BRAIN TRAINING: THE NEW SCIENCE OF INTELLIGENCE LAUREL SCHOOL ONE LYMAN CIRCLE SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO

(1)

LAUREL SCHOOL | ONE LYMAN CIRCLE • SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO 44122 • 216.455.3061 • WWW.LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

(2)

VIEW FROM THE PAST

We used to think that brains were a lot like skeletal structures:

• You’re born with everything you’ll ever have.

• No matter what you do, nothing new

is added over time.

(3)

Brains are a lot like muscles:

• What you’re born with is just a start

• What you do makes a big

difference in how your muscles and brain grow and develop!

WHAT WE KNOW NOW

(4)

There are four

important ways

that muscles ^and

brains ^{are alike.}

(5)

• Muscles and brains have tiny structures that grow and multiply.

SIMILARITY #1

(6)

• that contract when the muscle is put

to work.

• Your muscles grow as the fibers get bigger new fibers are added.

MUSCLES HAVE FIBERS...

(7)

• that are activated when the brain is in use.

• Your brain grows

as neurons get denser and new neurons

are added.

BRAINS HAVE NEURONS…

(8)

• The brain is made up of

billions of neurons that work together to run our bodies and our minds.

• 30,000 neurons can fit on the head of a pin.

• Neurons are cells that share information with each other.

WHAT’S A NEURON?

(9)

• Neurons communicate by passing along an electrical impulse.

• Electrical impulses are passed from one neuron to the next through the release of

chemicals called neurotransmitters.

HOW DO NEURONS SHARE INFORMATION?

(10)

• Under heavy use,

neurons develop new

dendrites so that they can communicate more

efficiently with each other.

HOW DO NEURONS GET DENSER WITH USE?

(11)

• The human brain constantly generates progenitor cells that can turn into neurons.

• A brain that is learning needs to add neurons to store and

communicate the new information.

• This process by which a progenitor cell becomes a neuron is called

neurogenesis.

HOW DO NEURONS INCREASE IN NUMBER?

(12)

• Animal studies prove that the brain grows when challenged.

• Rats raised in enriched cages have brains that are

10% heavier than the brains of rats raised in plain cages.

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT BRAINS GROW AS WE LEARN?

(13)

• Muscles and brains only develop when challenged by increasingly difficult

tasks.

SIMILARITY #2

(14)

• You need to lift

heavier and heavier weights.

TO DEVELOP BIGGER MUSCLES…

(15)

• You need to do

harder and harder work.

TO DEVELOP YOUR BRAIN…

(16)

Developing muscles

& developing your

brain ^is challenging

and sometimes

uncomfortable ^.

(17)

• When pushed past the point of comfort.

MUSCLES ONLY DEVELOP…

(18)

• When pushed past the point of comfort.

BRAINS ONLY DEVELOP…

(19)

• Building muscles and

building your brain takes time and sustained effort.

SIMILARITY #3

(20)

• to build new

connections between neurons and

• to integrate new neurons into old neural pathways.

SUSTAINED EFFORT IS REQUIRED…

(21)

• Buddhist monks spend thousands of hours engaged in meditation, the art of carefully observing one’s own mental processes.

• Areas of the brain associated with attention and sensory processing are much thicker in the brains of monks than in the brains of

people who don’t meditate.

EFFORT BUILDS YOUR BRAIN?

(22)

• All girls can build their

muscles and their brains.

SIMILARITY #4

(23)

IN EVERYONE AND GROW WITH USE.

(24)

BABIES’ MUSCLES START SMALL AND WEAK

AND GET BIGGER AND STRONGER WITH USE.

(25)

BRAINS BECOME DENSER AND MORE COMPLEX

AS NEW MENTAL SKILLS ARE DEVELOPED

(26)

• makes you stronger!

• Your new muscles can help you do all sorts of things.

BUILDING MUSCLE…

(27)

• makes you smarter!

• Your increased intelligence can help you in all of your classes.

BUILDING YOUR BRAIN…

(28)

BRAIN TRAINING: THE NEW SCIENCE OF INTELLIGENCE LAUREL SCHOOL ONE LYMAN CIRCLE SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO

VIEW FROM THE PAST

We used to think that brains were a lot like skeletal structures:

• You’re born with everything you’ll ever have.

• No matter what you do, nothing new

is added over time.

Brains are a lot like muscles:

• What you’re born with is just a start

• What you do makes a big

difference in how your muscles and brain grow and develop!

WHAT WE KNOW NOW

There are four

important ways

that muscles and

brains are alike.

• Muscles and brains have tiny structures that grow and multiply.

SIMILARITY #1

• that contract when the muscle is put

to work.

• Your muscles grow as the fibers get bigger new fibers are added.

MUSCLES HAVE FIBERS...

• that are activated when the brain is in use.

• Your brain grows

as neurons get denser and new neurons

are added.

BRAINS HAVE NEURONS…

• The brain is made up of

billions of neurons that work together to run our bodies and our minds.

• 30,000 neurons can fit on the head of a pin.

• Neurons are cells that share information with each other.

WHAT’S A NEURON?

• Neurons communicate by passing along an electrical impulse.

• Electrical impulses are passed from one neuron to the next through the release of

chemicals called neurotransmitters.

HOW DO NEURONS SHARE INFORMATION?

• Under heavy use,

neurons develop new

dendrites so that they can communicate more

efficiently with each other.

HOW DO NEURONS GET DENSER WITH USE?

• The human brain constantly generates progenitor cells that can turn into neurons.

• A brain that is learning needs to add neurons to store and

communicate the new information.

• This process by which a progenitor cell becomes a neuron is called

neurogenesis.

HOW DO NEURONS INCREASE IN NUMBER?

• Animal studies prove that the brain grows when challenged.

• Rats raised in enriched cages have brains that are

10% heavier than the brains of rats raised in plain cages.

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT BRAINS GROW AS WE LEARN?

• Muscles and brains only develop when challenged by increasingly difficult

tasks.

SIMILARITY #2

• You need to lift

heavier and heavier weights.

TO DEVELOP BIGGER MUSCLES…

• You need to do

harder and harder work.

TO DEVELOP YOUR BRAIN…

Developing muscles

& developing your

brain is challenging

and sometimes

uncomfortable .

• When pushed past the point of comfort.

MUSCLES ONLY DEVELOP…

• When pushed past the point of comfort.

BRAINS ONLY DEVELOP…

• Building muscles and

building your brain takes time and sustained effort.

SIMILARITY #3

• to build new

connections between neurons and

• to integrate new neurons into old neural pathways.

SUSTAINED EFFORT IS REQUIRED…

• Buddhist monks spend thousands of hours engaged in meditation, the art of carefully observing one’s own mental processes.

• Areas of the brain associated with attention and sensory processing are much thicker in the brains of monks than in the brains of

people who don’t meditate.

EFFORT BUILDS YOUR BRAIN?

• All girls can build their

that muscles ^and

brains ^{are alike.}

brain ^is challenging

uncomfortable ^.

• These structures only develop when CHALLENGED ^by

• Both muscles and brains require SUSTAINED EFFORT ⁱⁿ