Did you know that praising your students and children for good grades is the worst thing you can do for them? It sounds counterintuitive, but Carol Dweck, Ph.D. has discovered, unequivocally, that it is true. Praising results sabotages effort! In her fascinating book, Mindset, Dr. Dweck explains all motivational challenges, wonderments, and mysteries according to two different mindsets: fixed and growth. A student with a FIXED mindset will: * Think that effort is bad. * Be interested in proving their ability (typically with grades or scores). * Feel smart when they are flawless. * Believe that outcome is everything. A student with a GROWTH mindset will: * Think that effort is good. * Be interested in growing and being challenged, rather than focusing on grades and scores. * Feel smart when they are learning, …show more content…
Dr. Dweck describes two ways to help students with fixed mindsets develop growth mindsets. First, you must focus all your praise on effort. Dr. Dweck 's research found that there are very few exceptions to this rule. In a wide variety of settings, she found that any praise of results, even in small and isolated tasks, changed the nature of the students ' motivation and their level of effort. (The same goes for adults, too.) Second, teach students about brain biology and mindsets... in the context of study skills! From previous educational research, Dr. Dweck knew that it was important to keep standards high for students, but also to give them the support and tools to reach those high standards. She concluded that this empowering mix of skills was the best way to cultivate a mindset of growth. From her two scientific studies, she concluded that this instruction worked; motivation and grades skyrocketed! She noted something I have observed in my study skills classes for years: "You may think students are turned off, but I see that they never stop caring. No one gets used to feeling