ETHS gave me this book that I actually read (and it made me want to read more, for reals)
basically it talks about how there's two mindsets that us humans live in. fixed mindset and the growth mindset. In terms of intelligence (and basically any other facet of human existence it seems), people with fixed mindset basically see themselves as really smart or stupid. Basically in this mindset, you avoid challenging things in fear of failure, and when you do fail, you view yourself as stupid. Basically you put in no effort because you are already smart. Success is measured by being smart and failure not. In the growth mindset, you basically recognize your deficiences and try to build those up. When you fail, you learn from them. Success is measured by learning, you fail when you don't learn anything. People with this mindset like challenging things because they grow from it.
I LOVE this book. Basically because it really affects your life because I think it challenges you to evaluate your own mindset, in different areas of your life. I think for most of my life I have been in the fixed mindset as far as intelligence, I smart, I'm good at math, I'm good at this or that. I thought all of these things were inherent, and they very may well be, but now I realized it was more because of the effort and the time I put with learning that allowed me to become smarter, or greater at this or that.
I realized a turning point for me, when I made the transition from a less fixed mindset to a growth mindset in the area of mathematics was in last fall. I was taking this Probability course, and I'd never considered myself good at Probability, it was just always really difficult for me. And this definitely showed in the beginning of the course. I was not doing that well on quizzes and test. And I just didn't understand what was wrong, why couldn't I get it. Too the say the most I felt really really stupid, especially in this class everyone else was doing considerably well. Eventually putting in effort, reaching out to the Professor and TA's, working with other students in the class, I did start doing better in the course. And came out with a B, instead of C which I thought I was. I realized now I had to grow because I didn't know anything about Probability. And as I did better definitely my confidence in the course grew. It's all about your mindset.
The great things is I think it can be applied to everything in life, especially the spiritual side. As a Christian, I think sometimes its hard to change your ways. You figure God made me this way, then this is what he want me to be, and that I can't get better. But it's all about your mindset, you have to take on this growth mindset, that I can be what God wants me to be, even though I may not be there now, but I'm getting there. So I think that's really great. This book often reminded of this scripture Romans 12: 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. You have to renew your mind, change your mindset, which is all the book is calling for you to do.
But what I'm really excited about is how I'm going to implement this theory in my classroom. Because I definitely think specifically with mathematics, students will view it as something I inherently wrong with them that they can't do the mathematics. Or that they are really good at, so they don't need to do the problems, more so they don't want to because fear of failure. They will be stuck in the fixed mindset. And one of my upcoming goals, will be to change their mindset. I want to teach them that they can actually grow and learn mathematics. Nothing is hindering them but themselves. Euclid, and Pythagoras were humans just like you, they had a brain. All you have to do is work yours. So I recommend anyone whose everyone to just read this so they become knowledgeable of their mindset.
I really think this book is life-changing. It's really how you define success I think in the end. And with a growth mindset you can always be successful.
PEACE & CHICKEN GREASE!
