Applied Brainology®

Welcome! Applied Brainology is a course to help you learn how to use everything you know about the brain to get better at whatever you want. It's going to be amazing!  

In each module, you'll watch a video and complete a reflection or handout that goes with it. Then you'll move through the other lessons as prescribed by your teacher.

Below is an outline of the 5 video modules of the course with a brief description of each. The videos are between 1 and 6 minutes long. You may watch them more than once to learn the information.

Click on the Module 1 Tab at the top left of this window to begin the course!

The Brainology tab...

5.  Share your practice with colleagues and see what they've done.  Click the link below to access the Sharing Projects discussion forum. 

Module 2 Results Forum Shareout

1. Assess your school's mindset. Click the link below to participate.

What's Your Classroom Mindset? Part 2

1. Assess your classroom's mindset. Click the link below to participate.

What's Your Classroom Mindset? - Part 1

1. Assess your current mindset. Click the link below to participate.

What's My School Mindset?

Applied Brainology^® Course Outline:  

Click the link below to get started.

 Module 1: The Malleable Mind

Pre-Survey

Applied Brainology Pre Survey

This is NOT a test! This is a survey which can be used to see how you think about learning and effort. Please answer the questions honestly.

Activity One: Pre-Write Discussion Forum

1. Answer this question in the Pre-Write Discussion Forum:

What do you think happens inside your brain when you are learning something new? If you aren’t sure, just make your best guess.

2. Reply to at least one other classmate’s comments. Keep the conversation going!

Activity Two: Videos 

1. Watch the video about what happens when your brain grows. 

2. Take notes and jot down anything you didn't know before. You can pause the video if you need to. 

3. Watch the video about how a growth mindset can change your brain. 

4. Take notes and jot down something that interests you. You can pause the video if you need to. 

Activity Three: Compare and Contrast Discussion Forum

1. Answer these questions in the Compare and Contrast Discussion Forum:

• • Compare and contrast your writing in the first discussion forum to the information you learned in the videos. 
  • What is at least one new thing that you learned about what happens inside the brain when it grows?

2. Reply to at least one other classmate’s comments. Keep the conversation going!

Activity Four: Quiz

 Mod 1 Quiz: The Malleable Mind

Activity Five: What Else Can I Do?

1. Can I improve my work? Check your work in the discussion forum. Did you add to the discussion in a way that helped keep an academic conversation going? If not, edit your comments and make them better.  

2. Can I be a more active learner? Effective learners ask questions to clarify ideas. Write down three questions to ask your teacher during the debrief time, so that it shows you are thinking about the content of this class!

3. What's next for me? Still have time left? Watch the video one or two more times, but VISUALIZE your own brain growing as you watch. Think about something you are trying to get better at. Remind yourself that this is what is happening in your brain as you practice.

Activity One: Video

1. Watch the video.

2. Take notes to help you process the information. 

Activity Two: Discussion Forum

1. Answer this question in the Module 2 Discussion Forum:

Now that you have learned a bit about what the brain needs to grow stronger, what do you think you could do to improve your brain-healthy choices?

2. Reply to at least one other classmate’s comments. Keep the conversation going!

Activity Three: Quiz

 Mod 2 Quiz: How the Brain Works

Activity Four: What Else Can I Do?

1. Can I improve my work? Look at page 1 of your video handout. Are all of the words spelled correctly? In question 6, did you answer BOTH questions completely? See if you can make your responses even better!  

2. Can I be a more active learner? Effective learners quiz themselves (or ask a study partner to help them). For questions 2, 3, and 4, read the question and turn over your paper to “quiz yourself” to see how much you remember about those brain facts. If someone near you is also finished, you can quiz each other! 

Activity One: Video

1. Watch the video. 

2. Take notes for a better understanding and to prepare for the quiz at the end of the module. 

Activity Two: Discussion Forum

1. Answer this question in the Module 3 Discussion Forum:

What can your friends or classmates do to help you when you get upset or stressed out?

2. Reply to at least one other classmate’s comments. Keep the conversation going!

Activity Three: Quiz

 Mod 3 Quiz: Emotions and Learning

Activity Four: What Else Can I Do?

1. Can I improve my work? Look at page 1 of your video handout. Are all of the words spelled correctly? In question 5, did you give a complete and thoughtful answer? See if you can make your responses even better!  

2. Can I be a more active learner? Effective learners quiz themselves (or ask a study partner to help them). For questions 2 and 3, read the question and turn over your paper to “quiz yourself” to see how much you remember about those stress management strategies. If someone near you is also finished, you can quiz each other! 

3. What's next for me? Still have time left? Watch this bonus video - a TEDx talk by Eduardo Briceño that will teach you even more about a growth mindset! TEDx

Activity One: Video

1. Watch the video. 

2. Take notes for a better understanding and to prepare for the quiz at the end of the module. 

Activity Two: Discussion Forum

1. Answer this question in the Module 4 Discussion Forum:

What did you think about the study with the summer camp and couch potato rats? What questions or ideas came up for you when you learned about that?

2. Reply to at least one other classmate’s comments. Keep the conversation going!

Activity Three: Quiz

 Mod 4 Quiz: Brain Power

Activity Four: What Else Can I Do?

1. Can I improve my work? Look at page 1 of your video handout. On the first question, were you specific about the strategies or habits you used to “get good at” that thing? See if you can make your responses even better!  

2. Can I be a more active learner? An effective learner asks him or herself - “How well do I understand this?” In this video, we showed you research about the brain. Do you understand why the study about the rats is so powerful? Check your answer to question #5. Is it really clear to you how the rats show us about our own brain’s needs and potential? See if you can explain even better, or talk about it with another classmate who is finished to see what their thoughts are.  

3. What's next for me? Still have time left? Take a look at this blog post by an eighth grader who wrote a reflection about having a growth vs. fixed mindset!  

Activity One: Video

1. Watch the video.

2. Take notes for a better understanding and to prepare for the quiz at the end of the module. 

Activity Two: Discussion Forum

1. Answer this question in the Module 5 Discussion Forum:

What did you think about the SLANT strategy? What part of SLANT are you very good at doing already? Where could you improve?

2. Reply to at least one other classmate’s comments. Keep the conversation going!

Activity Three: Quiz

 Mod 5 Quiz: Memory and Learning

Activity Four: What Else Can I Do?

1. Can I improve my work? Look at page 2 of your video handout. On questions 3 and 4, see if you can make your responses even better!  

2. Can I be a more active learner? Effective learners quiz themselves (or ask a study partner to help them). For questions 1, 2, and 5, read the question and turn over your paper to “quiz yourself” to see how much you remember about those brain facts. If someone near you is also finished, you can quiz each other! 

3. What's next for me? Still have time left? What is something that you really want to improve at? Or, what is something that you don’t know how to do, but would like to learn? Put that thing in your mind… Now, take a look at the How to Build Intelligence poster. This poster shows what happens in your brain when you are learning new things if you are working hard and using effective effort.  

Post-Survey

Applied Brainology Post - Survey

This is NOT a test! This is a survey which can be used to see how you've changed your thinking about learning and effort. Please answer the questions honestly.

Complete

Print Certificate

When you complete all of the activities in the course, you can print a Certificate of Completion.