Mindsets and Achievement
Many students believe that intelligence is fixed, that each person has a certain amount and that’s that. We call this a fixed mindset, and, as you will see, students with this mindset worry about how much of this fixed intelligence they possess. A fixed mindset makes challenges threatening for students (because they believe that their fixed ability may not be up to the task) and it makes mistakes and failures demoralizing (because they believe that such setbacks reflect badly on their level of fixed intelligence).
It is the belief that intelligence can be developed that opens students to a love of learning, a belief in the power of effort and constructive, determined reactions to setbacks.
Other students believe that intelligence is something that can be cultivated through effort and education. They don’t necessarily believe that everyone has the same abilities or that anyone can be as smart as Einstein, but they do believe that everyone can improve their abilities. And they understand that even Einstein wasn’t Einstein until he put in years of focused hard work. In short, students with this growth mindset believe that intelligence is a potential that can be realized through learning. As a result, confronting challenges, profiting from mistakes, and persevering in the face of setbacks become ways of getting smarter.
Keeping kids motivated at school, no doubt also effective with many adults …
Back on the tech angle – we develop where we’re challenged and undertake focused practice. For many today, that’s computer games. So where do deep skills in massive multi-player, avatar based computer games, hand-held internet gadgets, multi-tasking and instant connectivity to anyone, anywhere take us. What sort of “collective mind” are we developing?
Article via @andragy