Neuroplasticity

What is it?

Our brain cells have synapses which connect to other brain cells, and groups or chains of these cells which fire together are known as neural pathways. Neuroplasticity is a concept in the study of the human brain which affirms that neural pathways can be created and strengthened through practice.

All activity in the brain uses neural pathways to some extent, and we perform the best at activities where the pathways involved are strong. However, our pathways and therefore performance are not static. By improving neural pathways we improve our abilities. Conversely, by falling out of practice, we can gradually lose those abilities in what is called synaptic pruning.

Picture a rose bush which has put all its effort into growing one branch toward the sun. Day by day it gets stronger, because it is a main pathway for energy. If you interfere with that branch and tuck it towards a darker corner, fairly soon the rose bush shifts priority away from that branch and it begins to wilt. No longer a main pathway for energy, the bush effectively prunes the branch. The same thing happens with synaptic pruning in our brains.

It isn’t all doom and gloom though. Pruning is part of what keeps brains healthy: How synaptic pruning shapes neural wiring during development and, possibly, in disease.

How can it help?

Once we know that our brains have plasticity, we can use that knowledge to improve our performance through practice. Every use of a set of neurons increases their efficiency. So, it follows that deliberate practice, real or even imagined, can directly enhance our skills. The more consistent the practice, the faster our brains are strengthened.

Simply understanding the concept of neuroplasticity can give people the perspective they need to alter their own behaviours in ways that promote growth. Believing your ability is static and can’t be improved is a fixed mindset. Knowing that all effort results in growth of your brain allows you to adopt what’s known as a growth mindset.

The Growth Mindset

A way of looking at the world which allows for great personal improvement in many areas of life, the growth mindset is the opposite to a fixed mindset. Whereas a child who believes their ability is static, might shy away from a difficult task for fear of failing, a child with a growth mindset might attempt the task just for the experience. Often after doing this, those with the growth mindset end up improving faster than others and enjoy it much more too.

It may seem like growth mindsets only benefit children, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Any human being is capable of adopting a growth mindset. This is particularly important when it comes to picking up a new skill, or moving into an entirely new (or perhaps familiar) industry. We as part of our journey at DevAcademy can resolve to continually improve our skills with consistent efforts, rather than cruise by on what we already know and miss opportunities for growth.

I’ve seen doctor Carol Dweck’s TED talk on neuroplasticity before, and initially I was content that I didn’t need to watch it again, but that’s probably a static minded way of viewing the situation. Rewatching, I found I identified with the description of some of the students more strongly than the first time I watched. I remember being one of those too afraid to try kids at school, thinking too much about failure. Perhaps reinforcing the knowledge that I can be prone to falling into a static mindset can allow me to more actively focus on ensuring a growth mindset in the future.

Learning plan and Strategies

While written specifically for teachers, this article: Incorporating growth mindset into teaching practice explores tips for using a growth mindset. In many ways, despite no longer having students, I still practice methodologies involved in teaching. Thinking about flipped learning, I see the need to be my own teacher at times, so this article helps me to frame a growth mindset in application.

In the article, they lay out 6 steps to promoting a growth mindset as a group. I think all the steps are great for making consistent progress, but in terms of my own individual learning one step stood out:

I have to remain the most vigilant about this step. Last sprint I was guilty of doing skiping ahead with my JavaScript-cafe project. Knowing I wanted to get started on my tech blog, I paused exploration with stretch tasks thinking I would get back to them. In the end, I didn’t end up re-prioritising the stretch tasks which resulted in missed practice.

In my learning plan, I outlined a commitment to manage, and one of the points was about being honest about my own contributions and aware of whether I was challenging myself. I think Step 6, if I make it part of my strategy, will help ensure that I’m not skipping incomplete tasks, in favour of the next thing. I will explore and seek the challenge that each task deserves.