There are two views about intelligence: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, but only one of these views has negative consequences on a student’s academic performance. One of the most basic beliefs that society holds about intelligence is that people are born with a certain amount of intelligence and no amount of learning can change that, which illustrates a fixed mindset. However, many people will argue that intelligence has the ability to grow and expand throughout life, which demonstrates a growth mindset. A student’s outlook on intelligence influences how he or she performs academically. Students who consider intelligence as fixed are disheartened by mistakes and hardships, while students who consider intelligence as changeable learn from …show more content…
According to Ben Michaelis, a person 's intelligence is not measured by how well they perform academically, but by how well they adapt to their situations and environment (Michaelis). The idea that students who attain outstanding grades in school are more intellectual than students who receive poor grades is unfair to all students. In 1983, Dr. Howard Gardner identified different types of intelligence, including interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and musical intelligence (Fiero), so to assume that a person is unintelligent based on poor academic performance is unreasonable. In the article, “What Does it Mean To Be Smart?”, the author gives an example of a woman named Angie to demonstrate that academic intelligence is not the main indication of someone’s overall intelligence (Michaelis). Although she did not excel in an academic setting, she had the ability to adapt to her circumstances and capitalize on her talents and interests to create a successful career for herself (Michaelis). In order to start embracing the different forms of intelligence, society, as a whole, needs to eliminate its fixed mindset about what intelligence …show more content…
In a growth mindset, “students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching, and persistence” (Clear). Students with a growth mindset consider failure and setbacks as a sign that they should strive to improve their abilities instead of a sign that they are not skilled (Clear). If people believe that intelligence can grow and improve, then they will most likely be active in their education and actually have motivation to learn more (Sieck). Students with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace challenges, persevere in the face of setbacks, and learn from criticism (“The Impact of a Growth Mindset”). These qualities allow these students to worry less about proving their intelligence through their grades and focus more on their
As Dweck explains, children who are praised for their intelligence does not want to learn hence develop a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is where people believe that their qualities such as talent and intelligence are essentially fixed traits. Such people would only concentrate on documenting their intelligence instead of looking for ways for developing the same. In addition, these people make the assumption that their intelligence would make them successful. On the other hand, a growth mindset is where people are aware that it is possible to develop their abilities through hard work and dedication. When I was in Grade 7, a teacher encouraged all students that they all had the ability to perform well in science. After the initial interaction, the teacher was aware that a certain percentage of the class performed way below average; yet, he did not water down their spirit. I remember the way he used to acknowledge even some insignificant improvement made in his tests by comments such as “You are making good progress so far”. Primarily, this teacher focused on the perseverance, strategies, and efforts the students put towards improvement as opposed to praising talent (Dweck 5). The result was that we changed our attitude and focused more on self-improvement.
It was not until I read Carol S. Dweck’s “Brainology” that I realized I had a fixed mindset. I care more about getting a 4.0 than actually understanding what I am being taught and I also hate struggling. These habits are part of having a fixed mindset. It was after reading this article that I discovered I could change my mindset and be successful. Having a fixed mindset means that you believe that you and others only have a certain amount of intelligence. A growth mindset on the other hand, is believing that everyone has the ability to reach a higher level of intelligence through effort and hardwork.
In the article Mind-Sets and Equitable Education, Carol S. Dweck studies the link between mind-sets and beliefs and the influence it has on student success. This article examines how beliefs about how you learn impact the manner in which you learn. It is stated that growth mind-set as opposed to fixed mind-set promotes student success and achievement. Growth mind-set is the idea that intelligence is not something individuals are born with, but is rather a skill that individuals can develop through hard work and perseverance. Fixed mind-set opposes this idea as it views intelligence as an immutable trait individuals are born with. The article mentions that not only personal mind-set impacts an individual’s success but how they perceive the mind-set
There are many attitudes that form certain mindsets. Some of these mindsets can change how a person does and perceives things. Some mindsets that can do just that are Dweck’s example of a growth mindset and fixed mindsets. According to Dweck, a fixed mindset is one in where “.. students believe that intelligence is fixed..” and a fixed mindset is the “..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. Because people with growth mindsets can through setbacks, and find alternatives to better themselves; They turn to perseverance and hard work to achieve their goals.
