Neuroplasticity refers to the brains ability to change and adapt to new forms of stimulation by strengthening new and existing neural pathways through practice and thought. Understanding that our current mental limits are not fixed and that we have the potential to grow with effort is liberating for many and gives us hope that we are capable of learning anything we put our minds to.
We will likely experience a lot of frustration and mental limits while learning at Dev Academy and that is okay, as long as we know that new neural pathways are forming in our brains and what we find difficult today will be easier tomorrow.
We can increase our neuroplasticity using various methods and finding the right one for you will be a personal experience. Simply thinking about new experiences can help strengthen your understanding of it by building stronger neural pathways. Relating new experiences to old ones will help you take your neuroplasticity one step further by associating existing neural pathways to new ones that have formed from new experiences.
Practicing a new skill can also help form strong neural pathways. As the saying goes, practice makes permanent and perfect practice makes perfect. While learning new skills, it is important to practice as much as possible to develop our understanding of new skills and our muscle memory. As we get better at a skill, it will not be good enough to just practice. We must also challenge ourselves while practicing to create further neuroplasticity and growth.
This article has a great infographic that shows how our neuroplasticity changes over time, as well as the bad aspects of it.
Growth mindset is an individual belief that our talents/skills can be developed through effort, using effective strategies to approach problems and continuous feedback on our efforts and outcomes. Working with others is seen as an opportunity to learn and collaborate on work that leads to innovation. A fixed mindset is an individual belief of the opposite of what I have listed under having a growth mindset and is a self imposed limit that leaves individuals from reaching their true potential. We should practice having a growth mindset to make the most of our time here in Dev Academy and to set ourselves up to be productive junior developers in our future jobs.
I found it surprising that individuals tend to have both a fixed and growth mindset, depending on their mood and the environment they are in. It is a continuous challenge to stay in a growth mindset and it takes effort to take yourself out of a fixed mindset. I encourage everyone to be mindful of their mental state everyday so that we can approach new experiences with the correct (growth) mindset.
I think that there are some aspects to my mindset that already align with having a growth mindset. I enjoy continuously learning and am outcome driven. I fall short when it comes to collaboration and feedback as I prefer to work by myself and only appreciate feedback when it is positive. Learning to work with others collaboratively and asking for all types of feedback will be a good first step towards creating a stronger growth mindset in myself
Harvard Business has a great video on growth mindset and common misconceptions associated with it.
My current learning plan involves exploring creativity and curiosity in the work I do. I think these attributes align well with neuroplasticity and having a growth mindset because I use them to understand new concepts in programming through different perspectives that shape and reinforce my understanding.
Learning through experimentation is how I can create neuroplasticity within my individual learning journey and get the most out of new experiences/learning new concepts. Experimentation involves both practice and relating new experiences back to what I already know and understand; these are fundamental to creating neuroplasticity and therefore I think it is a good way to blend my learning plan with the concepts I’ve discussed earlier.
Learning to work in collaboration and asking for continuous feedback are growth mindset attributes I would like to get better at. There will be plenty of teamwork opportunities (during the curriculum) to practice my ability to collaborate with others and hopefully bring creativity and curiosity to the table. I hope to share my process with others and at the same time, learn how they think so that I can learn from their perspective. Group work will also be good opportunity for me to ask for feedback regarding my work and I may encourage no positive feedback (for me only) so that I can learn to take criticism constructively.