202409301626 Status: #idea Tags: #learning_theory # Growth Mindset Our brains are not static - they change significantly in response to learning. The key is - this learning must be intensely **effortful**. Easy learning, such as re-reading notes, does not produce robust changes in brain structure. Frequent and spaced testing & essay writing along with [[Answer Generation]], [[Topic Elaboration]], and [[Topic Reflection]] is what gives our brain the powerful impetus to alter itself. The more difficult your learning, the better. So we need to **embrace difficult learning styles** in order to improve. Re-reading may feel better in the moment, but the approaches mentioned above are what will cause long-lasting changes. In addition, we need to be aware that our brains change in response to intense effort, and that while our genetics do provide an upper ceiling for our intellectual abilities, we never actually REACH that ceiling without applying the effort to alter our brain to be the most efficient version of itself possible. We need a **growth mindset**, that looks at learning as a lifelong process to mold your brain into the most powerful version of itself possible --- # References [[Make it stick_ the science of successful learning]]