Thoughts on the Growth Mindset

(A+ grade, taken from here)

"Are we raising kids who are obsessed with getting A's?...Their biggest goal is getting the next A, or the next test score?"

Wow, what a question. This is definitely prevalent in today's academic environment. Students are so occupied with results that they disregard any sort of problem-solving processes. This in turn, results in a very negative trend - a short term, "quick fix," pseudo-high from a burst of dopamine that is a reward for, for example, looking up an answer online. As they continue to do so, a vicious cycle appears - a quick and easy answer (and praise for it) sets up a "comfort zone," as Carol Dweck calls it, of which students are afraid to venture out of because of the endangerment to their ego.

As much as I am ashamed to admit it, I am also guilty of this. There's a definite cultural shift in this age - where you have the world in the palm of your hand - from learning things to looking up things. However, I appreciate some professors' cognizance of such an issue, and their steps to try and combat it. For example, one of my Chemical Engineering professors had 100-point tests, of which there was an entirety of two (sometimes three!) questions. One question would be worth 60-ish points, while the other would be worth around 40.  But in fleshing out the points for each of those questions, the actual answer would only be worth 1-3 points, putting an immense amount of credit on the process, the formulas, and the reasoning used to get to the answer. Another one of my professors even mentions Carol Dweck and the growth mindset in his syllabus!

I, for one, am intrigued to see such a phenomenon put into words, but am also wary of completely trusting one side of the argument. There are critics to this idea for a reason. Alfie Kohn's article looks at a different side, which is also an intriguing consideration. Yes, maybe praising/rewarding based on effort rather than results is good, but what if we go too far, to the point where it's just a pat on the head for "jumping through some hoops?" What's the balance between the two?


Musing on these matters,
Smith

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