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| How I feel about the Growth Mindset |
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I still do not like the idea of Growth Mindset. Like I said before, I think it is too binary. I cannot explain why, maybe it has to do with the reason that I have decided to focus on hard sciences and thus feel an intrinsic stigma against research based in the soft sciences? Maybe it has to do with the reason that I already have a so called "Growth Mindset" and think it can only be achieved individually and therefore is ineffective in implementing in a group setting? I don't know, I'm trying to find reasons here...
I will admit that this class does a great job at promoting a Growth Mindset, since it is entirely up to the student on how much effort that he or she puts in and we can all move at our own pace. This class is unlike another that I am in that is trying to implement this strategy to a group of >125 students in a physical setting. In the group setting it is extremely ineffective and unfair, I feel this way because every time I am in this class, I feel like my education is being stalled for the sake of the other students who do not understand the material as readily as I do. It is selfish - I know - but when it comes to education, mine is the only one that I care about which is completely understandable. Right?
I also feel that Growth Mindset is based more on individual personality rather than something that can be taught. Changing an individual's way of thinking to a Growth Mindset is a form of brainwashing which is fundamentally wrong. Is it not? Okay, this last part sounds like a conspiracy theory, I've been watch a lot of the X Files.
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You've piqued my curiosity about the other class you're taking, Alec! One of the reasons I've been doing growth mindset in these classes is that students generally have not heard of it before. I don't see it so much as something that can be taught (not like teaching writing, for example), but instead as a set of questions people can ask themselves about their education like in the little chart I made for this assignment. And you know I'm a believer in the asking of questions!
ReplyDeleteIt seems sadly paradoxical if you are encountering growth mindset in a class where you are not being encouraged to set your own goals and define your own agenda: ouch! Even this assignment is one you could have chosen not to do (the power of extra credit, a.k.a. choose your own assignments)... although I am glad you wrote up the post . I definitely don't want anybody to feel like growth mindset is some kind of indoctrination; just the opposite, in fact. So I'll need to ponder this for next semester... hmmmm...
Hey Alec! It was really interesting to read this post because you're the first person I've encountered who disagrees so strongly with the Growth Mindset! I agree that it seems pretty binary, but I think the intentions are good and I feel like it really does help a lot of people! It's awesome that you feel like you've already got a Growth Mindset. I feel like it's a real struggle for me sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your post about the Growth Mindset because it really echoes my sentiments about this concept. While I do use it in this course and it is effective since we are allowed to work at our pace, I find it hard to incorporate into my everyday life. I had never heard of this concept before this course and while I enjoyed learning about it, I found the idea rather different than my life. While I do say I grew up with and employee this concept in my life (which is true), I mostly encountered a lot of encouragement from my friends, family, and coworkers.
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