9/3/13 Why People Succeed -- Growth Mindsets - chicagotribune.com

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Carol  S.  Dweck  is  the  Lewis  and  Virginia  Eaton  Professor  of  Psychology  at  Stanford  University.  She

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Why  People  Succeed  -­-­  Growth

Mindsets

A 4-year-old boy was quite obviously struggling to play themusic from his recent piano lesson. Dad, hearing thecacophony, walked over to his son to sit down and give hima hand. “That’s all right, Dad,” said the son, waving Dad off. “Ihave a growth mindset.”Dr. Carol Dweck told that story in her presentation,“Mindsets: Helping Students Fulfill their Potential,”Thursday night at Glenbard West High School in GlennEllyn. Dr. Dweck has studied and researched why people succeed and how to foster successfor the last 30 years. And while her presentation was made to teachers, what she has to sayapplies to everyone. Dweck has held professorships at Columbia, Harvard, and Stanford, has been elected to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has lectured all over the world. Her scholarlybook, Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development, was named Bookof the Year by the World Education Federation. Her work has been featured in The NewYorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she hasappeared on Today and 20/20, as well as various radio programs. She has a long list ofawards. Furthermore, a conference in “Growth Mindset” is being held at the White House thisweek for which she served as a consultant. This petite, slender, somewhat frail-looking 66-year-old woman is bringing her research-based knowledge and a powerful message to any

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9/3/13 Why People Succeed -- Growth Mindsets - chicagotribune.com

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and all who want to succeed. Dweck’s latest book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – How We Can Learn to FulfillOur Potential, talks about Fixed and Growth Mindsets as keys to learning. What our 4-year-old boy with a Growth Mindset was telling his dad was that he knew he could learn bystruggling, and that he knew he would learn his piano part eventually without help. Some learners have a “Fixed Mindset,” based on the idea that their intelligence is fixed; thisturns people into non-learners. Other students have a “Growth Mindset” that helps themlearn and develop increased intelligence. Neuroscience shows us the tremendous plasticity ofthe brain, proving that new pathways in the brain can readily be formed. In other words,intelligence can be increased, Dweck said. And “Growth Mindset” brains not only increase inintelligence but also actually run warmer than “Fixed Mindset” brains, Dweck said.Alfred Binet, developer of the IQ test, did not believe that the IQ test captured the many-faceted concept we call intelligence. It simply provides a snapshot of intelligence at a givenmoment in time. Kids blossom at different times and in different ways, resulting in increased intelligence for thechild – we can’t just give a test in second grade and know who’s gifted. Binet himself had aradical “Growth Mindset” and designed curricula to make kids smarter – to increase theirintelligence, said Dweck.Research shows that three “mindset rules” exist, Dweck said.Rule 1: Looking good versus wanting to learn. Fixed Mindset Students want to look smart atall costs. As the work gets harder, their grades drop. Growth Mindset Students want to learnat all costs. As the work gets harder, their grades go up.Illustrating Rule 1, research involving pre-medical school students shows that the ones whocare most about grades receive poorer grades, and the ones who care most about learningwork harder and receive better grades.Rule 2: Effort. The Fixed Mindset says that learning should come naturally, and that if youhave to try harder to succeed, then something is wrong. The Growth Mindset says to workhard – effort is the key. Illustrating Rule 2, Dweck said that what separates geniuses fromtalented learners is the passionate, dedicated, deliberate effort geniuses display, pushingthemselves out of their comfort zones and finding ways to overcome their weaknesses.Mindset research reveals a concept called, “the curse of natural talent.” This illustrates Rule 2,Dweck said. Many child prodigies never finish college or find satisfactory work. Because theywere so intelligent as children, they never learned to work hard. “No one should coast.Everyone must be challenged,” said Dweck.Further illustrating Rule 2, research on top professional athletes shows that they were neverthe best athletes in their early years. They had to work hard to improve and fight their way tothe top, and their hard work got them there. While we see Michael Jordan fully formed, wedon’t necessarily see and the effort and struggle it took to get him there.Rule 3: Adversity. Fixed Mindset Students, in the face of adversity, use less effort or cheat.Growth Mindset Students, In the face of adversity, confront their deficiencies, view mistakesas challenges, and work hard.Dweck said the Fixed Mindset provides no recipe for recovering from failure. Rather, thesestudents give up, retreat to their comfort zone, blame others, act bored, and try to feelsuperior, for example, by looking only at the exams of others who did worse than they did. Bydoing so, they conclude that they are actually doing pretty well.

Praise for SuccessPraise can be harmful, Dweck said. Praising a child’s intelligence or ability undermines thechild, Dweck said. Research has shown that such praise of toddlers affects them negatively asstudents five years later.Praise can be helpful. Praising effort helps students become better learners. “Wow, that’s areally good score. You must have tried really hard.”Praising intelligence puts kids in a Fixed Mindset and instantly turns kids into non-learners.These kids have the status of being intelligent, so they feel they shouldn’t have to struggle.Those children tend to choose easy tasks so that they can succeed more easily, and as many as40% have been found to lie about their lower test scores.Research shows that after a difficult task, those Fixed Mindset students used to receivingpraise for their intelligence feel bad, and their performance goes down. They want to looksmart first and foremost. Conversely, Growth Mindset learners praised for their learning

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processes tended to complete the difficult task and feel successful.Praise for success means praising the following: choosing difficult tasks, effort, struggle,persistence despite setbacks, strategies used, choices made, learning, and improving. If a child completes a task very quickly and correctly, you might say: “I’m sorry I wasted yourtime. Let’s find something you can learn from.”Parents can initiate Growth-Mindset dinner table talk. “Who had a fantastic struggle today?”“What are you going to struggle with tomorrow?” Parents and children alike can talk proudlyabout struggles they’ve had and mistakes they’re made.Dweck says she is falling in love with a new word – “yet.” She likes that in some public schools,kids don’t get failing report card grades – they get a “Not yet.” “Not yet” tells students youthink they are capable and will learn. Students come to believe they are capable. I’m not goodat math – YET. I can’t do it – YET. I tried it, but it didn’t work – YET. Ever the researcher,however, Dweck says that while she is enthusiastic about “yet,” the research on “yet” has notbeen finished, so it would be inappropriate for her to draw any final conclusions.

On Standardized TestsDweck urges educators: Don’t teach to standardized tests. The test is just a snapshot of thatday. It doesn’t measure kids’ intelligence or tell how well they’ll do in the future.Administrators need to give teachers the freedom to teach – not make teachers focus onstandardized tests. Stanford University is now looking beyond test scores in their admissions process. They alsowant to know which students have strong interests and how they are pursuing those interests.

On Relationship ProblemsDoes Growth Mindset have a role to play in solving relationship problems?Those with a Growth Mindset will treat a relationship problem as an opportunity to hashthings out, deepen the relationship, become closer. If one or both parties have messed up, theycan view their mistakes as challenges, opportunities to learn. But Dweck noted that she andher husband have also created a special strategy to help with their own relationship problems.They have invented an imaginary third person in their relationship -- named Maurice – andthey both blame him!

Finally, Dweck suggested that one can pursue happiness through learning rather thanthrough instant gratification, such as video games. We’re all struggling – we all need to grow.It’s not so easy, but we’re in it together. Her ultimate message: make yourself into somethingextraordinary!

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9/3/13 Why People Succeed -- Growth Mindsets - chicagotribune.com

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