According to 'Noncognitive Report' by Chicago University, there are four types of mindsets: I belong in this academic community (Belonging); My ability and competence grow with my effort (Growth Mindset); I can succeed at this (Self-efficacy); This work has value for me (Relevance/Purpose). First I belong in this academic community is that students sense they belong to classroom or school. Second, my ability and competence grow with my effort is as Carol Dweck's 'Growth Mindset', students believe that their abilities are gradually growing by putting efforts. Third I can succeed at this is about that students have confidence or believing likelihood that they are successful at study. Lastly, this work has value for me is students consider that study they are doing is relevant to their lives or feel interests.
Many people have their own mindset that makes them studying more though. I personally demonstrate more ability when I feel sense of belonging to the class. For example, I really love to study Korean History, and also I liked my history teacher since he was cool. Therefore, even though I was really bad at study when I was in middle school, always I got ‘A’s in Korean history. My personality is odd, so when I do not feel any sense of necessity to study or belonging in class, my motivation to study also plummets hard. However, as much as I interact with my professor, and when he or she gives me good feedbacks, I get a good motivation to study. Moreover, I feel strong connection with those professors’ classes, I always do more works even though I do not have to and try to be prepared before their classes. Moreover, to not lose my motivation, recently, I have been more interactive with my professors than I did in the past, therefore I feel fruitful when my professors kindly answer me and give short compliments. It does not only influence me but also it affects other people. From the Korean documentary about education, I saw the middle school students in Finland. Finland education, evaluated as one of the best educations in the world, was very impressive. They did not move to chapter unless everyone in classroom understands. According to teachers of that middle school, it is for surging students’ sense of belonging in classroom that they are members of classroom. Likewise, always not only to me but also to everyone else, sense of belonging becomes motivation to everyone and it returns into good result. Therefore, even when someone in our group make problems in doing group activity, the only way to lead that troublemaker in our group is make him or her feel the sense of belonging to our groups. Dale Carnegie said “human’s one of the most fundamental instincts is acknowledged by other people from his one of famous books titled ‘How to win friends influence people." Therefore, to me when I feel the sense of belonging to my class, I think I am acknowledged and thus, become more enthusiastic.
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As I had observed my growth in Math, I started to believe growth mindset. My teachers called me a ‘spastic’ since I could not understand what they explained to me. Therefore, I even regarded myself as an idiot in math no matter how I was brilliant in other subjects. However, I experienced significant growth in math so, I am teaching math to my friends from time to time in this college. As Carol Dweck presented at TED talk, brain really rearrange our way of thinking, when people keep facing with hard problems which people cannot solve. I am one of those cases which obtained acquired math talent. Before, I took a college entrance exam in Korea, I usually got half of incorrect in every other math tests. However, when I tried really hard for a month, after the result I got was impressive. I got only three incorrect out of 30 problems.
Therefore, no matter how math is hard, I believe I can get over it. Even though from time to time, new notions of math are extremely hard, I try as many time as I can, so that I will get used to it. As long as I have overcome with my weakest part, I begin to not give up easily. Moreover, this mindset contributes a lot in solving math, because half of people who cannot solve math problems are usually being scared even before they try. However, I try to solve one problem as many times as I can, until I do not know what to do anymore. Therefore, I can say I accomplished success because of my patience in solving hard problems. It thrills me, when I think my math how I got better than before, thus it is valuable for me to invest my times in solving hard problems and stick to math. Some people tell me I am smart since I teach my friends math. However, I think different. I do not consider myself as a smart person. I just achieved successes in math because I attempted to the extent that I got a certain degree of skill. It is just about believe their own potentials and keep trying hard or not; and if people experience good grades in their exams or sense their improvements in math, they consider solving math is valuable for them and start to make math as relevant to their lives. I was called as an idiot to all my math teachers, and especially my math teacher from my high school told me succeed my mom’s restaurants since I am not smart enough to study even though my dream was lawyer. However, as overcoming prejudice, I am proving that I can do math to everyone who said no to me. It stands for everyone else can do it!! I hope people who are bad in math will be encouraged by my words . I was treated for anxiety a while ago in Korea, so I thought it got better. Recently, however, I feel like I meet the biggest obstacle in my life; grade. Therefore, my anxiety disorder recurred due to the stresses of my grades. The results of my tests did not come out as I intended, so I am quite stressed and worried about whether I can go to my college or not. I feel like I am an idiot more than I thought, and I even doubt my talents that I used to perform very well. People say something like “try to achieve something very steadily.” It never seemed valuable to me. Before, I looked down a person who underperformed in study since I could get quite good grade and without an effort. However, the words that people told me is valuable to me now. I recognized that motivation, mindset to try more, and process to the way of achieving success are more important than our grades because sometimes we can get really bad grades due to lack of motivations and wrong processes.
