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| "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp" (1632) by Rembrandt van Rijn |
Dweck suggests that growth mindset individuals are motivated by challenge and that challenge breeds interest. As Dweck puts it, "students with a growth mindset continued to show the same high level of interest [in a difficult chemistry class] even when they found the work very challenging. . . . Challenge and interest go hand in hand" (64).
But does a change in interest in the face of challenge always mean that you do not have a willingness to grow?
How do you know if your choices are fixed- or growth-based? For instance, what if you register as a pre-med student but hate your chemistry class and change majors? Does that choice mean you are of a fixed mindset and don’t believe in growth?
While I agree that “challenge breeds interest”, I believe that the reserve is also true. Interest can cultivate challenge. Take a video game for example. Some people put hours upon hours into a game just because they like it, eventually growing in skill and developing a taste for a challenge, to push themselves harder. That need to grow as a player all spawns from the love of that game. Then one day they find a different game, one that’s just as challenging, but doesn't offer the same need for growth as the previous game did. Is this a sign of a fixed mindset? No, it is just a sign of having differing taste in challenges. A basketball player would not try to memorize a ten page piece on the piano, since that is not where their interest lies, nor would a musician try to perfect a three pointer. It is only when the basketball player settles for their amazing dribbling skills and does not work on shooting, or the musician focuses on their articulation but not their tone, is where the fixed mindset can be seen. Interest is the driving force, in a way, for people with a growth mindset to enjoy the challenge.
ReplyDeleteI really like your examples because I can relate to them personally. As someone who plays a TON of video games, I find myself working harder on those where my interest is strong and weaker on those where it is not. Now academically speaking, I have always loved english and reading but absolutely hated math. Math was always more challenging for me and because of that I would often stress out and push it to the side. I can honestly say that my attitude towards math reflects that of a fixed-mindset. However, when it came to english or reading, the opposite was true. My teacher could assign a paper coined as "very hard" and I would still do it passionately because I loved the subjects. It is like you said, interest IS the driving force and I can definitely confirm that based on my own experiences.
Delete-Chance Zernicek
I like that you mentioned changing video games as a change of challenge. Like you, I believe that changing interests in the middle of a challenge does not necessarily mean that you no longer have a desire to grow. Maybe you just found something that you like better.
DeleteI think that you can tell whether a decision came from a fixed or a growth mindset based on your priorities. If you quit a class because you are making bad grades or because you have to put out more effort, then a fixed mindset influenced that decision. If you quit a class or change majors because you genuinely dislike the class, then I believe that you are deciding from a growth mindset. You simply dislike that particular challenge and are ready for a different one.
-Kaylee George
I enjoy Kassie’s examples from the other side. Coming from a musician’s point of view, I also appreciate what Kassie said about musicians differing from basketball players. Both activities require patience and practice, but in different forms. People who settle with not being their best at their instrument(s) is where the fixed mindset occurs. It can be seen anywhere from the lowest junior high band to a university’s Wind Ensemble, like ours. Like Chance, I really dislike math. When I began my college career last year and decided on a Deaf Services Major, I did not choose that because I was avoiding math. It just so happened that I only had to take one math. Although I did not do the best in my high school math classes, I knew better than to put off taking it to a later year, so I went ahead and enrolled. I was not- and am not- interested in math, but because I tried to keep a positive attitude about the class, I ended with an A. This being said, I think that people who enjoy being challenged can find a challenge in anything.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the both of you, Chance and Hannah, when it comes to math. Ever since middle school I have always disliked math and all the classes that came with it, hence why I am not going into a major that depends heavily on math courses and math in general. I am willing to work at math, if for a required class, but I will not push myself up and beyond for a subject I simply do not like. I do not believe that makes me fixed minded, just me wanting to enjoy my education and hopefully future job.
DeleteI agree that challenges can make things more interesting. Although, I think it is ridiculous to believe that every decision has to be either on mindset or another. I believe that these mindsets can go hand and hand. I also think that every situation is different. People with a fixed mindset and people with a growth mindset can make the very same decisions, good or bad, for different or even the same reasons. Just because someone changes their major doesn’t mean they have a fixed mindset, or even that it is a bad decision. I would not want to be stuck doing something I disliked, even if I was perfectly capable of doing it. I think that it is totally wrong to label people as having a fixed or growth mindset, based on one, or even a couple decisions.
ReplyDeleteThere are many contributing factors for one to consider when choosing a career path, and they should be considered very carefully as it determines how the rest of your life will play out; there is a fundamental difference between giving up and making a conscious decision to take another path in life. For example the Pre-Med Chemistry dilemma. If a student chooses the medical path, just because it is the quintessence of success in their mind, then the rigor of an introductory chemistry course can help expose them to the reality of the situation: medicine may be a lucrative field, but it is only for those that are very passionate. Chemistry can help the student realize that their "dream" could take more work and effort then they're willing to put in. Which could save them from wasting their time on a degree they're not truly passionate about. While giving up in the face of a challenge does generally indicate a fixed mindset, it can also be indicative of a cognizant mind. There is a difference between giving up and making a tactical retreat; you can lose the battle and still win the war.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. When I first started looking at colleges I wanted to go into law. I thought that was my dream. After participating in Youth in Government my senior year of high school I realized that was not the path for me. Many people can have crazy dreams of what they want to do in life, but once starting college and taking classes in their perspective field realize their interest does not truly lie where they thought they did. Yes they may have to give up on that dream, but this allows them the opportunity to begin a new dream, one that their heart and mind both want.
DeleteI can agree with Dweck in saying that challenge and interest go hand in hand, however, I believe that the two can be separate at times. Being uninterested in something does not mean that you do not crave a challenge. It could be quite the opposite. You could be in a subject matter that you find uninteresting due to lack of challenge, or simply because it is not what you thought it would be. Changing ones mind on which challenges they do or do not want to face does not indicate a fixed mindset in my opinion. One can believe in growth and still choose to change their mind from time to time based on things apart from challenge level.
ReplyDeleteThis question really spoke to me. At the end of last semester, I decided to switch my major from Business Administration to Elementary Education. My first semester as a Business Administration major, I started to discover that I just was not genuinely interested in it. I decided to stick it out, because I was just taking basic entry level courses, and I thought that second semester might be a little more interesting and fun. Second semester rolled around, and the classes were just as bad, and my interest level was dwindling day by day. I decided to try to stick it out even longer despite the fact that the classes were completely uninteresting to me, and by the end of the semester I came to the conclusion that business just was not for me. I did not have a passion for it at all. I do not think that my change in interest or my decision to switch my major was stemmed from a fixed mindset. Coming into college, I honestly had no idea what I wanted my major to be. By spending a year taking business classes, I realized that it was not meant for me, and that I was meant to be somewhere else. During the time of uncertainty when I did not know what I was going to do, I tried my best to keep a growth mindset, and by the end of all of it I ended up learning a lot about myself and what I really want to do in life.
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