Download GROWING INTELLIGENCE Essential Question: How Can You Grow

GROWING INTELLIGENCE
Essential Question: How Can You Grow Your Intelligence?
Learning Targets:
Students will:
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•
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Effectively engage in collaborative discussions with peers
Capture understanding at points in time during a learning experience.
Describe how the structures of the brain change as a result of new thinking or learning
Collaborate with peers to review and synthesize new information
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, learners will begin to explore the recent research on the dynamic nature of the
brain. The class begins with a Gallery Walk to activate both curiosity and prior knowledge before
a processing activity to highlight their current understandings of how the brain learns. Through a
series of videos, students will view the current understanding of how a brain develops and
grows its neural networks. They will work collaboratively to discuss and summarize this new
information. The understanding of the physical process of learning will provide a frame for the
concept of “growth mindset” and the brain’s dynamic ability to grow its intelligence throughout a
human lifespan.
Relevant Research (in progress)
Relatively recent research has helped to disprove the theory that the brain has a fixed, stable
structure. Although many scientists generally accepted that changes in learning and memory
occurred in the brain during human maturation, it was widely believed that the brain stopped
changing in adulthood. Neuroplasticity is an umbrella concept to describe how experiences
reorganize the neural pathways of the brain. Current understanding and evidence supports the
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idea that the brain’s structure is dynamic throughout the human lifespan. The idea of a complex,
ever-changing brain is now supported by additional evidence of neurogenesis, a process in
which the brain generates new neurons. The brain, and hence learning, is dynamic throughout
the human lifespan.
Lesson Agenda
Opening (10 min)
Work Time
Closure (5 min)
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Gallery Walk: Neurons (5 min)
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The Heart of the Matter Anchor Chart (5 min)
•
Visual Hypothesis (10 min)
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Video: Sentis & Getting to the Heart of the Matter- Second
Frame (15 min)
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Video: Khan Academy & Getting to the Heart of the MatterCenter Frame (15 min)
•
Post-it Bar Graph Exit Ticket (5 min)
Materials
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Large Chart Paper
Markers
Images of Neurons
Projector, Speakers
Student packets
FACILITATION NOTES
Gallery Walk. Look through the following images of neurons and print 8-10 for the gallery walk
(see Facilitator Documents): http://thehightechsociety.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/10/learning-3.jpg, http://thehightechsociety.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/10/learning-400x236.jpg, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/zwGNfV2zU4c/USai1s5kzjI/AAAAAAAACCI/euOgjF4WwJc/s1600/GrowingNewNeurons.jpg,
http://nwnoggin.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/fnint-06-00036-g004.jpg,
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/courses/intro/notes/images/neuron.jpg,
https://userscontent2.emaze.com/images/2aa9b1c2-f036-432f-bcfa-a3b01d3a237d/74af842af381-4fc6-99ef-cd20d809c808.png, http://developingkole.com/kole/wpcontent/uploads/2015/03/neuron.jpg,
http://img.medicalxpress.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2015/neurondendri.jpg,
http://drexel.edu/~/media/Images/now/release_images/March%202013/f4web.ashx?la=en&hash=B93975D56B24DBC2218E40A80E5122ED165ED2A4, and
http://drexel.edu/~/media/Images/now/release_images/March%202013/f3Skills for Success: Growing Intelligence
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web.ashx?la=en&hash=9E3028A3558A897D4E7150B7C8FF00821E970B84. While most of
these images can be printed in black and white, it is recommended that you print at least one
image in color (i.e. http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/science/connectome-project/brainbow).
Getting to the Heart of the Matter. This anchor chart protocol assists students in
collaboratively building background knowledge. It is also a record on additional growth and
learning as students collaborate to synthesize new information, connections, and learning. This
social learning helps students to process and recall information. Anchor charts should be neat,
reflect substantial thinking and inquiry, and include every group member’s participation.
Students will work from the outside towards the center (or “heart of the matter”).
