Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to renew itself and grow new neural networks for learning. It refers to the flexible, mutable and plastic nature of the neural networks in the brain. It differs from the old belief where the brain was described as having fixed and static qualities, immutable and unchangeable, a quality one was born with and destined to stick with for the rest of one's life.
New research opens new doors. We learn of previously unknown knowledge about the potential of the human brain. Among this perhaps the most profound is the knowledge that our brain is actively growing, modifying and developing from birth to the golden years of ripe old age.
The brain never stops growing new neural networks for thinking and learning if provided the right stimulation. To facilitate this growth, constant mental exercise is necessary. This quality of the brain can be compared to a muscle, that one has to USE IT or else LOSE IT.
This growing of new networks in the brain is also known as Structural Cognitive Modifiability.
Structural Cognitive Modifiability is the idea that modification in the brain occurs at the PHYSICAL, structural level of the brain. When new neural networks connect and fire together they form pathways that exist in the brain's physical formation. These pathways do not diminish or disappear as soon as the thought process is over, rather they remain as useful passages for future use.
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The idea of Structural Cognitive Modifiability was first proposed by Professor Feuerstein. He made this claim a long time ago, over 60 years ago. New brain research is only catching up with this idea and expanding it in the current scientific environment.
A growth mindset is a set of beliefs and practices about how we think and the corresponding results of those beliefs to thinking development. Growth mindset is a learned habit, although for some people such mindset comes more easily due to their previous life experience. The important thing is that this mindset can be learnt and mastered by anyone with sufficient practice.
In today's classrooms children are actively encouraged to form a growth mindset in relation to their learning and achievement. It is a critical part of learning today. Growth mindset is offset against a fixed mindset which compels a learner to have limiting and negative beliefs and practices about one's learning and achievement.
The idea of having the right mindset for learning is critical because there is strong evidence that suggests that the underlying beliefs about one's self esteem and one's learning ability has strong influence on one's achievements and especially one's ability to be resilient under failure, and the confidence to aim for future attempts at success
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With a firm grounding in Neuroplasticity and Growth Propensity our programme provides students with many opportunities to strengthen their growth mindset beliefs and practices. We explicitly teach these beliefs and consolidate them with learning principles. This level of intervention is more easily achieved within the framework of isolated and targeted thinking skills training.
Thinking skills training is all about learning to think. It facilitates discussions on all the different thinking models and their benefits. IT ALLOWS THE CHILD TO BECOME A GREAT THINKER AND A MOTIVATED LEARNER.