A Discussion on the Mindset an Brainology of Kids in Carol S. Dweck’s “Biology: Transforming Students Motivation to Learn”

Carol S. Dweck’s ”Brainology: Transforming Trainees’ Inspiration to Learn” will alter the way you think of learning. Dweck’s “Brainology” piece emphasizes the attitudes of children and how they can either become diligent adults or evolve into individuals who avoid exertion when faced with obstacles. Overpraising exceptional achievements can instill a fear of failure in children as they grow. Dweck addresses both the positives and the negatives of student motivation, providing appropriate advice to comprehend the impact of learning amongst children.

A Growth Mindset promotes the belief in students that they can increase their intelligence and achieve their full academic potential through persistent learning efforts. Through various studies, Dweck was able to pinpoint how this mindset operates. Students, whose parents encouraged them to invest more effort in their studies, developed a Growth Mindset at a very early age. They believe that with diligence and enough time spent on assignments, they can perform to the best of their abilities and secure higher grades in school. Over two years, Dweck observed students with Growth Mindsets. She noticed that from 7th grade to 9th grade, as courses became more complex, those students perceived each challenging problem as an opportunity to improve in order to achieve excellent grades. Children who receive proper encouragement and are instilled with a work ethic at a young age will carry that attitude onto high school, college, and adulthood.

Fixed Mindsets, on the other hand, are the polar opposite of Growth Mindsets. Children with Fixed Mindsets believe their success is restricted only to the areas in which they are naturally talented. They do not feel the incentive to work hard because they fear failure. As Dweck stated in her article, she also studied students with Fixed Mindsets for two years. Through her research and interviews, she found that students with Fixed Mindsets began to feel overwhelmed and lost interest in their subjects. Some students disclosed that they hesitate to ask for help when they encounter a challenging problem in their mathematics class, often feeling inferior and quickly losing interest and focus during classwork. A few even confessed preferring to cheat rather than ask for help when finding an assignment or exam difficult.

Many parents often tend to encourage or reward their children, with hopes of enhancing their self-worth and developing self-confidence. In doing so, parents succeed in boosting their child’s self-esteem. However, they may fail to motivate them to continue studying and working hard. This can lead children to not increase their efforts when faced with challenges. Parents need to emphasize that their children could become smarter and more proficient if they work harder in areas that challenge them. While many parents may have the best intentions for their child’s academic development, it’s important for them to foster both a growth and fixed mindset. Doing so allows parents to praise their kids and also teach them the value of encountering and accepting challenges.

Are children better off with a fixed or a growth mindset? Students praised for their intelligence tend to develop a fixed mindset. Those praised for their effort develop a growth mindset. Both groups of students excel at similar levels until they reach a specific point in their education. When fixed mindset children stop receiving praise from their parents or teachers and are simply expected to finish their homework and get good grades at school, they can falter. Growth mindset students, on the other hand, are better equipped to tackle increasingly difficult coursework from a young age. They view challenges as exciting opportunities, which can create a love for learning and lessen stress towards tough assignments.

This viewpoint allows them to perceive challenges as enjoyable and manageable, reducing the pressure they face. In conclusion, the mindsets of students are crucial for their development in society. From a young age, children are taught to either strive for success and excel, or to feel good whenever they do something correctly. Carol S. Dweck’s Brainology: Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn certainly changes how we view today’s children. According to Dweck, 15% of parents encourage their children to put more effort into their studies and strive to overcome any difficulties they encounter in school.

Unfortunately, this percentage hasn’t yet risen to the point where all children, teenagers, and young adults are motivated to put as much effort as possible into their studies to achieve high test scores and secure better jobs. Hopefully, we’ll begin to see the rate of children with growth mindsets increase and encourage those with fixed mindsets to work harder too.

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