Saturday, January 21, 2017

Growth Mindset: My Thoughts

I have never heard about Carol Dweck before, but I have heard about the growth mindset before in my public speaking class during my sophomore year. My professor spent about five minutes going over the growth mindset and what she said amounted to; a growth mindset is where you don't buy in to the idea that you have a fixed level of intelligence, but rather that everybody has the inherent ability to learn whatever they want as long as they continue to work at their skills. Back then, I liked the idea of a growth mindset and to this day, I have agreed with what she taught us that day. However, before then, I would say that I had more of a fixed mindset because I was usually always good at whatever I did and I never really had to try. That is not to say that my mindset was completely in a fixed state, but it was more in an in-between state of being fixed and growing.
                                                          The Mindset of a Champion
                                                             by David L. Cook, Ph.D.

Now, I would say that I'm almost completely in a growth mindset, because, just as Carol Dweck stated in her videos, it is more satisfying when you put your mind to the task and you work hard and come out on top of a problem, as opposed to simply completing an easy problem and being done with it. Also, if you take the growth mindset and apply it to BMX racing, or any other athletic sporting event, anyone quickly realizes that to be the absolute best, you have to put in the time, sweat, and effort in order to outperform everyone else. Sure, if you have raw talent you might go out and beat a lot of people, but you won't be the best. I believe that those who are most successful both academically and athletically know the importance of putting forth their best effort and not relying 100% on their inherent abilities. With that being said, I find the growth mindset intriguing and I might very well do my own research into it and gain some extra credit points as a bonus.
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6 comments:

  1. UnknownFebruary 11, 2017 at 11:12 AM

    Since I've already commented on your introduction post, I wanted to comment on the growth mindset to see your opinions on it. I hadn't heard of Carol Dweck before this class either, but I do think that she brought up many good points in her growth-mindset attribute, and yes having such a mindset would be an incredible thing. In barrel racing, it's the same as BMX racing, you have to earn it. You definitely can't win if you never put in the time to practice and get better to achieve your goals.

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  2. UnknownMarch 25, 2017 at 11:31 AM

    I, too, love the growth mindset. I, myself, still work on this daily. Especially being a senior, which I'm sure you can relate to, I find it hard to stay focused on my school work because I'm so drained and feel there are other things I could be doing to further my future. Ha. I really like change, in almost everything I do. I get bored after a couple of years of doing the same things over and over again and the same way.

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  3. KasandraApril 16, 2017 at 9:12 PM

    You are so right on the satisfaction aspect of the growth mindset. The reason video games are so fun is because they take practice and to master a video game, one must usually typically do the same levels mutltiple times and get lots of practice, without giving up! If we could all live our lives like high school boys play video games, we would be doing pretty good!

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  4. UnknownMay 1, 2017 at 1:06 AM

    I like your perspective on the growth mindset and I can understand how you went from being in an almost fixed mindset to adapting to a growth mindset. It can be a process and takes practice, just like anything else. With practice though, the growth mindset becomes second nature and you realize you have the potential to attain anything with determination and discipline.

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  5. Jennifer LigonMay 1, 2017 at 3:31 AM

    Before this class, I had not heard of the growth mindset or Carol Dweck. I'm honestly really glad that this class introduced me to it because I find it very helpful. I'm still in the process of fully adopting a growth mindset but I hope to, one day, fully have a growth mindset. I feel like it takes some time but I hope to get there eventually.

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  6. UnknownMay 1, 2017 at 10:02 AM

    Before this class I have never heard of growth mindset but now I have so much to be thankful for because of my peer’s awesome insights. Determination and discipline do not happen overnight but I really appreciate you sharing your struggles with our class in order to help us grow in our mindsets as well! Thank you and I hope you continue to grow your mindset!

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