One of the speakers (Dr Carol Dweck)at the National Association for Gifted Children Conference I listened to had an interesting theory on "Mindsets". Her assertion is that gifted students can be categorized into two different mindsets: Fixed and Growth. A student with a fixed mindset has been able to get along on talent and ability but is resistant to actual learning. The speaker asserts that talent is merely a starting point in an educational journey and that ability, gifts, and talent are malleable and can be trained. A student with a fixed mindset must LOOK smart at all times and is resistant to put themselves in a position that might challenge themselves academically. They hide mistakes and conceal difficulties and find that effort makes them feel dumb simply giving up on a difficult project while trying to blame others. A student with a growth mindset is all about the learning and will study to gain knowledge, not just to do well on a test. They believe in working hard and systematically addressing their weaknesses and will capitalize on their mistakes taking steps to fix the problem. A student with a growth mindset will link success to effort. Students with fixed mindsets will encounter difficulty as they advance through the system when they encounter difficulties which they are not able to conquer with talent alone.
It is possible to develop intelligence through hard work and by taking risks.
Watch Will SMith talk about effort and its rewards.
Is it possible to have both fixed and growth mindsets? I think so. A person's mindset will generally fit into either fixed or growth categories, but when you examine specifics, it is clear that both types exist in everyone. I also think that a person can change between fixed and growth. For example, when I was in elementary school, I was very good at math and didn't have to work to get the marks I wanted. As I have progressed through my educational career, I have had to begin working and adopting the growth mindset towards math. I can no longer get by on talent alone, because my talent is not enough to give me good grades anymore. I have found that math is no longer my strong point, and I must seek out help and study in order to get back to where I want to be in this subject.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ninu. It is possible to have both. The big difference is whether or not we strive to use our gifts to gain others. There a parable about how three men were given gifts. The first was given five, the second, three, and the third, only one. At the end of their life, the first and second man had both doubled their talents. But the third man had hardly used his talents and didn't strive to gain more. He still had only one. This shows that if we really try, we will succeed.
ReplyDeleteI really think the comments Will Smith made were very powerful. Greatness is all of us. that is an incredible and true statement. Our potential to affect the people around us, even possibly the world, is bigger than we realize. Everything we say and do affect the people around. Sometimes this will affect the attitude of another person, which can change how another person will view the changed person. In the end, this has a domino affect. With even one action, twenty people could have been affected. To take the talents we are given and to make a difference with those gifts is an amazing thing.
I think that I have both mindsets- fixed and growth. Like Ninu, up to around grade 7 I never studied, got high A's on my exams, and expected it to stay that way. However, I am open to growth... I know that from the things that I am not so good at (not to be mentioned, my fixed mindset does not want to look stupid). I do believe that hard work will help you gain mental capacity- but just that: plain, hard work. I don't believe, that as Will Smith said, you can decide that something will happen and it will. I actually disagree with a lot of what he said; I think it's nice that he's so sure of him himself ("I know who I am and that's all I need to know"), but I see a sort of arrogance in that- you need to know a LOT more about human dynamics and human mind for success- knowing who you are is just the first step. I also disagree that you can not have skill without work. Take Bach, or other composers or natural geniuses- they of course practiced noon and nights, but would not have gotten so far without their pure, raw, talent.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are fixed mind sets and growth mindsets. A lot of people are somewhere in between because a lot of people are eager to learn and also rely on talent. The modern day way to have success needs the person to have talent, to work hard with a growth mindset and to have a little luck.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that a person can have a fixed mind sets and growth mindsets. I also think that if someone has a fixed mindset that they could easily develop it into a growth mindset if they open up their mind to new things that are challenging for them. Will Smith is a very confident speaker and I think some of what he says sunk into my brain and got me thinking, like when he said this,"You have to decide what you're going to do, then make it happen." Some people don't look for what they do, what they do finds them. Although, I don't think that happens for most people.
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