Transcript Malleable vs. Fixed Intelligence

Malleable vs. Fixed
Intelligence and the BRAIN
Ms. Barracliffe and Ms.
Muhammad
Catalyst
Do you believe people are born
with a certain amount of
intelligence? Why or why not?
Write 4-5 complete sentences.
I CAN
I can explain how new
connections are formed in the
brain when learning happens.
I can describe our class big goal.
Setting Goals
Imagine how hard it would be to travel
around Los Angeles without any roads.
Setting Goals
• Goals are just like roads-we NEED them!
• We need them to make life
easier for us to get from
one place in our life to
another.
• Goals help give direction to
our lives and future.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Guess Who?
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HOW TO SET GOALS
1. Define the goal.*
2. Outline the steps needed to achieve it.
3. Consider possible blocks and ways of dealing
with them.
4. Set deadlines.
*Not every wish can be a goal. For instance, you may wish you
could live and stay young forever, but since there's nothing
you can do to make that happen, it could never be
considered a goal.
In order for
something to
be a goal…
•
It MUST be important to
YOU, personally.
• It has to be within your
power to make it happen
through your own actions
and choices.
Mental Obstacles
» But what if I’m just not good at
science?
» But what if I’m just not a good student?
» But what if I just wasn’t born smart?
THE SOLUTION: Work Hard.
Next I will teach you how you can actually “grow your
brain” by working hard and practicing.
The Brain
The brain is made up of small
building blocks called neurons.
An adult brain contains about
100 billion neurons.
The Neuron
Neurons have
three main parts:
1. The soma (a.k.a
cell body)
2. The axon
3. The dendrites
The Neuron
We can use our
arm as a model of
a neuron.
Neurons and Learning
Communication
between neurons is
what allows us to
think and solve
problems.
Brain Connections
An adult brain contains about 100 billion
nerve cells, or neurons, with dendrites that
connect at more than 100 trillion points.
Brain Connections
In the early 1900s,
scientists were
astonished to
discover that nerve
cells do not actually
touch one another,
but that there are
tiny gaps between
nerve cells called
"synapses".
Brain Connections
• Neurons produce tiny
quantities of powerful
chemicals
(neurotransmitters)
that are released into
the synapse as a
message is being sent
from one cell to the
next.
Brain Connections
AXON
• The axon sends
messages to the
dendrites of a
neighboring neuron.
• So…. axons send
messages, while
dendrites receive
messages.
DENDRITE
The Neuron
When you learn new
things new dendrites
actually sprout to
make connections
with other neurons.
The more that you
challenge your mind
to learn, the more
connections are
made between
neurons.
You actually “grow” more
dendrites!!
More Connections=Smarter
•
•
•
The more connections you have
between neurons the more
“efficient” your brain--because
brain signals have more paths to
follow through your brain.
Think about it this way: Looking
at this map--is it easier to
travel from Rio de Janeiro to
London or from Rio de Janeiro
to Chicago?
Now imagine that the
airplane=brain signal/thought,
and Rio, Chicago, and London
represent different neurons.
What you BELIEVE makes a
difference.
Students who are told they can get
smarter if they train their brains to
be stronger, like a muscle, DO
BETTER IN SCHOOL.
Fixed Intelligence
• The belief that your level
of intelligence is fixed and
does not change.
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Fixed Intelligence
• Any task reflects on
intelligence
• Assignments tells you your
worth as a person.
• You are born with a certain
level of intelligence that
can’t change.
Malleable Intelligence
• The belief that your level
of intelligence is flexible
and can change.
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decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
WORK HARD=GET SMART
Malleable Intelligence
• One task a person does is not
an indicator of their whole
intelligence.
• Performance on assignments is
only one assignment.
• Working hard and studying will
increase your intelligence and
performance
Example 1
• Cristian believes that he is
stupid. He doesn’t want
anyone to know, so he
avoids doing work and
behaves badly instead.
80%
Our BIG GOAL
» By the end of the year, we will achieve at
least an 80% class average on all unit exams.
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Scientific Method Exam
Cell Exam
Cellular Processes Exam
Genetics Exam
Evolution and Earth History Exam
Light and the Eye Exam
Health Exam
Our BIG GOAL
» What do we need to do to achieve this?
» What are possible obstacles?
» The major deadlines are already set-- (exam
day) but you can set a goal of how far in
advance you are going to study and for how
long.