I have never heard of Carol Dweck before, nor the term "the growth mindset". I have thought about this concept before though. All my life I was raised to be the best and do whatever I could do be the best in education. It wasn't the journey that mattered, but the end result. At OU I currently have a 4.0 and will graduate this semester, so I found a way to master this principle. But last semester I took a class that challenged me more than any other class I have taken at OU. It was called Origins of Christianity with Dr. Kyle Harper. I knew this class would be hard, but I had to take it. At first I did what I always did, worried more about the grade than the content of the class. As time went on though something changed, and I cared more about the process of learning the material than the end result. Now I am taking another class by this professor, knowing getting the A will be hard. I want to learn. I'm taking this class just for the sake of knowledge itself. That class changed the way I am approaching this last semester of college. I care more about the process of learning than the end result.
Growth Mindset and Failure
I am definitley more interested in learning more about the growth mindset this semester. I am excited to see the Growth Mindset Challenges that are already laid out, I can't wait to do them. I am really looking forward to this semester. I am taking four literature classes, so this is a very different semester for me. I am excited to take the time to learn through the literature about the different cultures I am reading about.
That's awesome. I applaud you for that. I struggle with always wanting to learn the content. Sometimes I end up neglecting school work for side projects. I too hadn't heard about the growth mindset. I will love to see you talk about how this mindset affects your grade focus. Grades sometimes can control our life and at a point we have to let something go. But way to keep a 4 point thats awesome. What about Kyle do you enjoy so much?
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome to hear that you've been able to successfully shift the focus of your education from the grades to your actual education! I struggle with that to this day. I have to constantly remind myself that it's not about the grade I end up with, but instead it matters more that I did my personal best and learned what I needed from the class. I loved your picture as well, because I think it makes a very important distinction between celebrating failure and celebrating learning from failure.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your GPA! Keep it up and stay focused. I'm happy to hear that you changed your perspective from focusing on the A to knowledge. As a pre-med, I'm surrounded by lots of students who maintain a 4.0 GPA. Their main goal is to receive that A no matter what. However, they leave the class without retaining much. At least for me, class becomes much easier when I am focused on the material and spend less time worrying about the grade. I like the image that you posted. I never thought about celebrating the moment after failure, but it makes sense to praise a person's perseverance.
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