a belief system that suggests that oneâs intelligence can be grown or developed with persistence, effort, and a focus on learning
Dweck also presents a different belief system about intelligence; the belief that intelligence is something you are born with and the level of intelligence cannot be changedâa fixed mindset. A person with a fixed mindset might truly believe that he has a predetermined amount of intelligence, skills, or talents. This belief system is problematic at both ends of the continuum. For those students who struggle or do not perceive themselves as smart, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because they donât really believe that they can be successful, they will often give up and not put forth effort. For those students who are advanced learners, they can become consumed with âlooking smartâ at all costs. They may have coasted through school without really putting forth much effort, yet they are often praised for their good grades and strong skills. Often, an advanced learner with a fixed mindset will start avoiding situations where she may fail; she can become ârisk adverse.â In her book, Dweck (2006), using tennis star John McEnroe as an example, noted that a person with a fixed mindset often is a high achiever who blames outside forces when he or she âfailsâ at a task.
fixed mindset
a belief system that suggests that a person has a predetermined amount of intelligence, skills, or talents
Think for a minute about your own mindset. A mindset is a set of personal beliefs and is a way of thinking that influences your behavior and attitude toward yourself and others. An educatorâs mindset directly influences how a child feels about him or herself and how he or she views him- or herself as a learner. A childâs mind-set directly affects how he or she faces academic challenges. A child with a growth mindset perseveres even in the face of barriers. A child with a fixed mindset may give up easily and not engage in the learning process.
A fixed or growth mindset can directly affect family dynamics as well. It is not surprising to note that parents also have a big impact on how children view themselves. They will often view their children through specific lenses, âJoseph was born knowing his math facts,â âDomenic has always asked good questions,â and âCatherine just knows how to interpret a piece of literature,â These are all examples of a fixed mindset, even though the statements sound positive. These statements describe who these children âare,â not the effort that they have put forth. As educators, think of some occasions when you have heard a parent describe her child in a way that rationalizes perceived weaknesses: âShe is just like me; math was not my thing eitherâ or âI can understand why he does not do well in reading, I never liked to read.â (Ideas and resources for helping parents embrace a growth mindset will be discussed in Chapter 6.)
Shifting Mindsets
Breaking down the belief that intelligence is static can be a challenge, but with the proper groundwork and education, little by little a mindset can shift. Expecting a shift in mindset immediately is not realistic; after all some educators have had a fixed mindset belief for most of their lives. Even after someone has had a self-proclaimed mindset shift, she will need to make a conscious effort to maintain that belief.
A fixed mindset has an elasticity that continually wants to spring back. For example, a twice-exceptional child (a gifted student with learning disabilities) called to share a college schedule with his mother who also happened to be an educator. The parent had a mindset âshiftâ several years ago and had proudly told me all she did to encourage a growth mindset culture within their home. The schedule her son shared involved 8 a.m. classes and a course roster that included macroeconomics, international business, accounting, analysis of media, and management. His mother noted that the fixed mindset mentality buried within her wanted to scream, âAre you crazy? You are setting yourself up for failure!â Instead, she responded, âIt sounds like a challenging schedule, and I know that with continued effort, you will be able to manage it.â Believing that all children can, with effort, persistence, and motivation succeed, is the heart of this belief.
Brain-Based Research
One of the reasons for this shift in thinking about intelligence is due to the available technology that examines the function and make-up of the brain. Recent brain research negates the notion that intelligence is âfixedâ from birth. Formal and informal studies demonstrate that the brain can develop with the proper stimulus. Other current research in neuroscience emphasizes the concept of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to change, adapt, and ârewireâ itself throughout our entire life. Anyone who has ever witnessed someone recovering from a stroke has had a front row seat in watching neuroplasticity. In the case of a stroke, for most patients, the brain begins the rewiring process almost immediately so that patients learn to speak and become mobile again. (However, it takes the hard work and effort put forth in therapy for stroke patients to fully regain what theyâve lost.) Neuroplasticity works both ways; it creates new connections and eliminates connections that are not used very often.
neuroplasticity
the ability of the brain to change, adapt, and ârewireâ itself throughout our entire life
Understanding and believing in neuroplasticity is an important part of a growth mindset belief. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers: The Story of Success, related the idea of neuroplasticity back to academic success when he discussed how some children are at a disadvantage academically simply because they donât have the opportunities to learn at the same levels of their peers during the summer months. He shared the following,
It turns out that summer vacation is a massive disadvantage for poorer kids. Richer kids get a lot of help over the summer. Their homes are filled with books and things that advance their knowledge; they go to camp and have all these other activities. But a poor family canât do that. To improve that, we as a society would have to provide it in the first place. During the school year, poor kids actually outlearn richer kids. Then they stall over the summer. (Newman, 2008, para. 5)
This is an example of how neuroplasticity eliminates or weakens connectionsâin this case, the connections go unused for the children whose families cannot afford academic programming during the summer while the students who are provided with such opportunities during the summer can maintain their learning.
We now know so much more about the neurological aspects of the brain that it cannot help but inform the way we approach learning, instruction, and motivation. It directly affects teachersâ beliefs and expectations about student potential and achievement. It is when educators and children (as well as their parents) learn about the brain and all of its potential and when they witness the impact that it has on learning that mindsets can begin to shift (see Chapter 8 for a discussion of how you can teach children about the brain).
Intelligence and Measuring Intelligence
Is it possible to increase your IQ? The University of Michigan partnered with the University of Bern to conduct a study that looked at the possibility of increasing IQ. This 2008 study (see Palmer, 2011) required participants to continually play a computerized memory game that involved remembering visual patterns. Each time a different pattern appeared, the participants heard a letter from the alphabet in their headphones. They were asked to respond when either the visual pattern on the screen or the letters they were hearing in their headphones were repeated. The time between the repeating of patterns and letters became longer as the game became more difficult. The researchers found that as the participants had practice and got better at the game, scores on IQ-style tests increased (Palmer, 2011).
This research and other studies like it contribute to the understanding of malleable intelligence, a key factor in mindset and a concept many educators struggle to understand. In general, educators do not have a lot of background in cognitive science. I recently asked several groups of educators, âWhat do cognitive abilities tests/IQ tests measure?â Without exception, there was hesitancy in responding to the question; after giving sufficient wait time, a few responses were shared: âa childâs capability,â âhow smart they are,â and âtheir innate ability.â What surprised me more than their responses was the observation that so many of these teachers and administrators just could not answer the question. There are many times that educators are in situations where data is shared about a student, and that data often includes cognitive scores from gifted and talented screening processes, special education screening processes, and/or IQ tests. Who knew so many educators really have no idea what these assessments actually measure?
Cognitive ability tests measure developed ability. Therefore, if a child has never had an opportunity to develop reasoning processes, the outcome of one of these assessments would not be noteworthy. David Lohman (2002), professor of educational psychology at the University of Iowa and cocreator of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), stated that abilities are developed through experiences âin school and outside of schoolâ (para. 3). When parents and educators review these âintelligenceâ scores, assumptions may be made about the child and beliefs may kick in that place limits on the childâs potential.