Mindset Chapter 3 Reflection

Chapter 3 "The Truth About Ability and Accomplishment.

In this chapter Carol Dweck talks (amongst other things) about the low effort syndrome. Students whos primary goal at school is to exert as little effort as possible. I interacted last week with a student in exactly this mindest. He had a choice of activities and had selected the one which he believed required the least effort. It held no interest to him at all and he really had exerted little effort in attempting to meet the criteria for the assignment. I asked him why he bothered at all and his answer was that he just wanted to get that task ticked of his requirements. If he was lucky one of the teachers who was checking would let him away with it. (He wasn't lucky cause of me).

Carol asks the question, "Is everyone capable of great things with the right mindset?" She gives several examples that back up her answer... With the right mindset and the right teaching people are capable of a lot more than we think. 

This is a really important message for teachers.... in fact so important I am going to paste it again... bigger...

With the right mindset and the right teaching people are capable of a lot more than we think. 

I really do wonder how often I have accepted much less of myself than I am capable of and as a teacher how often have I accepted much less of the learners in my care than they are capable of. Much more often than I care to admit.

Think of times when other people outdid you and you just assumed they were smarter or more talented. Now consider the idea that they just used better strategies, taught themselves more, practiced harder and worked their way through obstacles. You can do that too, if you want to.