Did you know that our brain is plastic?
Well, it doesn't mean our brain made of plastic, though. Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to change throughout life. The brain has the amazing ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells (neuron).It is AMAZING!
In addition to genetic factors, the environment in which a person lives, as well as the actions of that person, play a role in plasticity.
Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain:
1. At the beginning of life: when the immature brain organizes itself.Plasticity, learning and memory
2. In case of brain injury: to compensate for lost functions or maximize remaining functions.
3. Through adulthood: whenever something new is learned and memorized
For a long time, it was believed that as we aged, the connections in the brain became fixed. Research has shown that in fact the brain never stops changing through learning. Plasticity is the capacity of the brain to change with learning. Changes associated with learning occur mostly at the level of the connections between neurons. New connections can form and the internal structure of the existing synapses can change.
Did you know that when you become an expert in a specific domain, the areas in your brain that deal with this type of skill will grow?
For instance, Mr. A, 38 years old, is a native Indonesia. He started to learn English when he was 13 (middle school age). Currently, he works in multinational oil company, where he needs English a lot. He's realized that oftentimes he lose such opportunities to get ahead in his company, compared to his peers Engineer with better English skills. Yeah, it is a matter in rivalry world, otherwise you will be left behind. Later on, he takes up some English courses with the hope that he will improve his English skills.
My question is, do you think Mr. A will improve his English skills?
Some of you say "yes" and I hear some of you say "hard to say "yes".
I personally believe that "yes", Mr. A will improve his English skills. Why not? I mentioned above that, "Research has shown that in fact the brain never stops changing through learning". I believe, this changing is not only happen to children but adults also. Of course, you can not compare children's brain plasticity to adults', but if adult do learning regularly with good learning strategy, I firmly believe that adult can reach same second language fluency as children have.
So, don't you ever say this, "I'm too late to learn". Always, never too late to learn something. God has blessed human with amazing brain that can receive many new things and store it in our brain. Do you want to fully use your brain? Or just keep it original and useless? Life is a choice! Cheer!!
