Thursday, November 20, 2014
Chapter 2
"The idea of trying and still failing- of leaving yourself without excuses- is the worst fear within the fixed mindset." In particular, this quote stood out to me because I notice this behavior in the classroom. I think of the student who makes excuses for not doing a homework assignment, or the student who immediately says "I'm going to fail" before even attempting an assessment. How do we change these mindsets?
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This comes with time, I think. Many students are afraid of failure. Creating a culture within your classroom that makes it 'okay to be wrong' is a good first step. I have, on several occasions, pointed out to students how, even though their answer wasn't "correct" or "defensible" it made me think about the topic in a new way. Showing them that any contribution has value, and that you wont put them down or make them feel bad for being wrong, is a good step toward combating this mindset.
ReplyDeleteThis quote rings true with my personal experiences with my 14 year old, which I have mentioned before. This weekend we are in Philly for the Mid-Atlantic Region Oireachtas for irish dancing and just this morning she started with the "If they make me do my traditional set alone I am going to mess up and I won't recall." It is maddening trying to get her to see that it would be an opportunity to go alone because the judge would only be focusing on her. She automatically thinks the opposite because she sees it as the judge catching all of her mistakes. Thank goodness she went with two other girls and did recall, but as soon as she left the stage she said that the judge wasn't even watching her and she was sure she wouldn't recall... I am looking forward to reading more and finding out how we change this mindset too!
ReplyDeleteI also felt this quote rang true. Staying with the theme of failures, and how they should impact us, I also liked the comment on page 37 from John Wooden, basketball coach, "You aren't a failure until you start to blame." Dweck goes onto explain, "What he means is that you can still be in the process of learning from your mistakes until you deny them." I agree, we can all learn from our mistakes. Sadly, THE GRADE becomes the all important motivation...even leading some students to cheat to obtain the better grade. As Justin said, we need to create a culture in our classrooms where it is okay to be wrong. Is it awful to say we need to extend this culture beyond our classrooms...into schools in general. Should we be doing away with class rank, salutatorians or valedictorians? Are these just extrinsic motivators? Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteBecause I teach seniors, I see that students are not feeling like they are going to fail, but they are calculating what they have to do to pass with the bare minimum. I look forward to the part of the book where they begin to discuss how to change or work toward a growth mindset.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is that our society is based on the end result. That is why kids compare grades and cheat to get the grade. If effort was valued in society as a whole then class ranking and GPAs would be unnecessary. If recommendation letters were more important in college applications than grades, then kids would view learning differently and the wonder of learning would be more evident and there would be no fear connected to failure. We need to start with individuals, yet the system is contradictory.
ReplyDeleteThe system is contradictory, however, I believe effort will be rewarded somehow someway. Having a high GPA is great, but I firmly believe that students of all levels that work hard will find success in life. We have to help students have realistic goals and not shun trade schools, apprenticeships, and two-year colleges. High GPAs do open doors, but students who are motivated, take initiative, and work hard will open doors too. We have to help students realize that these characteristics are what future employers are looking for.
ReplyDeleteWhen my almost 3 year starts to whine - "mommy, I can't do it...." I say back at her: "Yes, you can...what is your plan?" I let her / help her come up with an idea - try it out. If it doesn't work, we say "No big deal" and then, I ask her: "What is our next plan". The world too soon will teach how to be a fix mind...I may have already started teaching how to be a fixed mind...but I hope to also be helping her to have a growth mind as well when approaching challenges in life....
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