◄► Neuroplasticity and Growth Mindset ◄►

Why is it important to understand neuroplasticity?

A big benefit of understanding neuroplasticity is gaining the knowledge that repetition and exposure to a concept that makes a person learn something - not an innate, fixed level of intelligence.

This gives hope that you can become competent (or even great!) at something - but that it’s normal to not understand it at the beginning.

For a long time I’ve had an issue with the phrase “you’re so talented” - I think it’s detrimental. While we have a degree of built-in dispositions and interests, people who excel in areas almost exclusively got there through repetition and hard work, not an accidental “wow I’m great at this” discovery. Dismissing years of dedication as an innate talent does the person who put in all that work a disservice and downplays all the work taken to get there.

In saying that, it is almost always said as a compliment, not insult… but it’s something that makes me twitch!

How can neuroplasticity help you - and how can you build it?

On a personal level, I would like to spend more time going back over things I learned in previous weeks, or at least taking part in challenges that use this information. I find it’s hard to make things “stick” sometimes. If I think about those little information highways that need strengthening, it helps motivate me to do so.

In general, to improve your neuroplasticity, there are some tried and true steps:

• Choose to learn a new skill - something you’re not already good at.

→ It should be something you’re motivated to learn (I am very unmotivated to learn how to play Rugby, for example, so I wouldn’t do that).

• Make a plan to learn about the skill regularly, and repeat this learning over a period of time.

Over time your brain will change to develop and strengthen pathways built from learning this skill. Our current learning is a good example of this, as is learning a language, starting an exercise program or a hobby.

This is a great resource for further learning!

What is Growth Mindset?

Having a growth mindset refers to making incremental steps towards learning something new.

In time, this grows your confidence that “hey, you can do this” and you start to really grow your understanding of a subject.

It’s about taking action, the idea of one-challenge-at-a-time. You understand that learning is a process and you are just as capable of learning as anyone else.

Any surprises?

My last job had a big focus on this during the training period, so it’s something I’m pretty familiar with.

I think it’s fantastic - as someone going from early childhood to tech, a growth mindset was key especially when I decided I wanted to learn to code. Reading through this again helped me to remember more of it and remind myself how important this mindset is to our current learning at Dev Academy.

How will you integrate growth mindset into your learning journey?

I’m making a point of trying to grasp one thing at a time - within reason. If I rush and try to understand a bunch of different concepts, I stress out because I don’t understand any of them. However focusing on one area and reinforcing that helps a lot - then moving on to the next concept and trying to build that out.

I’ve found a good way to do this is if I don’t understand a concept, to watch or read lots of different versions of someone explaining it to me. Then it slowly starts to make sense.

This is another great resource for further learning!

How does this relate and influence my learning plan?

Both neuroplasticity and growth mindset impact my learning plan - especially my challenge of slowing down and scoping things out. I can’t learn everything at once, but I can learn it bit by bit, by repeating things and reaching out when I need help.

The growth mindset is key here for me.