Growth Mindset

 

(image source: metrifit.com)

 

 I had never heard of this concept before, and was intrigued by Carol Dwek's TedTalk (love me a good tedtalk). After looking at a lot of images and memes, I see myself leaning toward a fixed mindset. I'm very guilty of thinking "this is good enough," and just turning things in. Usually this happens in classes I really don't enjoy - really anything I don't enjoy.

When I used to take art classes, if we were studying a type of art I didn't enjoy I would "good enough" myself through the entire project.

But when it is something I really enjoy, I am a 'growth mindset' worker. I find when I work on homework or projects at work where I enjoy what I am doing, I put my all into it. For instance - I had to take an SQL coding class which is something I never thought I would be able to do, let alone enjoy. Every project we worked on was so fun to me, and I finished that class with an A. On the flipside, I had to take an R coding class, and I hated every second of it. Squeezed out a very low B.

I think Dwek's ideas are interesting, and agree in a sense. I think challenging oneself is great for growth - it's how you learn and progress in skill. I don't, however, think that applies in all contexts. Dwek mentions giving a group of 10 year olds problems that were too difficult for them. Some responded positively, and others responded with despair (that would be me). 

I think this is a product of our education system. I grew up in the era of No Child Left Behind, and I (and many other students) was failed by this system. I was tested for learning disabilities and put into special education classes because I couldn't keep up with my peers who were able to withstand the "challenging" subject material. It made me really hate school, and I would spend most of class time day dreaming or reading books through lectures. 

My little brother is ten years younger than me, and had a completely different education experience. He was put into gifted classes in second grade. All throughout elementary and middle school he was enrolled in high-level courses. He joined a robotics club, an engineering class. He had many different opportunities that normal or under-performing students do not have. Now as a junior in high school, he has decided he wants to drop out. 

There is an endemic of gifted students suffering from depression, burnout, and academic fatigue. Many high school students in this group are faced with immense amounts of pressure to succeed, compete amongst their peers, and challenge their abilities so that they can get into amazing colleges.

There are many articles discussing this that I'll link below.

Challenging oneself isn't a bad thing - if you want to hone a skill, you'll have to be challenged. The difference is, you aren't being forced into the challenge. Knowing yourself and what you are capable of gives you the confidence to face certain challenges. For example: if I tried to challenge myself to work out a mathematical formula for rocket science, I would end up in tears because I know I can't do it.

That doesn't make me stupid, but my skills are in different areas and I know that for a fact.

The students challenged by Dwek could very well have been in a fixed mindset - or they could have known their capabilities. Not every student is going to respond to a challenge the same way, because not every student learns the same way.

Wow what a wall of text. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

National Association for Gifted Children Article on Depression.

Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals By James T. Webb.

 The Unhappy Intellectually Gifted Child.