Accountability Option: If students are learning to collaborate, assign each student a pencil of a
different color to encourage equity in participation. This ensures that each student will contribute
to the anchor chart with their given color. Alternatively, ask students to initial their contribution.
o
As an extension, use the rubric to set expectations for quality, and give students an
opportunity to offer feedback.
Summary of Growth Mindset Research by Dr. Dweck. Dr. Dweck may not be the most
engaging speaker for students. This whiteboard animation helps make her work accessible to a
broader audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9TVbAal5s. As the facilitator, you
should review this ten-minute video to have an accurate understanding of her research and its
implications. The video is used in a school-to-home connection; however, it is only available in
English. If this does not meet your community needs, make an instructional decision if it is
appropriate for your students in-class (the intended audience is NOT students).
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IN ADVANCE
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Preview research on neuroplasticity.
Preview the videos used in the Heart of the Matter protocol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWSZ1DKjNzY.
Print images of neurons and set up for the Gallery Walk.
Assign students colored pencils and groups ahead of time if collaborating.
Vocabulary
Content
neuroplasticity, neuron
Tier II
dynamic, change, pathway
Opening (10 min)
Gallery Walk (5 min)
Have the Gallery Walk Images prepared and posted around the wall with the labels: I think... I
wonder... written as titles.
1. As students enter, invite them to quietly tour the gallery.
o
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The YPs will 1) record observations and questions; 2) use the stems “I think…”
or “I wonder…” if they need a prompt to get started; 3) initial their work.
Encourage them to respond respectfully to others’ comments.
Anchor Chart: Getting to the Heart of the Matter (5 min)
1. In advance, prepare the exemplar. If this is the students’ first time using
this protocol activity, consider preparing the anchor charts for them ahead
of time.
2. Model the steps for the YPs:
o
o
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Have students draw a box within the frame of the chart paper.
Inside this box, have them draw a smaller box.
There will be three boxes total.
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Collaborative
Discussions are very
important for
developing a growth
mindset. Fruitful and
collaborative thinking
is crucial for both
group and individual
learning development,
and it often leads to
novel perspectives.
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3. Starting in the external box (the frame), have the group discuss and record their
response to the following question: How does your brain learn?
o
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Encourage them to use images, pictures, words, quotes, tables, etc. to express
their thinking.
Say: In the next eight minutes, your group will discuss and record everything you
know about how the brain works. Everyone should contribute ideas to the
discussion and in writing. Even if you do not know, record your best guess,
theory or hypothesis. It is okay to have multiple ideas—even if they conflict.
Work Time
During this work time, the young professionals will be taking in new information about the brain
via a collection of short videos.
Visual Hypothesis (10 min)
1. On post-its, write the numbers 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-60, 60+. Space these
out to create the labels for a graph. Alternatively, write these as graph labels on a
whiteboard.
When does the average human brain stop growing and changing?
0-10
2.
3.
4.
5.
11-20
21-30
etc.
Distribute a sticky note to each YP.
Ask: When does the average human brain stop growing and changing?
Have the YPs write their best estimate on their sticky note.
After 30 seconds, invite them to come and place their sticky note on the bar graph.
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Neuroplasticity & Getting to the Heart of the Matter (15 min)
1. Say: Interesting hypothesis. Recently, we have learned more about the brain. Let’s
look closer at the question: When does the brain stop changing? Take notes on your
student sheet as you watch the video.
2. Project: Neuroplasticity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g (2:03).
At the Heart of the Matter: Building Knowledge (Second Frame)
1. Have the students work in their groups. Each person should share
one new idea they learned during the video.
2. After this debrief, ask the groups to summarize and record new
learning in the next box.
o
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Remind them that each person should contribute to the written
anchor chart.
Circulate to check for understanding. Repeat the video if
students would like to see the information again.
Growing Your Intelligence & Getting to the Heart of the
Matter (15 min)
Growth mindset is a
shift in instructional
approach, teaching
language, grading,
and our deep
interactions with
students. It is not just
about what students
learn about growing
their intelligence—it
also pushes us to
shift our thinking as
educators.
1. Say: This next video shows an amazing picture of the neurons in our
brain—and has a picture of the Terminator!
