Welcome to LearnLawBetter, where today I am going to help you understand how to get smarter.
As it turns out, there is actually a switch in your brain, that is either on or off, and more
importantly, you have the power to turn it on.
Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to share with you some brain science, which revolves
around the issue of resiliency—a concept that is closely correlated to getting smarter.
In one study, scientists attached electrodes to students so that they could check brain
activity.
The students were then confronted with a difficult problem that their brains could not answer.
One group of students showed lots of electrical energy as their brains started working, while
the other sets of students showed very little brain activity.
The first group of students did not have a higher IQ than the second group, but what
they did have was a growth mindset, as they were willing to engage with the problem.
And that folks, is the difference: a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset.
Those with a growth mindset will get smarter, while the others will have a more difficult
time.
Part of the problem was created by my generation.
We have given the younger generation the wrong kind of feedback, praising performance over
process.
You develop a fixed mindset when all you hear are things like “you need to get an A in
the course, or you need to get first place.”
To develop a growth mindset, you need to praise for how students come up with solutions as that
encourages a growth mindset.
Interestingly, the human brain is not hardwired for one mindset or the other.
In other words, if you currently have a fixed mindset you can flip the switch and become
a person with a growth mindset.
So now the million dollar question: how do you flip the switch?
Well, I guess that’s all for today—no, no, I'm just kidding.
Let me give you the answer.
The answer actually lies inside of you, and your decision on what your going to do when you
struggle with difficult problems.
When you have a difficult case, that you don't understand, do you go to case briefs?
Do you rely on your small group for your answers?
Do you constantly go talk to your professor when you don't have the answers?
If you are doing these things you are a fixed growth mindset person and
you're not going to do as well as you want to do.
Instead, you need to struggle with the material when you don’t understand it.
Learn to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty, and think about why you don’t understand
the difficult material.
I have several other videos that provide you with steps on how to master difficult material,
such as the 15 minute method and the Pomodoro technique—use these methods and become smarter.
The second way to become smarter is to understand that you can become smarter—that you are not
doomed to mediocrity and failure.
Once you believe that you can do it, then you will start taking positive steps to do
better.
Now, I’m not saying you are going to move from C student to A student overnight, because
that is not how the brain works.
But you can move from a C to a C+ student in a semester, and then to a B- student.
The key is to figure out where you are, what the problem is, and then start improving.
Through your resiliency you can develop a growth mindset and become smarter.
Let me end this episode by sharing my observations after teaching thousands of law students.
The students that improved are the students that struggled.
When they came to see me, I didn't give them answers but instead I challenged them with
questions.
Many of them did not like this approach, but I knew that unless they struggled to find
the answers on their own they would never truly learn the material.
In other words, getting smarter is about the process of learning, and not about knowing
more information.
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what topics you want me to cover in a future episode.
We have many other episodes, so feel free to explore.
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Thank you for watching.