I have never heard of Carol Dweck before, but I definitely
agree with what she talked about in the videos. I think that in order to get
kids to challenge themselves more, we first need to find a way to make them
like challenges. If teachers find a way to reward challenges or get kids to
enjoy them, then that would be a huge first step.
I myself have found that I like challenges in
some subject of school, but not as much in others. Such as in math, I love when
I know a math problem so well that I have no trouble solving it, and when it
comes to the more tricky ones I often get frustrated. However, I remember one
of my favorite things I did in all of my years of school was also possibly the
most challenging. In 7th grade I had to hand draw a map of the
entire world, and label hundreds of courtiers and geographic feature. This
assignment took us an entire year to prepare for, but at the end of the year
when I was able to do it all, I was so proud. It was the most gratifying A I
got on any test in my life, because it was so challenging.
I have found that at this point in my academic
career I strive to take that next step in learning when it applies to something
I am really interested in or something I know will benefit me in the future. Unfortunately
I cant say that I strive for a challenge in ever class I have taken or will
take in college, but I do make a point to always have at lease one academic
challenging going on at every point in time.
(Growth Mindset Meme - Flickr)
Hey Macey! I enjoyed reading your growth mindset because I feel the same way as you do about being excited to accept a new challenge when I can see a direct link to something that will help me in the future! I also struggle to find motivation to work on things that I find challenging in classes that may not be the most interesting to me. I can’t imagine having to do a project like that in 7th grade… it sounds so overwhelming!
ReplyDeleteHi Mace! I completely agree with you on your growth mindset post because I only like challenges that I know will benefit me in the future! Otherwise, I view challenges as a waste of time, which is not a very positive or good attitude to have in college! I have been trying to challenge myself in more ways even if the outcome is very small!
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