practice in developing skills to a high level (11 mins) |
| Your brain is plastic | Simple explanation of neuroplasticity (4 mins) |
| Growing a talent hotbed | Author of 'The Talent Code', Dan Coyle, explores the reasons behind talent and how to cultivate it (18 mins) |
| How we learn - synapses and neural pathways | Great to show students and adults what happens when we're learning something new (3 mins) |
Websites
| Neuroscience for Kids | Discover the exciting world of the brain, spinal cord, neurons and the senses. Use the experiments, activities and games to help you learn about the nervous system. There are plenty of links to other websites for you to explore. |
Podcasts
| Neuroplasticity - How the brain heals | Normon Doidge talks about the implications of neuroplasticity and his new book, 'The Brain's Way of Healing'. |
| Brain ever changing: Neuroplasticity and its role in mental health | A neuro-researcher's view of the dynamis, bidirectional interplay of brain and body, and the protective and destructive implications for both our mental and physical health. |
| Invisibilia - Emotions | A two-part exploration through narrative of a contemporary alternative theory of emotion, explaining how emotions are learned not innate, and plastic, rather than universal. |