The truth about your brain

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At the end of this activity you will be able to:

- Understand how your brain changes and grows when you challenge yourself to learn new things

##You are your own example.

The biggest example of brain growth is you.

Think about when you were born. There are many skills you know now that you didn't know when you were born. Some of these skills are very simple; some of them are very complex, and you may be still learning them.

Speaking, walking, tying your shoes, reading, and writing are just a few examples of everything your brain has grown to learn. You can learn anything!

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###Reading and reading faster

[[☃ image 1]] Think back to how hard it was when you began to learn to read. Everyone struggles with it, and we get better throughout our lives. We get faster and faster with more practice.

Reading is similar to working on math. It helps improve memory, thought, and visual sections of the brain. As you get better at reading, your brain becomes better primed to remember song melodies, plays, dance routines, and many other things.

###Learning a new language

[[☃ image 2]] Learning a new language strengthens the parts of the brain associated with memory, thought, and action. By learning a different language, you can recall more descriptive vocabulary, making you more expressive in your native language.

###Practicing an instrument

[[☃ image 3]] Practicing an instrument improves the visual, auditory, and motor sections of the brain. It also strengthens the bridge between the two halves of your brain, allowing messages to get across the brain more quickly!

There are a lot of activities that can become easier as the two halves of your brain get used to working together! Playing sports, building a social network, and executing your creative ideas require both sides of your brain.

##You were born to learn.

The common denominator of all of these examples is that you have the power to grow your brain by challenging yourself and working hard to learn new things.

You have completed part 1 of 3 for this activity: Connect!

##How to grow your brain

Forty years ago, we seemed to know more about the Moon than we did about how our own brains work. Not anymore! We're excited to share some new discoveries with you. So, how does the brain work?

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##Neuroplasticity: Your brain can change.

Since humankind started studying our own brains, we have tried to quantify the capacity of the brain and how intelligent, or smart, someone is. The real question, though, is not if you're smarter than someone else, but whether you can be smarter than you are today.

Yes, no matter how smart you are now, you can always make yourself smarter. There is no limit to how smart you can be and smartness is a process.

How do we know that your smartness can increase and that your brain can get stronger? There's a concept called neuroplasticity researched by Dr. Michael Merzenich, who was a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Merzenich has done extensive studies mapping and doing CT scans on the brains of a person, a monkey, and a rat as they learn a skill. He’s noticed that—regardless of age or species—brains have the ability to change themselves to fit their owners' needs. The brain can change in response to thoughts and behaviors and is often influenced by environment.

Your neurons can rewire, become more dense, and—with the right effort and learning strategies—your brain can adapt and change making you smarter.

##Growing your brain

Dr. Merzenich researched more than neuroplasticity and brain growth. He also discovered that practicing one activity can improve your performance on another, seemingly unrelated activity.

Let’s listen to him talk about the research he's done over the past decade.

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As Dr. Merzenich explained, we can change our brains. He gave the example that practicing math problems can help an athlete’s accuracy and decision making on the field. [[☃ image 2]] There are many examples of how your brain changes, sometimes in ways you don't expect, when you learn new things.

You have completed part 2 of 3 for this activity: Learn!

##You can learn anything.

Learning and practicing help strengthen and change our brains. As we make mistakes, work through problems that are difficult for us, and persevere, we build new neural pathways in the brain.

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[[☃ image 2]] All learning can build new neural pathways, but learning things that are challenging for you can supercharge your brain growth.

##Take a moment to reflect.

Answer these questions to reflect on the Truth About Your Brain and to complete the activity.

- Name a skill that you know now and can do smoothly that you couldn't do when you were born.

- How does your brain look different from when you were born, when you were learning that skill, and now?

- Share the most important thing you learned from Dr. Merzenich. Why is this learning important to you?

- What is something that you would like to learn?

- How would learning a new skill improve your life?

Congratulations, you have completed all 3 parts of Activity 1: Connect, Learn, Reflect! These activities are part of the LearnStorm 2019 program.