Thinking About Thinking

Metacognition

Self-awareness of cognitive processes; thinking about thinking.

Amygdalae

Two small areas located in the middle of the brain that are associated with emotional responses to events.

The Average Amount Of Nerve Cells In A Person's Brain

100 billion nerve cells called neurons.

Self-Monitoring

A metacognitive skill. When you reflect (use self-awareness)on how you learn best, use new study strategies and then evaluate how that approach works for you, and make adjustments as needed — that's self-monitoring.

Why Is This Important?

As you are reading this text, you're brain is creating new neural connections and weeding out others. Research has shown that when students visualize how their brains work—neurons glowing, synapses firing—it helps their mindset and motivation toward learning and the level of effort they exert. Scientific studies show that you can actually make yourself smarter by putting in more effort and studying in a smarter way.

What Happens to Your Brain During Teenage Years?

As you enter your teenage years, your brain's neural growth spurt gives way to an extended period of "pruning" and reorganization of synapses. Each year from age 13 to 18, you actually lose about one percent of your gray matter as idle or underused synapses wither and more frequently used pathways are strengthened. So it turns out that your brain as well as your body is maturing throughout puberty.

The Is The Role of Hormones?

At the same time that your brain is going through the pruning and maturing phases, it is also flooding your body with hormones. Some of these hormones are responsible for the physical changes that occur during puberty. Others can wreak havoc on your emotional state of mind and lead to ill-advised decision making and risky behavior. This is why teens are sometimes labeled "impulsive" or "reckless." Teenage hormones get a bad reputation, but they can have positive effects. If you channel those high-charged emotions into positive pursuits—studies, sports, or music, for example—you can improve your performance dramatically.

Dendrites

Branchlike extensions at the end of the neuron that receives signals from other neurons.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical compounds that influence or activate brain functions.

Cognition

Conscious mental processes; also the product of those processes.

Neurons

Individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information.

Motivation

Let's say your graphic organizer about the three branches of U.S. government made you ace a test. When you reflect about a learning strategy and find that it makes you successful, you reinforce your belief that you can have control over your learning. It makes you feel motivated to use that same strategy again! And it may increase your overall motivation in school.

How Does The Brain Learn?

Neurons send electrical impulses to other neurons at junctions called synapses. Into the synapses, neurons release neurotransmitters—chemical compounds that affect the neighboring neurons. "Learning occurs," as educational consultant Dr. David Sousa puts it, "by changing the synapses so that the influence of one neuron on another also changes."

How Does Your Brain Mature?

Recent studies have shown that the teenage brain matures in stages from back to front, starting with the cerebellum. Ironically, the last part to reach maturity is the one that many teenagers really need.

The teenage brain undergoes a process of "pruning," but what exactly does that mean?

Scientists differ over how and to what degree this neural housecleaning affects a teen's learning process. If you are participating in an activity—whether it's schoolwork, sports, or creative hobbies—then those cells and connections will be strengthened. If you're "lying on the couch or playing video games or [watching] MTV, those are the cells and connections that are going to survive."

The Neurons And Synapses Together Are Referred To As?

The "Gray Matter" Of The Brain

Prefrontal Cortex

The gray matter of the anterior part of the frontal lobe of the brain, highly developed in humans and associated with complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning; also prefrontal lobe.

Why don't babies and small children talk and think like grown-ups?

The number of neurons may not change, but the neurons themselves do. From age 6 to about 12, these dendrites grow bushier and thicker and become more complex. Think of a six-year-old's neural network as a street map of a small town; by the time he or she is 12, the town has grown into a major city.

The Cerebellum

This part of your brain is responsible for coordinating your movements, posture, and balance.

Learning Strategies

When students fail, they often think it's because they are not smart enough and never will be. As a result of your self-monitoring, learn and implement new learning strategies. For example, you might try a graphic organizer to study the three branches of U.S. government.

What Do Cognition And Metacognition Do?

When you were a small child, the way you thought about things, evaluated situations, and reached decisions was far different than it is today. Your thought process, or cognition , has grown more sophisticated. One of the most important changes is that you're now able to think about how you think. Metacognition is defined as "thinking about thinking." It means having knowledge about your own learning and how you learn. Realizing that you don't understand what you've just read and knowing what to do to correct yourself (look for pictures, take some notes, read it out loud) is an example of a metacognitive skill. When you decide it will take you a one-hour session to prepare for a history test but you need three fifteen-minute practice drills for a math quiz, you are exhibiting a metacognitive skill. That is, you understand your own thinking and learning capabilities as related to history and math.

Will You Have Better Decision Making Skills Over Time?

Yes. The frontal lobe reaches maturity at around age 25. Adults use the fully developed frontal lobe to make decisions; teenagers rely on the amygdalae , two small areas located in the middle of the brain that are associated with emotional responses to events. Psychological studies that have tracked children's development over time confirm that decision making improves as you get older.