Hack your brain - Growth Mindset

• newEditor
• Study Skills
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)
• BTEC, GCSE

Introductie

Many students mistakenly believe that their abilities are fixed. When faced with a poor grade or a complex task, thoughts like "I can't do this" often lead to giving up prematurely. This lesson is designed to recognise and redirect these automatic patterns towards helpful strategies. Instead of general motivation, the lesson provides clear insights into neuroplasticity and concrete tools that can be applied immediately. The content resonates with the students' world by using relatable themes from gaming and sports as metaphors for the learning process. Features of the lesson: Interactive: Short activities and a fast pace ensure engagement. Accessible: Use of clear language without theoretical jargon. Practical: Focus on the process of practice, strategy, and perseverance. This LessonUp lesson requires minimal preparation and is ready to be used during mentoring sessions, career orientation, or study skills lessons. It provides students with a method to take ownership of their learning process.

Hack your brain

Hack your brain

Hack your brain

Hack your brain

Teacher:
This lesson on the Growth Mindset aims for students to experience that their brain is not static, but can be compared to software that you can update yourself.
You can train and thus strengthen your system/brain.

What is the biggest nonsense that the voice in your head says when something hasn't worked out?

Teacher

Instruction:
- Give students 30 seconds of silence to fill in something truly honest.

- Read a few answers aloud.

- Respond neutrally. Do not correct or immediately make it positive: “Many people immediately think: ‘I am stupid’, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I will never understand this’. It feels as if it’s true. But often it’s just an automatic thought from your brain.”

Important: Make it clear that almost everyone experiences this.

By phrasing the question this way, you create distance between the student and those limiting thoughts. It’s not ‘who they are’, it’s ‘nonsense their system is saying’.
And as indicated in the previous slide, you can upgrade that system, give it new functions, and let it follow different paths.
Those automatic voices in your head often don’t say much positive. They judge, attack, and demotivate. They are, as it were, the ‘error messages’ of your mind!
This lesson, we will look at how you can ‘update’ your mind so that those error messages decrease and the connections to positive feedback become stronger.

I just couldn't get past level 17. I played it again 37 times!

Now I don't understand why I found it so difficult.

Upgrade Your Brain

• With every new challenge, your brain forms new connections.

• Practice strengthens those connections.

• Making mistakes helps your brain learn.

• “I can't do it yet” = your brain is still upgrading (learning).

Teacher:
Ask a short question:

“Who could ride a bike straight away without practising in the past?”

(Probably no one.)

Then say:

“Learning works the same way. At first, everything goes slowly and feels awkward. Through practice, connections in your brain become faster and stronger.”

Use this analogy:

“The first time you play a game, you are slow and not very good. After lots of practice, you don't even think about it anymore. That's because your brain has strengthened the connections.”

1

Player A

2

Player B

Player A:

“I don't understand it.

I'm quitting.”

Player B:

“I don't understand it. I'll try something else."

Which player will learn more?

Teacher:

Have students vote and review the result.

Then ask: “Why is B being smarter?”

Answers you are looking for: Perseverance, trying a different strategy, using help, accepting that learning takes time, you won't progress by giving up.

Important: Emphasise that a growth mindset does NOT mean everything becomes easy. It means that you believe you can improve.

Benefit of Talent

• A talent is something you naturally pick up more easily or quickly than others.

• However, talent does not mean you automatically become good without practice.

• Talent helps you at the start. It essentially gives you a head start and makes the initial steps easier.

  • 
    

I quickly understood how to play the game, but how often did I lose before I truly mastered it!

Famous footballers may have a natural ability or a strong understanding of the game, which aids in training. However, they too have spent thousands of hours practising strong passes, ball control, and game insight.
Talent helps at the start, but without practice, you won't progress! Your training usually determines how far you go.
Avoid creating the impression that everyone can achieve everything with enough practice, as that is not realistic.
However, do mention that you can learn what you currently cannot do by practising and training.

But give examples like: TikTok dances, gymnastics, gaming, football. You can't do these in one go; you will need to practise.

Talent or training?

Click on the hotspots and determine:
Is this a talent or is it achieved through training?

Primarily Talent

Focus on Training

Recognising Faces

Gardening

Being handy

Dancing

The task isn't about "good" or "bad" people, but rather the difference between:

- starting a bit easier;

- becoming better at something through practice.

Discuss afterwards:

“Can you remain good without training?”

“Can someone improve even without much talent?”
Key sentence for this task:

Talent helps at the start, but without practice, you won't progress! Your training usually determines how far you'll go.
Avoid suggesting that everyone can achieve absolutely anything they want, as that's not realistic. But mention examples like: TikTok dances, gymnastics, gaming, football. You can't master these in one go; you'll need to practice.
Tip:

Have students briefly discuss if they're unsure. This makes the task more active and interesting.

My friend kept beating me! A cousin gave me tips and now we're evenly matched! Playing has become more fun and exciting now!

Stop with 'grinding'

• Don't keep trying the same thing endlessly if it's not working. Just remember that you've learned this method doesn't work for you.

• Switch to a different tactic or ask for help.

• Changing tactics is smart and helps you progress.

Change the Thought!

Which 'upgrade' goes with it?

Ik kan dit niet!

I can't do this!

I'm bad at maths!

Upgrades

Assign the updates to the right person:

I can't do this yet!

I need to practisemore maths!

I'm going to try a differentapproach!

This is too difficult!

Feel free to do this task together.

Then ask: “Which thought do you recognise in yourself?”

Important: Show that thoughts influence behaviour. Explicitly state: “If you think ‘I can’t do this’, you stop sooner. If you think ‘not yet’, you keep trying.”

Tip:

Use humour if it fits, but keep it safe.

You've practised for 2 hours, but still can't do it.

What can you do besides going on even longer?

Possible good answers: Ask someone for help, watch an explanation video, make a summary, practice together, take a break, use flashcards,

explain aloud.

Core message of the question:

“Growth mindset doesn’t mean endlessly struggling. It means daring to adapt smartly.”

Make it practical:

Question: “Who learns better through videos than by reading?”

Let students see that different strategies are allowed and effective.

I just couldn't find my way out of the maze.
It wasn't until I played with my brother that I saw where I needed to go.

What if learning doesn't work?

• Smart learning = adjusting tactics if it's not working.

• Try working on tasks together, because two heads are better than one!

• Create small learning goals. Don't try to learn everything at once; break it into smaller, more manageable parts.

What is something that kept failing,

but that you later succeeded in?

Teacher

If students find this a difficult question, mention a few examples: cycling, cooking, sports, school subject, etc.
Have the students discuss in pairs what they did to make it work.
Set a timer if that helps.
Convey the message after this task: Everything you can do well now, you once couldn't.

The Upgraded Thought

Upgrade

When I think...

Then I will...

Your upgrade for this week

If the students find this difficult, give a few examples:
If I think 'I don't understand maths', then I will 'practice one problem with someone'. If I think 'I'll never get this!', then I will 'tell myself I don't get it YET!' If I think 'This is too hard!', then I will look for another way to practise.

End with the message:
The people who succeed are not those who never make mistakes, but those who keep trying and adapting.

“I used to think straight away: ‘I can't do this.’
Now I often think: ‘I CAN'T do this yet.’
It sounds simple, but it really helps! I give up less quickly when something doesn't work, and then I try another way or continue.
That’s how I gave my brain an upgrade.”

Hacked your brain

Hacked your brain

Hacked your brain

Hacked your brain

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This lesson on the Growth Mindset is designed for students to experience that their brain is not a statue, but can be compared to software that you can update yourself.
You can train and thereby strengthen your system/brain.