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IntroductionKhanAcademyandPERTS,StanfordUniversity’sappliedresearchcenteronacademicmotivation,createdthislessonalongsidesomeofourmiddleschoolclassroomsinordertoprovideafewactiv-itiestointroducestudentstotheconceptthatintelligencecanbede-veloped.Feelfreetoadaptandedittheseactivitiesbelowtomeettheneedsofyourclassroom.ObjectivesBytheendofthislesson,studentswillunderstand:•Intelligencecanbedeveloped•Thebrainismalleable•DoingchallengingworkisthebestwaytomakethebrainstrongerandsmarterGrowthMindsetLessonPlanPastlearningsCultivatingagrowthmindsetinstudentscan(unfortunately)bequitetricky.Researchersandeducatorshavespentyearsthinkingaboutthis,andwearestilllearning!Fromourexperiencethusfar,wehavelearnedthat:•Simplytellingstudentstohaveagrowthmindsetcanbackfire.Studentscanhaveaneg-ativereactiontobeingtoldhowtothink.Instead,amorescientificandpracticalexplana-tionabouthowintelligenceworks—thatthebraincangetstrongerandsmarterwithnewlearning—hasbeendemonstratedtobeeffective.••Inthesamevein,reiteratingthemessage“justtryharder”canalsobeproblematic.Thereasonisthatmoststudentshaveheard“justtryharder,”butagrowthmindsetisn’tjustabouttryingharder.Studentsneedtounderstandwhytheyshouldputineffortandhowtodeploythateffort.•Fromwhatweknowsofar,sometimesabetterstrategyismoreusefulthanadditionaleffortspentdoingthesamething.Also,beyondconductingthisintroductorylesson,therearemanywaysteacherscanfosteracultureinwhichstudentsembracethegrowthmindsetinpractice!MaterialsneededAfewthingsyou’llneedforthelessonandotheractivities:•ProjectororLargeMonitor•Laptop/Computer,internetconnection,accesstoYouTube•Markers•Poster-sizedpaper•Optional:PencilsandpaperforstudentsBeforewegetstarted...2PartI:Video&debriefEstimatedtime:20minutesVieweither(orboth!)ofthesevideoswithyourclasstobeginadiscussionaboutthebrain’smalleability.Watch“Growingyourmind”byKhanAcademy(3:04).Afteryouhavewatchedthisvideowithyourclass,holdasmalldiscussionaboutthesciencebehindthebrainasitlearns.Hereareafewquestionstogetyourdiscussionstarted:•Howdopeoplebecomemoreintelligent?•Howdoesthediagramoftheneurons“Atbirthvs.Atage6”demonstratethis?•Whatabouttheseconddiagramofthenervesoftheanimallivinginacagevs.ananimallivingwithotheranimalsandtoys?•Howareourbrainslikemuscles?•Whendoourbrainsgrowthemost?Watch“Neuroplasticity”bySentis(2:03).Thisisagoodvisualintroductiontotheconceptofhowthebraincanberewiredaswelearnandthinkdifferently.•Whatisneuroplasticity?•Howdoesneuroplasticitywork?•Howcanyou“rewire”yourbrain?PartII:PersonaldiscussionEstimatedtime:15minutesDiscussatimewhenyouovercameastruggleinlearningandlearnedtosolveaproblem.Asateacher,shareapersonalstoryaboutatimeyouhadtoworkhardtogetbetteratsome-thingandrelateittothevideo.Inthisstory,highlight:1.Hardwork2.Strategies3.Helpfromothers3Here’stheplanHere’sanexamplebelowofapersonalstorytosharewithstudents:WhenIwasinmiddleschool,Irememberstrugglingwithaddingnegativenumbers.Ihadahardtimefiguringoutwhata‘negative’evenmeantwhentalkingaboutanumber-howcanyouhavelessthannothing?Iendedupgoingthroughmanypracticeproblemsandcontinuingtogetmanyofthemwrong.Iwasaveryshykid,soIdidn’taskmyteachermanyquestions.MythoughtwasthatIhadreached‘thepeak’ofmymathtalent,anditwasalldownhillfromhere.Ieventuallyaskedmymomaboutthistopicandsheexplainedtomethebasicconceptofnegativenumbers.Thishelpedmeunderstanditalittle,butitwasstillfuzzytome.Ithenresearchedonlineforsomereal-lifecontextstoshowwhatthesemysteriousnumbersrepresentedoutsideofsomeabstractuniverse.Someofthemmadesense,andothersdidn’t.Istilldidn’tentirelygetitandIwassofrustratedthatIwantedtojustgiveup(orcontinuehopingthatnegativenumberswerenotgoingtoappearinmathclasseveragain).IstartedtodislikemathsimplybecauseIcouldn’tunderstanditanymore.Insteadofentirelygivinguponmyacademiccareer,Ieventuallymusteredupthecouragetoaskmyteacherforhelpaswell.Sheexplaineditinafewdifferentways,andgavemenewstrategiestotryout.Aftersomepracticewiththesenewstrategies,Istartedtosolidifymyunderstandingofnegativeswhichallowedmetoquicklypickupbasicalgebraafterwards.WhileitwasalotofworkandIwantedtogiveupatmanypointsduringmyjourney,Ieventuallywasableto‘rewire’mybrainsothatnegativenumbersactuallymadesensetome.Inasmallgroup,askstudentstoshareastoryaboutatimethattheymadetheirbrainssmarter.Thisleadstoadiscussionabouthowworkinghard,takingonchallenges,andfind-ingtherightstrategycanmakepeoplesmarter.Inthecasethatyourstudentsarenotreadytobevocalwiththeirclassmatesabouttheirstories,itmightbeagoodideatotryPartIII(below)aftersharingyourpersonalstoryin-stead.PartIII:LettertoafuturestudentStudentswritealetteraboutalearning-relatedstruggle(worksheetonpg.5).Askyourstudentsforashortstoryaboutastruggletheyhadwhentheywerelearning.Howdiditmakethemfeel?Howdidtheyovercomeit,andwhatdiditteachthem?Tellthemtowritealettertothisfuturestudenttotellthemabouttheirstruggle,whattheylearnedfromit,andanyadvicetheycouldgiveforthestudent.Collecttheirletters,andsavetheminordertogivethembacktothemduringdifficulttestingperiods,suchasfinalexams.4LETTERTOAFUTURESTUDENTTakeafewminutestothi