"Growth" vs "Fixed" Minds

What an interesting listen with The Stanford Challenge: “Growth” vs. “Fixed” Minds podcast. This podcast told about a study that was done where two sets of students were given a set of study skills, however, one set of the students were told that their brain is a muscle that grows with its use. The more you use it the better grades and results you will receive.

This study resulted grades continually dropping in the students who received only the study skills. However, those students who received the study skill and told that their brain needs to be used to grow continually received grades higher and higher. The professor who spoke, tried to explain that some students feel nervous or apprehensive about a task and wonder if they will look smart or feel smart when they are doing it, but there are another set of students who think, how can I use this task to make me smarter.

This pod casts shows us future teachers how each and every child in our class will be different. Their mind set will be different as they come in our doors. We must, as teachers, give them this knowledge that their brain is a muscle that needs to be used to “keep those neurons connected” as stated from the professor in the video. We must be there for our students as they feel they may have reached their “peak” of smartness and inform them that there is much, much more for them and to keep on striving for growth.