The growth mindset, the understanding of intelligence and abilities as qualities individuals can develop, has been shown over and over to have powerful ramifications on students’ motivation and their learning and personal success. Through the research conducted by Dweck and her colleagues, the language surrounding education and intelligence has changed. It is understood that intuitive or natural ability does not translate into success; however, hard work is the major contributor to long-term success. In other words, a brain can be taught and can
Dweck’s view contradicts Isaacson’s because Isaacson believes in intelligence being an innate quality. Dweck however, defines intelligence as how individuals continue to push and persevere despite the several setbacks they encounter. Dweck’s studies show two types of mindsets; growth and fixed. Isaacson’s article leans more towards the fixed mindset rather than to the growth, or ideal mindset. Dweck also focuses more on the process than the final result as she holds learning and hard work in higher regard than the end result.
Carol Dweck wrote the essay “The Two Mindsets” which was from her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, which was published in 2006. In this essay Dweck argues that the way a person thinks about themselves is the determining factor in whether or not they will develop an appreciation of the learning process and be successful in their life. Dweck does not just give one side but both, she refers to the mindsets as “fixed” versus the “growth” and she then argues that a growth mindset is necessary for a person to achieve their goals to their full potential.
Intelligence tests have been developed by scientists as a tool to categorize army recruits or analyze school children. But still discussing what intelligence is, academics have a difficult time defining what intelligence tests should measure. According to the American researcher Thorndike, intelligence is only that what intelligence tests claim it is (Comer, Gould, & Furnham, 2013). Thus, depending on what is being researched in the test and depending on the scientist’s definition of intelligence the meaning of the word intelligence may vary a lot. This essay will discuss what intelligence is in order to be able to understand the intelligence theories and aims of intelligence tests.
In Carol Dweck’s “Brainology” the article explains how our brain is always being altered by our experiences and knowledge during our lifespan. For this Dweck conducted a research in what students believe about their own brain and their thoughts in their intelligence. They were questioned, if intelligence was something fixed or if it could grow and change; and how this affected their motivation, learning, and academic achievements. The response to it came with different points of views, beliefs, or mindset in which created different behavior and learning tendencies. These two mindsets are call fixed and growth mindsets. In a fixed mindset, the individual believes that intelligence is something already obtain and that is it. They worry if they
Firstly, the benefit of a growth mindset is students have smart goals in school. Dweck shows that, " Those with a growth mindset were much more interested in learning than in just looking smart in school " (Dweck 2). Who
Webster’s dictionary defines intelligence as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. Many people, however, think that this definition is extremely narrow and does not encompass the various types of intelligence that a person can have. According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Intelligence, there are nine different forms of intelligence: spatial, intrapersonal, linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, existential, logical-mathematical, musical and naturalist (skyview.vansd.org). This paper will discuss how GPA and intelligence correlate, alternative forms of education that do not involve the standard GPA grading, and whether or not an individual’s GPA truly matters as an indicator of future
The most exceptional of educated people have their mind filled with interfering thoughts. These people live within the fixed mindset, believing they have this “gift” and find themselves limiting their abilities and achievements. In Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset:The New Psychology of success, she explains that living in the opposite, growth mindset, can let you achieve endless obstacles with the love of learning and challenge. Your mindset is not just a mindset of your intelligence, but is a tale tell sign of the way you live your life. She discloses that in order to reach your full potential you must continually work at it, nothing comes naturally. The growth mindset is a result of many reasons such as someone believing in you, accepting that success is trying your best, setbacks are motivation, and also learning to take charge and keeping it up. Dweck illustrates that healthy growth mindset can help you live a fulfilling life regardless of the failures that are thrown at you.
Many students believe that doing well on tests and getting good grades is the equivalent to being intelligent and educated. While those attributes coincide with being knowledgeable, they are not the determining factors of whether or not a person is smart. Being “smart” comes from knowing information – information about matters such as science, cars, or cooking. (14) Everyone is smart in his or her own way. The ways by which people obtain information are different, but the same is true for all that they were taught in some way. Teachers all have different styles of teaching, and these differences have been very apparent to me during my education. Several attributes – the rate at which they teach, how they test, their personalities, and how much
Both pros and cons exist when using a specific source for intelligence. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence recognizes categories that are not traditional, but some of his categories are difficult to test for, such as linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, self-reflective, intrapersonal, musical, and naturalistic (Gardner, 1983; Santrock 2008). Sternberg’s triarchic theory considers practical life intelligence versus an academic intelligence. This system does identify what cannot be taught in a classroom, but does fall short in some core influences.
A fixed mindset is a person with different mindset that care about other things than school. Sometimes students are fixed mindset tempted to do some learning, but at the end attended to do the same as before. Also worry about how much different they are from other students. Growth mindsets believe that intelligence is a potential that can be realized through learning. Students are ready for the challenges they receive. The confidence of a growing student has its untouchable willing to learn more and