Initial Thoughts on the Growth Mindset
I find that I really relate to Carol Dweck's work on a personal level. I am someone who has not struggled much with school, and since being in college, I have really enjoyed the more challenging classes I've taken. I've definitely felt frustrated, rather than relieved, when I take "easy A" classes, because I feel cheated out of the learning that I could achieve if the material was more difficult. As a kid, I was definitely more hesitant to take on academic challenges, and definitely was more likely to give up on things that I was not immediately good at. While I hadn't heard of Dweck specifically, I have heard about the growth mindset since elementary school. I found her TED Talk very convincing, and it seems like she has a solid range of evidence about the effect that students' attitudes have on their schoolwork.
That said, I found that the critique by Alfie Kohn raised some important points about the focus on students' mindsets. As a social work student, I have learned to take a systemic perspective when analyzing issues (such as student performance, for instance). Issues that one might need to consider beyond the way in which students are praised include family involvement, sleep, quality of nutrition, stress, safety, relevance of learning materials, and more. One point that Dreck made in her TED Talk is that children in poor communities of color tended to perform worse in school, and benefited substantially from the growth mindset. However, we also know that a number of other issues affect these communities, and it may be harmful to center students' attitudes as the focal point of change (and therefore implied part of the problem!)
Over all, I am excited to learn more about the growth mindset and Dreck's research. I think that it will be helpful to me during the course of this semester, as I know that creative writing is definitely an area where I have room for improvement. Hopefully, this class will be an opportunity to let go of the pressure to write "well" and will instead be a chance to just try something new.
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| P3720397 by Franklin Heijnen |
That said, I found that the critique by Alfie Kohn raised some important points about the focus on students' mindsets. As a social work student, I have learned to take a systemic perspective when analyzing issues (such as student performance, for instance). Issues that one might need to consider beyond the way in which students are praised include family involvement, sleep, quality of nutrition, stress, safety, relevance of learning materials, and more. One point that Dreck made in her TED Talk is that children in poor communities of color tended to perform worse in school, and benefited substantially from the growth mindset. However, we also know that a number of other issues affect these communities, and it may be harmful to center students' attitudes as the focal point of change (and therefore implied part of the problem!)
Over all, I am excited to learn more about the growth mindset and Dreck's research. I think that it will be helpful to me during the course of this semester, as I know that creative writing is definitely an area where I have room for improvement. Hopefully, this class will be an opportunity to let go of the pressure to write "well" and will instead be a chance to just try something new.
Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI think is so great you appreciate the challenge of college and try to avoid "easy A" classed. I myself have found myself frustrated or bored when I feel like I am not using my time wisely while I am at college. I find not a lot of people relate to that so it was nice reading that! I have really enjoyed all of the growth mindset challenges I have done and feel like you should also dive deep into some!