The Growth Mindset

Image courtesy of the Joseph Campbell Website

I agree with what Carol Dweck is saying, that students need to be challenged. Learning is not a passive experience. However, I don't believe that simply changing the wording that teachers use (not yet instead of failing) is going to solve the problem. I think the only way for a person to fully commit themselves to a difficult task like education is a desire to do it. In my own experience, if I don't enjoy the subject material of a class or respect the teacher, I find it much harder to participate and do well in the class. A possible solution for this problem is placing more focus on the future of the students. As a middle school student, I didn't understand why algebra was important. I had no idea I would study engineering, or what use algebra has in every day life. Placing education within context is another place I think the American school system fails. This is why I agree with Joseph Campbell, the only way to get students to learn is to find an intrinsic motivation for them. This could be anything from money to a love of learning about a given subject material. But without a motivation, all a teacher is asking students to do is hit their head against the wall for reasons they don't understand.