Teaching neuroplasticity review

Teaching students about neuroplasticity can help support a growth mindset, according to analysis of 10 studies by researchers. Researchers reported improved motivation and discouraged stereotypes when students were taught that their brains can change and learn new things.
Sarrasin, J. et al. (2018).  Effects of teaching the concept of neuroplasticity to induce a growth mindset on motivation, achievement, and brain activity: A meta-analysis. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 12, 22-31. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211949318300024?via%3Dihub

Librarian 2.0 in a Technological World

This study discusses a research project that fills this gap. Funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, the project identifies the key skills, knowledge, and attributes required by “librarian 2.0.” Eight themes emerged as being critical to “librarian 2.0”: technology, communication, teamwork, user focus, business savvy, evidence based practice, learning and education, and personal traits. This article will provide a detailed discussion on each of these themes. The study’s findings also suggest that “librarian 2.0” is a state of mind, and that the Australian LIS profession is undergoing a significant shift in “attitude.”

Partridge, H., Lee, J., & Munro, C. (2010). Becoming “librarian 2.0”: The skills, knowledge, and attributes required by library and information science professionals in a web 2.0 world (and beyond). Library Trends, 59(1-2), 315-335. https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/18735/59.1-2.partridge.pdf

Growth mindset study

Students in poverty are less likely that others to have a growth mindset, but those who do can be more resilient to poverty's effects, a new study finds. But poor students studied by researchers were also less likely to have a growth mindset than their higher income peers, researchers found.
Dweck, C., Claro, S., & Paunesku, D. (2016). Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/07/13/1608207113.abstract

Students who have a growth mindset are more likely to consider poor academic performance as a temporary setback that can be overcome, according to a recent study. The study's lead author looked at students' reactions to transitioning to high school by tracking their levels of the stress hormone cortisol. For most students it drops back down to normal levels a day later, but for some it stays high. These students remain fixated on the setback and have difficulty moving forward. A majority of these students—68 percent—experienced a drop in grades in the first semester and reported feeling stressed as a result. In how they handled that stress, two clear groups emerged. Students who believed that intelligence can be developed—a growth mindset—were more likely to see setbacks as temporary, and not only had lower overall cortisol levels but were able to return to lower levels shortly after a setback. Students who believed that intelligence is fixed, on the other hand, felt threatened by the setback and had trouble thinking about solutions.
Lee, H. et al. (2018).  An entity theory of intelligence predicts high cortisol levels when high school grades are declining. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13116