By showing students that they have the power to improve and by providing opportunities for them to see progress toward goals, they'll come to understand that their own effort may control the outcome. *case for allowing to re-do any work with a low grade*

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's continuous capacity to generate new neural networks in response to stimuli.

The expression "neurons that fire together, wire together" refers to the process by which the brain constructs neural networks. The neuroplastic response includes the building of more neuronal connections as well as the thickening of the myelin around existing connections. The additional layers of myelin around the axons increases the speed of information travel and protects the circuit from being easily eroded through disuse.

Activating students' existing relevant prior knowledge takes place when they understand a framework into which the new learning belongs. This awareness guides the brain to recognize connections with existing memory networks in the hippocampus. To ensure that there is related existing memory in the hippocampus to link with the new input, it is essential to help students become aware of their prior knowledge. Strategies to ensure activation of prior knowledge include the use of pre-assessments, advance organizers, essential questions, concept maps, graphic organizers, and "hook" activities. 

Once encoded, short-term memory requires mental manipulation of the new information—it must be thought about or applied—to form richer and deeper connections and ensure its place in long-term memory storage. 

What can we do to motivate sustained effort from a stingy brain and improve the mindset of students, especially those who have experienced failure and the erosion of their confidence in school? To answer this question, consider an activity that is popular among many young people and that leads them, despite repeated failures, to persevere—video games!

We have identified four elements of this model that educators can replicate to enhance the learning of their students: (1) establishing a desirable goal, (2) offering an achievable challenge, (3) providing constant assessment with specific feedback, and (4) acknowledging progress and achievement en route to a final goal.

*teaching their peers, teaching someone who doesn't know anything about the topic. In teaching their peers at the beginning of class...ok if didn't prepare/read ahead of time, can pair up with someone else who didn't prepare and teach last weeks material, or with me and teach me anything they remember. Scaffolding a larger assignment. Feedback as incremental pieces of information to adjust project, rather than as criticism or a deduction of grade.