2. Project: Khan Academy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWSZ1DKjNzY (4:10).
3. Adding to the same “second frame,” have students repeat the protocol above.
At the Heart of the Matter: Summarizing New Learning (Center Frame)
Now that you have new information, let’s revisit the question: How does your brain learn?
1. In their groups, ask students to discuss the question using information from the videos to
support their answers.
2. Have them summarize their thinking in the center box using a sentence or two.
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Closure (5 min)
Today you learned new things. Did anyone feel their neurons fire? On our tour of the brain and
our look at neuroplasticity it should be clear that new discoveries in how the brain functions are
challenging our notions of what it means to learn. Answers to questions of how we learn, how
long we learn, and the how the brain develops are taking new shape as we discover more about
the brain. Modern neuroscience does not have all of the answers, but it is clear is that old ideas
of “smartness” and “intelligence” are outdated.
1. To close, invite YPs to answer the opening questions based on new information learned
over the day. When does the average human brain stop growing and changing?
2. Repeat the Post-It Bar Graph as an exit activity.
o
This should provide some formative assessment in the shift in student thinking
over the course of the lesson.
School-to-Home Connection
Students will share the Dweck video on mindsets with their families. They will use this video as
a jumping off point to discuss the research and its implications for schools, families, and
community activities.
Tonight you will share a video with your families:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9TVbAal5s. In this ten-minute film, Dr. Dweck, the
researcher who is the driving force behind the concept of Growth Mindset, will share her
research and its implications—or how it should change the way we think about schools, grading,
coaching, and more. Your role will be to help your family members think through these new
ideas, look at how well your classes, sports teams, and schools are doing with Growth Mindset,
and come up with some suggestions for improvement.
1. Hand out <Growth Mindset: Implications and Suggestions>.
Extension
Have students do a close reading activity with the following article on growth mindset:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7406521
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Name:
Date:
GROWING INTELLIGENCE: How Can You Grow Your Intelligence?
Today’s Learning Objectives:
I can:
o Effectively engage in collaborative discussions with my peers.
o Describe how the structures of the brain change as a result of new thinking or learning.
o Collaborate with peers to review and synthesize new information.
In this lesson, I will begin to explore the recent research on the dynamic nature of the brain. The
class begins with a Gallery Walk to activate both curiosity and prior knowledge before a
processing activity to highlight my current understanding of how the brain learns. Through a
series of videos, I will view the current understanding of how a brain develops and grows its
neural networks. I will work collaboratively to discuss and summarize this new information. The
understanding of the physical process of learning will provide a frame for the concept of “growth
mindset” and the brain’s dynamic ability to grow its intelligence throughout a human lifespan.
Today’s Activities:
o Neuron Gallery Walk
o Getting to the Heart of the Matter
o Post-it Bar Graph Exit Ticket
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Gallery Walk: Observations
I think…
I wonder…
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Neuroplasticity: Note Catcher
things I learned…
new vocabulary words I heard…
question I have…
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School-to-Home Connection:
How to Help Every Child Fulfil Their Potential:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9TVbAal5s
In class, students have been learning about the dynamic nature of the brain. As
relatively recent research suggests, the brain is constantly growing even after full maturation in
adulthood, and students have gotten a sense of this through a visual exploration of neurons and
their ability to change and grow. Through video tutorials, students have gained a stronger
understanding of how the changing nature of neurons can result in growing their intelligence.
The perspective of viewing the brain as dynamic and able to grow with changes in effort and
learning is known as growth mindset.
Video Questions:
1. What is your immediate response to Dweck’s work? Don't worry if it is positive or negative!
2. If what Dr. Dweck’s research suggests is true, how should that change:
Teachers giving grades and feedback on classroom assignments?
A sports group giving trophies for participation?
A family member praising intelligence and talent?
3. What is your perspective of her work as a parent?
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Interested in
learning
more? See:
https://www.y
outube.com/w
atch?v=ELpfY
CZa87g and
https://www.y
outube.com/w
atch?v=GWS
Z1DKjNzY.
11
Facilitator Documents:
Neuron Gallery Walk
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