Carol Dweck discusses the differences between two different mindsets in her book and she says that students with a fixed mindset will choose not to look at the test results of other students, especially when the fixed-minded students did poorly on an exam. Why is this? I feel that it is because the fixed-minded students want to feel like they did well no matter how poorly they may have actually done. Seeing the exam of that other student that did better than them proves that other people understand the material better, which is devastating to a fixed-minded student. If they can still believe that every one else did poorly, the student can blame thei9r failure on the exam being unfair or the professor grading extremely hard. Dweck says that students with a fixed mindset want to feel superior. They want to feel like they are the best without actually having to put forth any effort. To these students, having to put forth effort means that they aren't smart, they are just like everyone else and must actually work to do well.
On the other hand, Dweck says that the students with the growth mindset are eager to look at others;' exams in order to learn from their mistakes. The growth students see failures not as discouraging but as motivation to do better. They seek challenges and enjoy the "fun" of learning new things.
I feel like I am, in a way, more fixed-minded than growth-minded. I know that if I don't do well on an assignment, most of the times I do not want to see another student's paper. My excuse is that I don't want to think about the assignment anymore but really it is probably because I don't want to be discouraged by my failure. The connections that I can make with myself to the examples Dweck provides are scary. I am definitely employing the fixed mindset and each page that I read drew more connections to my life. I really feel like I'm going to enjoy reading this book.
Carol Dweck describes college students who have a fixed mindset by saying that they do not want to look at the assignments of students who did better than them. This is definitely true because the fixed-minded students do not want to feel like they failed even more than they already do. The fixed mindset students dwell on their failures and allow the failures to define their lives. The growth-minded students, on the other hand, see challenges and even failures as opportunities to improve. In short, fixed-minded students don't want to feel even more depressed about their lives than they already do. That is why they absolutely refuse to look at others' results.
Dweck, Carol S. Mindset. New York, New York: Ballantine Books, 2006.
I know exactly how you feel! You said you can relate with each thing she says--does this mean you are going to try and be more growth minded? And if so, this proves my point in my blog about how fixed minded people aren't fixed.
ReplyDeleteI like how you drew a comparison between you and the book. I also like how you set up your essay, contrasting the two mindsets. I agree that growth mindset people want to learn from their mistakes. I go between the mindsets, but mostly I think I'm a growth mindset.
ReplyDeleteI guess I want to change to the growth mindset if the book actually tells us how. So far, it has been kinda vague and is basically saying to think more positive thoughts and don't worry about failing. Since I want to stay in school, I have to worry about failing to a degree.
ReplyDeleteI deffinitely agree with how you feel. The book really makes you think and compare yourself to either the fixed or growth mindset. It made me to want to change from my fixed mindset. But at the same time, I don't know how to do that because I've had the same mindset for son long.
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