Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Exploring the Idea of Growth Mindset

I have never heard of Carol Dweck or the growth mindset before today. I cannot speak for all majors, however, I do find that as an engineering student at the University of Oklahoma the grading of process versus final grades is in the works. Many professors nowadays grade highly on the process at which you attack a very difficult problem, with only a few points considered for the exact answer. This encourages students to truly study the material instead of memorizing a certain solution to a problem. To focus on what went on in their brain and thought processes allow for students to feel worthy of the task at hand and not get discouraged when failing. I have personally always thought that process is the most important aspect of learning, therefore, I will continue researching the growth mindset this semester and in future. I feel that every teacher/professor needs to look into the growth mindset project and utilize the ideas of Ms. Dweck in their own curriculum. Overall, this idea, along with Ms. Dweck’s growth mindset, are what we need to focus on in the future.

My own goals will continue with what I have thought of in the past. With going through difficult courses, I of course want to get the final grade of an A. However, I value the actual content and processes I have learned versus the letter grade I receive. I would much rather get a “B” in a course and learn a great deal of knowledge versus and easy course that I receive an “A” in.


Growth Mindset



Finally, in the work force, processes are important in everyday tasks. As a hopeful future manager, I can emphasize the importance on what thoughts my employees have if they did not do the task right instead of focusing solely on the result. With a combination of teaching and understanding how employees operate, I feel that a manger can excel at their job. 

1 comment:

  1. I agree with your point about the grading in the Petroleum Engineering program. Most of my teachers assign points on the thought process, with some teachers deducting points if you don't clearly write out your assumptions at the beginning of each problem. However, in higher education we are dealing with more realistic problems, many of which can't be solved realistically under testing conditions (time limits, no reference information, etc.). Anyways, that's my two cents.

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