(Image Information: Growth Mindset
Spencer Burton. Source: Twitter)
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When I think back from my childhood education up until this point, I have always been praised on my intelligence. People would say things like, "Oh you're so smart" or "Wow, I wish I was that smart". I always would love this type of praise, but after watching several talks by Carol Dweck, I now know that that type of praise is actually detrimental.
I had actually never heard of Carol Dweck, or this concept of a growth mindset. But, I am so glad to have learned about this before the Spring semester even starts. Seeing the first video was a Ted Talk, I knew that I was going to enjoy every bit of the message Carol Dweck was about to provide. Over the course of my college career, I have heard several Ted Talks and each one has taught me something I had never thought about before. This was also the case with Carol Dweck.
In elementary school, I was much smarter than all of the kids around me. This had to do with my desire to learn before even going to school. My parents taught me how to read and write before I even went to Pre-K. Because of this, I ended up going to 1st grade the next year. I had skipped a grade.
I continued my education in a private school after that because my parents wanted me to engage in an education curriculum that presented more challenges. The principal at this school wanted me to skip another grade, but my parents didn't want me to be in a class where the age gap was very big. I continued to be told I was "so smart" and "very intelligent".
In high school, I returned to the public school system, where I took all AP classes. I received a lot of AP credit, enough to amount to one year of college. I also scored in the 96th percentile after taking the ACT. I thought college was going to be a piece of cake, that I was going to be able to maintain a 4.0 GPA, and I was going to graduate early. This was not the case.
From Carol Dweck's teachings, I have come to realize that even up until this day, I have a fixed mindset. I have always relied on my intelligence to get me through college. Whenever I got bad grades, I would lose confidence and think my intelligence is running out. I became to realize that I'm average compared to everyone else.
As a science major, every new semester brings new challenges. No science class is the same. For me, it has been super hard to grasp the best technique when studying for science classes. However, after watching these videos, I am planning to go into this semester with a new perspective.
With the idea of a growth mindset, I hope to continue to take challenges head on through my classes this semester, through planning CAC Howdy Week, and through studying for the Dental Admissions Test. Carol Dweck's 10-minute message has truly opened my eyes, and I can't wait to see how it affects my performance this semester. Bring on the challenge!
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I am so glad you connected with Carol Dweck's ideas, Sonali! It is exciting to include this in class because she connects with so many ways that people might be frustrated with school, including people who fall into that trap of school being easy, even too easy, so that you get out of the habit of taking on new challenges. It's useful for school, for work, for life in general, and if you want, you can keep on exploring some of the ways Carol Dweck has researched and written about what mindset means as part of this class. It applies really well to the writing process for example... because writing is always a challenge, but a good one! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Sonali. I think its super awesome that you skipped a grade—your intelligence is definitely something to be proud of because I’m sure you worked really hard to continue performing the way you have. I can relate to feeling down when you don’t receive a grade that was hoped for—especially when you work hard for something. I think it’s a challenge for myself to keep a positive outlook on things when this happens, but Dweck’s perception on mindset is something that will help us all become better at accepting a task as a challenge that can be conquered. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Sonali,
ReplyDeleteI really loved the thoughtful response you had for this post. I like how honest you were with us readers about your past and childhood. I think you did a great job also at allowing yourself to see connections between what you watched and your life. I think everyone is "average" in their own way. I think everyone is crazy and wild sometimes but in their own ways. Just because you get a bad grade doesn't mean you aren't worth so much more in life. Bad grades do not reflect intellect. Intellect is getting back up when all hope is lost and winning in the end!