I learned the difference between growth mindset and fixed mindset, which are two different perspectives of intelligence. Fixed mindset is the view that considers that intelligence is fixed, but growth mindset which is supported by Professor Carol Dweck thinks intelligence is increasable by our effort. I was quite sarcastic about the growth mindset that intelligence can be improved. However, even if it is quite controversial that we can achieve and be better only with effort, I support this theory now. No matter how hard we try sometimes, results can be bad and also, in my case, I easily get distracted by my anxiety that I might fail. So, intelligence is not only a factor that contributes to our grades, and there are some theories and facts that I saw that support growth mindset. First of all, according to my psychiatrist, when people try to think in certain ways, neurons recalibrate the way of thinking. In short, it is possible to be better in math when we think about hard problems because our brains find new ways of learning. Second of all, the research that was conducted by Angela Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania and a few other professors, tried to improve one’s intelligence, 40 ~60 percent was successful. Lastly, Carol Dweck said when researching the brain of students with growth mindset and fixed mindset, the brain of students of growth mindset was more heated and activated than those of students with a fixed mindset. Of course, there is some theory like ‘what percent does effort contribute to work’ by University of Michigan: Ann Arbor which was saying that only 4 percent of effort influenced success in study, while 96 percent is simply intelligence. However, they did not consider about how important our process and motivation are. Obviously, it is true that there is still limitation even with our effort, but if we are going to try with better process, and if we are more motivated than we used to, I believe a lot of things are changed. Thus, I also believe Carol Dweck who insisted on growth mindset theory in terms of reminding us how important it is to be motivated and focused on the right process with our effort. Research from the University of Pennsylvania that conducted by Angela Duckworth: www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2011/july-august-11/improving-intelligence.html Write an introduction that summarizes these two texts:
The difference between two article is the article from Carol Dweck supports Growth Mindset in nurturing children, and also educators should encourage their students with growth mindset. On the other hand, the other article that is written by Alfie Kohn is stressing that being obsessive with neither the growth mindset nor fixed mindset is not helpful and he is insisting that stressing curriculum is more important than just mindsets Explain the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Both mindsets are related to the view of intelligence. Fixed mindset believes that intelligence cannot be changed, therefore, no matter how we make an effort, there is not improvement. However, growth mindset believes our possibilities of improvement in intelligence. Believers of growth mindset, thus, does not be ungracious with their failures. Rather, they enjoy and keep their challenge, until they achieve their goal. Discuss if you consider yourself to have a growth or fixed mindset as a college student in your academic environment--or, depending on the context, if you have a combination of the two. I personally acknowledge that there is an inborn intelligence that we cannot get over with our effort. For example, no matter how we make an effort, we cannot become an another Edison. Edison said "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." (quoteinvestigator.com/2012/12/14/genius-ratio/). Edison said this word to say that not everyone can be a genius even if they try hard. However, in my perspective, this word seems we can become an acquired genius who is lacked of only 1 percent of 1 inspiration. That is, the ordinaries can get close to geniuses by putting efforts. Obviously, there is a gap we cannot overcome, but rather than being depressive and kneeled down by our imaginary wall, putting an effort and making a gradual progresses are more productive. I believe that people have their own limitations in demonstrating their abilities; as well, I, from time to time, bump up against my limitations. However, today I read an article that Professor Mangini gave us. It was about the importance of empathizing growth mindset, not fixed mindset. This impressive article stressed the importance of attitude in which we should focus on process rather than grades. It is a message that most people heard from their parents when they were children. When I got a bad grade, and when I was depressed because of it, my mom always scolded me. She indicated the reason of my failure as lack of effort. I was not a diligent student, and while I got moderate grades even though I did not put in that much effort, effort was not essential in getting grades to me. And even for the most people, it is a word we cannot easily accept. Putting more meaning in effort rather than results seems an excuse for losers.
However, I slightly started to recognize why effort is really important. Right now, I have to take exams with my second language and write my essays as well. It is stressful for me. Even if I want to express my words in English, I struggle because I cannot find the right translation for certain words in English. And I cannot get good grades, even though I make great efforts, due to language barrier. I am gradually getting the meaning of the importance of procedure rather than the result. Yet, even if I get bad grades, the reason that I have to make an effort is, I do not want any regrets in the future, and also, I do not want to make excuses for myself in the future. Some people who fail always make an excuse for their failure as they did not put enough effort. They are self-assuring by finding their excuses from their deficient effort; what cowards they are. I do not want to be a coward. Even if I would fail to achieve my goal, I want to accept my failure graciously and know I did my best. I do not deny one’s limitation in ability, but sometimes, those limitations can be attributed to traumatic experiences. For example, I have a serious anxiety when taking tests, because I ruined my college entrance exam held only once a year. From that moment, because of this trauma, it is impossible to demonstrate my full ability in any test. It is how I put the brakes on my achievement. It happens to everyone. Sometimes, our self-consciousness blocks us when we meet the wall that we make in our mind. In other words, if people jump off that wall, they can demonstrate more than expected, but it is true that there are a lot of geniuses who get perfect grades with less effort, and that makes us miserable people. However, Thomas Edison said, “Genius is comprised of 99 percent of effort and 1 percent of inspiration.” I have heard he said this on the purpose of showing off that he is the genius with 1 percent of inspiration. I personally acknowledge this quote in a different way. To me, It means not all people can become geniuses, however, some can become an acquired genius that is close to genius or a brilliant person. In other words, we can overcome limitations with our 99 percent effort. I find my motivation from this quote. Therefore, I think everyone can be a brilliant person even if we lack only 1 percent of inspiration. |
Jacob (Chan Woo Kim)
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