Changing Perspectives A study found that many 10-year old students consider cheating to be a better way to improve their test grades than studying more (Dweck). According to a theory developed by Stanford psychology professor Dr. Carol Dweck, this is due to the prevalence of a “fixed mindset” in today’s students. Dweck’s theory outlines two opposing mindsets: the fixed mindset, and the growth mindset. Those with a fixed mindset believe that people are born with a set amount of intelligence that cannot be changed (Barshay). In contrast, those with a growth mindset believe that intelligence is something that can be improved and developed through effort (Barshay). Dweck states that students with a growth mindset perform better academically because they see challenges as learning experiences rather than evidence of failure (Dweck). I personally agree with Dweck’s theory and believe that adopting aspects of a growth mindset can be beneficial to someone who is struggling with school. In the past I had a fixed mindset and was easily overwhelmed by school work that took any effort at all, while changing my views in college has made it so that I can cope and successfully do things I would have previously given up on. Developing a growth mindset has helped to make me a better student because I can now see that challenges are meant to be persevered through, not taken as a sign of failure.
I consider Dweck’s theory about mindsets to be valid and worth considering when attempting to improve academically. According to Dweck’s theory, children develop a fixed mindset when they are praised only for the results of their actions, such as getting an 'A' on a test, instead of acknowledging the effort and studying it required to earn that positive result (Barshay). This type of praise causes them to believe that their success is due to inherent (i.e. fixed) qualities such as being “smart”, and to base their self-worth on these qualities (Dweck). I agree with this, as I was considered to be naturally smart as a child and as a result developed a fixed mindset. I never had to put effort into doing well in school as getting good grades just seemed to come naturally to me, and because I didn’t have any experience with having to struggle with something before I became good at it I would give up on any hobbies or activities that were difficult before I had even had a chance to improve. I quit gymnastics and playing the flute for this reason. Then when school work became harder around high school and I had to work hard to even get mediocre grades, I couldn’t quit so instead I shut down and started to feel worthless and depressed because I wasn’t “smart” anymore. Dweck’s ideas support this negative aspect of having a fixed mindset, showing that fixed mindset children show a greater tendency than those with a growth mindset to give up at challenging tasks and base their self-worth entirely around the end result instead of acknowledging their own progress (Barshay). Now, to do well in college I have to develop more of a growth mindset attitude towards things. I see that doing well in school is often more about effort and good study habits than being inherently smart or talented. If I don’t do as well on an exam as I would have liked, instead of giving up and deciding that I’m just not good at that subject and That Is That, I reflect on what I did to prepare and think about strategies I can use to do better on the next exam. I feel that this attitude has helped me greatly to stay motivated and maintain a good GPA in college, instead of giving up like I did in high school. Although Dweck's theories are widely accepted, there are still some that disagree that students' mindsets are as important as she proposes. Alfie Kohn, for instance, states that, “no mindset is a magic elixir that can dissolve the toxicity of structural arrangements.” He argues that a major flaw in the idea of fixed and growth mindsets is that it places the blame of doing poorly solely on the student’s mindset and fails to address possible problems with the learning environment that may be inhibiting the student’s learning ability (Kohn). I agree that Dweck’s theory is not perfect, but think that there are clear benefits to that should be acknowledged. She has done studies with children in non-ideal learning environments and found that growth mindset teaching is still beneficial to them, in one study allowing a class of Native American students to go from the worst performing class of their district to the best (Dweck). Additionally, Dweck acknowledges that parents and teachers can play a part in a student developing a fixed mindset, and stresses the importance of praising a student’s effort and process as well as positive results (Barshay). While Dweck’s philosophy is not perfect, I don’t believe that there is yet a better alternative to the growth mindset. I believe that having a growth mindset has helped me to accomplish more than I could have with a fixed mindset. Having a fixed mindset made it easy to give up on things, since you can’t be faulted for not being born good at playing the flute or doing gymnastics. Now that I have a growth mindset, though, I’ve become a more motivated, responsible person because I know that if I want to succeed at something it’s up to me to put in the effort. Even though I’ll never be as talented as some people, I can still become better than the person I was yesterday. Works Cited Barshay, Jill. "Teachers, Parents Often Misuse Growth Mindset Research, Carol Dweck Says." U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report, 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. <http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/11/23/teachers-parents-often-misuse-growth-mindset-research-carol-dweck-says>. Dweck, Carol. “Carol Dweck: The Power of Believing That You Can Improve.” TED, Nov. 2014, www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017. Kohn, Alfie. “The perils of “Growth Mindset” education: Why we’re trying to fix our kids when we should be fixing the system.” Salon. Salon Media Group, Inc., 16 Aug. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. <http://www.salon.com/2015/08/16/the_education_fad_thats_hurting_our_kids_what_you_need_to_know_about_growth_mindset_theory_and_the_harmful_lessons_it_imparts/>
3 Comments
Charlotte
2/23/2017 12:41:54 pm
Hey people :). My questions:
Reply
Kann
2/25/2017 11:17:50 am
Hey Char!
Reply
Emily Masuda
2/27/2017 10:40:37 pm
I admire your transitioning, it's what I tend to struggle the most with.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Charlottebuckle up homestuck cause this is my blog Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
|