Growth Mindset
Another sleepless night just waiting for the brain to power off. Sleeping has been difficult this week. It seems that as soon as I lie down, even though I'm tired, I can't stop thinking.
Tonight, I'm thinking about the growth mindset vs the fixed mindset and which mindset do naturally talented and smart (ie. geniuses) fit into?
I've never been one of those kids who could sail through school without any effort. For a while, I always envied those people. I'd find myself wishing I was "naturally smart" so that life would be easier. But by wishing I was naturally smart, it meant I was believing that I wasn't smart at all. And having smart friends - one who's borderline genius, it is pretty common to feel like I don't know much at all!
A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence (or any ability) is a fixed trait, that you’re born with and can’t do much to change. A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence can be developed (Warren Davies).
I would not have made it to my final year of university if I had a fixed mindset. Yet all these years, I sort of believed this was true...that my brain has a max capacity and once its maxed I wouldn't be able to continue learning. Yet every year of university, I've been surprising myself and thinking to myself "wow, my brain can still handle this? when will it max out?"
I've always said that grades are just a number but they are a good quantitative measure of how well you're learning and understanding the material. I tend to set high yet realistic expectations for myself so that I can continually challenge myself. It's not how I measure up to other people but more how I measure up to the bar I've set. I have to believe that someone can develop intelligence and that someone can learn how to learn quickly. In first year, I just barely passed with an average in the 50s. But I couldn't accept that I would only be able to learn and retain 50% of the material taught. How could I be a good engineer if I only ever learned 50, 60, 70, or even 80 percent of the material? The bar had to be higher. I needed to figure out how to learn more effectively. And I'm thankful I did. That average that started in the 50s has gone up every single semester and it is just starting to plateau in the mid-eighties. I think the key was to have realistic goals and not settle for something that is less than your best. And at the same time, knowing that your best now can indeed develop into an even better best in the future!
I love learning. I'm finally thankful now that I wasn't born a genius and that I did have to go thru this struggle of figuring out how to learn, how to study, and how to retain information. These challenges have made me push harder. I don't think anyone should settle but instead continue to develop more intelligence. Some people have called me crazy for not being fully satisfied with my school average (I'm pleased with it, but not satisfied). Why? Because even if I had a 100%, I'd obviously be really happy, but then whatever, on to the next challenge.
I don't ever want to reach a point where I'm satisfied with the knowledge I have so that I stop learning.
Tonight, I'm thinking about the growth mindset vs the fixed mindset and which mindset do naturally talented and smart (ie. geniuses) fit into?
I've never been one of those kids who could sail through school without any effort. For a while, I always envied those people. I'd find myself wishing I was "naturally smart" so that life would be easier. But by wishing I was naturally smart, it meant I was believing that I wasn't smart at all. And having smart friends - one who's borderline genius, it is pretty common to feel like I don't know much at all!
A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence (or any ability) is a fixed trait, that you’re born with and can’t do much to change. A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence can be developed (Warren Davies).
I would not have made it to my final year of university if I had a fixed mindset. Yet all these years, I sort of believed this was true...that my brain has a max capacity and once its maxed I wouldn't be able to continue learning. Yet every year of university, I've been surprising myself and thinking to myself "wow, my brain can still handle this? when will it max out?"
I've always said that grades are just a number but they are a good quantitative measure of how well you're learning and understanding the material. I tend to set high yet realistic expectations for myself so that I can continually challenge myself. It's not how I measure up to other people but more how I measure up to the bar I've set. I have to believe that someone can develop intelligence and that someone can learn how to learn quickly. In first year, I just barely passed with an average in the 50s. But I couldn't accept that I would only be able to learn and retain 50% of the material taught. How could I be a good engineer if I only ever learned 50, 60, 70, or even 80 percent of the material? The bar had to be higher. I needed to figure out how to learn more effectively. And I'm thankful I did. That average that started in the 50s has gone up every single semester and it is just starting to plateau in the mid-eighties. I think the key was to have realistic goals and not settle for something that is less than your best. And at the same time, knowing that your best now can indeed develop into an even better best in the future!
I love learning. I'm finally thankful now that I wasn't born a genius and that I did have to go thru this struggle of figuring out how to learn, how to study, and how to retain information. These challenges have made me push harder. I don't think anyone should settle but instead continue to develop more intelligence. Some people have called me crazy for not being fully satisfied with my school average (I'm pleased with it, but not satisfied). Why? Because even if I had a 100%, I'd obviously be really happy, but then whatever, on to the next challenge.
I don't ever want to reach a point where I'm satisfied with the knowledge I have so that I stop learning.
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