Skip to main content

Growth Mindset Thoughts

I don't let the past bring me down.

While I have never heard of Carol Dweck or her research on the growth mindset, I've found that I really identify with a lot of the things she talks about. I've always been more of a "focus on the journey, not the destination" type of person, and I apply this principle to most areas of my life. I love the feeling of improvement, and while the payoffs of that improvement are exciting to see, it's the learning and growing itself that I find the most fun.

The biggest challenge that I've found at OU is that a lot of classes, especially early on, follow a more traditional style that doesn't really support this mindset. The emphasis is on the grade itself and not necessarily the material that you learn. While I can usually make good enough grades in these classes, it makes them forgettable and unenjoyable to me, and ultimately, I feel that that's just a waste of time and money. 

I think it will be fun to learn more about this mindset as the semester progresses, though I am also interested to learn more about its criticisms, as this is definitely not a "cure-all" process. I certainly agree with Dweck's critic Alfie Kohn that focusing too much on how one is doing in a certain task detracts from the enjoyment of the task at hand. It will be interesting to find out more on how to apply this mindset effectively to my other classes throughout this semester.
Labels:

Comments

  1. DaMythDaLegendJanuary 18, 2020 at 10:26 AM

    Like you, I've noticed that many classes here at OU are focused primarily on grades and overall academic performance. I've had many engineering professors throw fits in class when the class test average wasn't what they were expecting. That's why I'm exciting about the way this class is graded. Since the class is graded based off of our own declarations, we are free to progress through the course at our own pace, which facilitates our own learning and personal growth. It think it captures the essence of the growth mindset quite well while still being a grade-based curriculum.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Storybook Comment Wall

Mothman: Image My Storybook Project, Mythical Monsters of the New World can be found here I hope you all enjoy it, and I appreciate any feedback you can give! EDIT 3/5: I have heavily revised my Introduction, so if you have not read the new version yet, do so now!
27 comments
Read more

Introduction to Brett the Graphic Designer

Hey! My name is Brett Drake and I'm a senior Public Relations major with a Classical Culture minor. I'm from the small town of Wagoner, Oklahoma (if you've heard of it, chances are you're also from northeast OK!) and while I've enjoyed my time here at OU, I can't wait to graduate in May. I want to become a graphic designer in the OKC area after graduation and help local businesses build their brands. My favorite class last semester was Digital Design (surprise, surprise) as it allowed me to really hone my skills as a designer across all different types of media. Me at the Coliseum : Photo by a friend Last summer, as I talked about in my favorite place post , I was able to study abroad in Italy for the month of June, allowing me to finally travel outside of the country for the first time in my life. While traveling abroad had its ups and downs (I arrived in Rome running on a good 3 hours of sleep and had lost my luggage), overall it was an amazing experie
22 comments
Read more

Week 3 Story: Perseus, A DM's Worst Nightmare

Perseus and Andromeda, by Frederic Leighton Dan had been the Dungeon Master for his friends' Dungeons and Dragons group for a while now, and he always looked forward to their sessions on Wednesday nights. Everyone had a good time, and they had created stories that would last a lifetime, one of which was the unfortunate story of Percy. Percy was an acquaintance who was also an avid D&D player. When his group disbanded for unknown reasons, Percy asked Dan if he could join his group. Dan allowed it, welcoming Percy to the group. Percy was insistent that he should be able to keep the same character that he had played in his former campaign. Dan, not knowing what he was agreeing to, let him keep his character. When Wednesday came and everyone sat down to play, Dan began to realize his mistake.  "Alright everyone," Dan began. "When we last left off, you all had made your way to the fields of the giant monster known as Atlas. A mountain looms in the dista
5 comments
Read more