Mindset:

The Psychology of Learning and Achievement

Module 1: Mindsets

Born SMART….?

What we’ll be looking at  Are we born smart or stupid?

 Is intelligence fixed from birth?

 Do we have ‘built-in’ talents as a baby?  Or… do talents, abilities and intelligence itself grow from experience??

Importance of development At birth, we can’t WALK or TALK These abilities don’t pop up overnight….

….. they DEVELOP as we LEARN!!

So, are we born… Good at maths?

Good at acting?

Good at science?

Good at music?

Was Einstein born a genius?

Was Michael Jordan born slam dunking?

Was Justin born a POPSTAR?

What can we learn about learning from animals?

Ratty intellect…

Lab rats were placed in 2 different environments: BORING EXCITING Nothing to do in the cage but eat and sleep – No stimulation opportunities for interact – Lots of stimulation

Rat results After a while, the stimulated rats were found to be smarter than the boring rats.

Their brains were even HEAVIER than the boring rats.

What do you think?

Are our abilities determined from birth?

People have increased their IQ by 30 POINTS

With the right mindset people can achieve more than an IQ test might reveal.

Two beliefs about intelligence

Fixed mindset

Believes: Intelligence is CARVED IN STONE Scores in a test MEASURE POTENTIAL Intelligent people shouldn’t have to WORK HARD Failure reflects a LACK of INTELLIGENCE

Growth mindset

Believes: Intelligence is

Thinking about mindset

 OBSERVE the mindset you adopt  You can CHOOSE mindset to adopt a growth  When you meet challenges REMIND yourself about the growth mindset

Module 2: The Brain

Facts about the brain…  The brain weighs

1,300 – 1,400 grams

 It is made up of

100 Billion Neurons

 Forming different areas called

Lobes

Frontal Lobe Temporal Lobe Parietal Lobe Occipital Lobe

The

Frontal

lobe is used for:       Emotion Reasoning Speech Motion Planning Problem solving

The

Parietal

lobe is used in:     Touch Pressure Temperature Pain

The

Temporal

lobe is used for: The

Temporal

lobe is used for…   Hearing & Memory

The

Occipital

lobe is used for: Vision  We use this lobe to process what we see

All of the lobes, and all their functions, are important in everyday life.

The different parts of the brain let us do things think things remember things

Homunculus  A homunculus is used to describe the relative amount of space our body parts occupy in the brain.

 In a model of motor functions, some parts are much bigger because we use them much more, or with more accuracy.

Brain space…  The more we use a part of our body, the more space our brain needs to control or interpret it.

 In fact, by learning the brain may have to change the space it uses to account for new abilities.

Sound centre  People who play music have been found to have auditory centres that are BIGGER than normal.  The ‘sound’ area of their brain grew through practising their music.

Neurons All of the areas of the brain… like sound, communication, problem-solving… are made of cells called

NEURONS

They transmit information all around the brain.

Neurons pass information through CONNECTIONS with other neurons at SYNAPSES

Learning helps our neurons GROW.

The more we learn, the more connections they make.

People with large auditory areas in their brain grew lots more neuron connections in the sound area… … through lots and lots of practice.

What about your brain?

What areas do you think are bigger in your brain than in other people’s?

What areas would you like to get even bigger and stronger?

Module 3: ‘Fail your way to success’

Lance Armstrong came last in his first professional race… He went on to win the tour de France 6 times.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because… "he lacked imagination and had no good

ideas”

In school Robin Williams was voted… ‘‘least likely to succeed’’

Different ways people view failure

Some people view it as a

learning opportunity.

They

value

learning. While others view it as confirmation that they are not smart.

Why do people have different views of failure? Because they have different goals….

 Some people create learning goals.  Others create performance goals.

Think of a time when you didn’t enjoy doing something… a test, a sport, a drawing – What goal did you have? Did you want to show a teacher how clever you were ? Was it a performance goal?

What would you do next time this happens?

Write down the benefits of having learning goals

Module 4: ‘How people cope with failure’

Response to failure

SOME PEOPLE… BLAME themselves, Feel DEPRESSED and GIVE UP trying OTHERS… Don’t think that they are failing, so BLAME NO ONE KEEP GOING and Remain HOPEFUL that they will get there

Helpless response

       Unmotivated Lack of perseverance Decreased enjoyment Depressed Anxious Responsible for the setback Disengaged and avoid getting involved with studying

Mastery response

     View setback as a challenge Try harder Look for other ways to do things Factor in many different points Engage with the problem ?

50

/

50

People display one or the other response. In some areas they may react with a mastery response and in others a helpless response.

Brain imaging and response to failure

People with a fixed mindset pay attention to how they feel (i.e. stressed, anxious).

Those feelings then get in the way of learning.

Write down on a piece of paper 3 benefits of displaying a ‘mastery response’ rather than a ‘helpless response’ when confronted with failure

Stick these on the wall

Looking at these benefits, think about how this applies to your life. Do you view failure as an opportunity to learn and improve ?

Michael Jordan’s coach said that there were many more talented people than him….

What made Jordan special?

Do you agree that he failed his way to success?

Do you avoid or give up on certain tasks…  because they are hard?

 to avoid failing?

Next time you get feedback or marks that you didn’t want… think about what you can learn

What do you believe about effort?

Do you believe that with hard work and effort you can help you to improve?

or Do you believe that putting effort in only shows that you were not good at it in the first place?

Think about your hero… Do you think of this as someone with extraordinary abilities who achieved things with little effort?

Now go and find out the truth!

Find out the tremendous effort that went into their accomplishments and admire them even more.

Mindset tips

    Try out new strategies Find learning information in failure Remember marks do not show your potential - they only show how you are doing right NOW.

If you are having difficulties finding new strategies or learning information ask someone who could help you.

Module 5: Mindset and success

2 Mindsets recap:

Fixed mindset      Belief that ability is fixed People are born smart/sporty etc Depressed after failure Put in less effort Don’t try new strategies Growth mindset     Belief that people can grow and develop See failure/setback as a learning opportunity Put in effort and persist Try alternative routes to success

Write down 3 things you know about a GROWTH mindset Now put the paper in a pile on your table

Write down 3 things you know about a FIXED mindset Then fold the paper and put it on a pile on your table

Now stick these on the wall in 2 separate groups a G ROWTH group and a FIXED group

In groups discuss the benefits of a growth mindset.

Write down 3 of these benefits…

Picture the brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going…

Is there something in your past which you think measured you?

     Essay Exam Music lesson Maths homework Being rejected?

Now focus on that thing and put it in the growth mindset perspective…

What did you learn from this experience?

Write it down

Is there something that you always wanted to do but were afraid that you weren’t good at it?

Make a plan and do it.

Art Singing History Computing Science Acting Football Gaming Music Maths Writing Politics

People are born with a love of learning.

A fixed mindset can undo this.

Mindset tips

       Create learning goals Make plans Imagine the brain making new connections each time you learn something Concentrate on believing that you can When you meet challenges, setbacks or adversity ask yourself ‘what can I learn from this?’ Tell other people about your growth mindset What else have you come up with………?

Fixed

mindset

 If people are either smart or not smart, then failure means that people are not clever…  Even though they could learn they GIVE UP  They feel DEPRESSED and ANXIOUS  Don’t persevere or put effort in

Growth

mindset

 Failure is an opportunity to learn try out new strategies and to  Failure is a chance to look for learning information and to improve performance  Marks or grades

do not

potential measure a persons  Don’t see setback as a failure

The Centre would like to thank the Scottish Government for their support in helping to produce this resource.