Growth vs. Fixed Minds

This video podcast was about a very interesting experiment that a psychologist Carol Dweck put on. She said that many students have fixed mindsets and they think that intelligence is all about what genes that you get, therefore they never do as well they can in school and in many cases their work declines. There were two different groups, one practiced study skills and this new growth mindset where the other group just learned study skills. The growth mindset is one where the students are explained that their brain is a muscle and it gets stronger as well as smarter every time it is used. They also read articles about this theory and really believed in themselves. Then back in the classroom after these sessions, the teachers, who were unaware of which student was in which group, could even tell who the children in the growth mind set group were. The students who learned nothing new and still believed in the fixed mindset kept declining.

I thought that this video podcast was the most interesting that we have watched or listened to. I was so intrigued by the video and the experiment that Carol Dweck did on these students. It really excited me because i really do believe that learning has to do a little bit with the genes you possess but it also had to do alot with how hard a person works and if they have faith in themselves and their work. Many children just need a little boost, and when I realize that the brain is always getting smarter i think that this experiment had kind of a placebo effect as well. If the students think that they are improving then they really will and I think that that is wonderful.

This video really stuck with me and I believe that all teachers should have to watch this video. There are many teachers out there that think that if a student is not smart then they just need to leave them behind to help the other students and that really is not the case. What the students really need is the support from the teacher so that he or she knows that they can accomplish anything. If a teacher believed in me I would always try harder for that grade just because someone had faith in me. When a kid says they are stupid they just need someone to pick them up and show them how great they can really be, and I think that that was this podcasts message.