Which mindset from Carol Dweck’s “Brainology”—fixed or growth—has most shaped you as a student thus far? How and why has that mindset impacted you? Which mindset from Carol Dweck’s “Brainology”—fixed

Norman 4

Kalani Norman

Prof. Bushra Munawar

English 101

February 27, 2023

The Importance of the Right Mindset

As a student, I have always tried to embrace a growth mindset, as espoused by Carol Dweck in her “Brainology” article. I believe that this mindset has helped me develop a more positive and constructive attitude toward learning and personal growth, enabling me to take on challenges and setbacks with a more resilient and adaptive perspective. In this essay, I will explore how Dweck’s growth mindset has shaped my learning experiences and why I think this mindset is essential for academic and personal success.

To start with, a growth mindset is a belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work, practice, and persistence. According to Dweck, this mindset contrasts with a fixed mindset, which assumes that intelligence and talents are innate and cannot be significantly changed or improved. Dweck contends that people with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and seek new learning opportunities when he highlighted that “In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening” (Dweck). They view effort and hard work as essential to learning and believe that mistakes and failures are opportunities to learn and grow. In contrast, people who hold a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges, give up quickly in the face of setbacks, and view mistakes and failures as a reflection of their incompetence or inadequacy. This is seen in the phrase, "People with fixed mindsets—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with growth mindsets.”

Furthermore, Dweck emphasizes the role of feedback and praise in shaping a growth mindset. According to Dweck, feedback and praise should be focused on the process of learning and effort rather than the person’s innate abilities or talent. For instance, instead of saying, “you are so smart” or “you are a natural artist,” one should say, “I can see that you worked hard. By comparing the fixed and growth mindsets, it is clear that a growth mindset is the best approach to academic success. The fixed mindset limits one's ability to improve and can lead to a fear of failure. On the other hand, the author highlights that "In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work,” which means that the growth mindset embraces challenges and sees failures as opportunities for growth (Dweck). Therefore, by adopting a growth mindset, students can overcome obstacles, persist through challenges, and ultimately achieve tremendous success.

Personally, I believe that I have been more influenced by the growth mindset, as it resonates more with my values and experiences. I have always been an avid learner and have pursued various intellectual and creative interests, ranging from science to music, writing, and art. However, I have also encountered various obstacles and failures along the way, such as poor grades, negative feedback, and rejections from contests and programs. These setbacks could have easily discouraged me or made me doubt my abilities, but I chose to view them as opportunities for growth and improvement. For instance, when I got a C on my first science test in high school, I could have given up and concluded that I was not good at science. However, I chose to talk to my teacher, ask for help, and practice more, which eventually helped me to improve my grade and my understanding of the subject. Likewise, when I was rejected from a writing contest, I could have felt dejected and decided I was not a good writer. However, I chose to read the winning entries, learn from their strengths, and revise my own work, which eventually helped me win a similar contest.

Carol Dweck’s “Brainology” theory discusses the importance of growth and fixed mindsets in shaping students’ learning experiences. After considering personal experiences and Dweck’s article, it is clear that the growth mindset has had the most significant impact on me as a student. This mindset has helped me to view challenges and failures as opportunities for growth and has motivated me to work harder to improve my skills and abilities. By embracing the growth mindset, I have also learned to value the learning process rather than simply the end result.

Works Cited

Dweck, Carol S. “Brainology: Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn.” Independent School Magazine. National Association of Independent Schools, 2008. Web. 29 January

2016.