"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds in Learning - Standford University Challenge

The video podcast for this week was "Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds. This particular podcast is a study performed by Stanford University. The study explores two different mind sets. One was the fixed mindset. This group believed that intelligence is based on a fixed trait and that learning has no revelance on how intelligent a person is. The other group believed that learning has to do with growth. That their intelligence and how smart someone is depends on what and how much a person is learning. That they become smarter due to education and perserverance for a better and improved mind. The example they gave were of a baby. As a baby grows he in return learns and without the growth there would be no learning.

The study devided the students into two groups. The first group were the "fixed" mindset group. They were given certain learning and study skills to complete certain tasks. Because of the mindset of this group, their was lack of motivation. So, instead of taking the study skills and using them to their advantage, they dismissed them and they ended up with declining grades. The second group was the "Growth" mindset group. This group was not only taught study skills but also growth concept. This group nourished what they were taught and their grades improved and were very successful.

As teachers we aspire to never stop learning and find creative and interesting ways to implement this behavior into our students. I feel it is very important to teach our students that learning is a process that will take us down many paths. Some of those paths we will encounter mistakes that must be overcome for our minds to grow and learn. Without this type of learning and mindset, we close off a part of learning that should be nurtured so we can use our brain capacity to the best of our ability. Learning is a never ending process for everyone. It doesn't matter how old we become, learning will always be an important part of our life.