In her TED Talk, “The Power of Believing You Can Improve,” Carol Dweck’s emphasis on the importance of a growth mindset is unique and thought-provoking. As she explains, a person with a growth mindset is someone who, when presented with a challenge, looks at it as an opportunity to grow and learn rather than as an insurmountable problem. Instead of being stuck in the problems of “now,” they simply understand that they are “not yet” where they need to be. In other words, people with a growth mindset accept the fact that they are not perfect but have hope that they can improve and are determined to put in the effort necessary to do so. In contrast, those who do not have a growth mindset may be paralyzed by an obstacle, because they do not believe that they can gain the resources necessary to overcome it and think that they will forever be stuck in their current state. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it is unlikely that one who is unwilling to put in the effort to improve will ever become better.

The experts studied in the chapter from How People Learn and the brain study Dweck shares prove the power of a growth mindset. It was found that the experts “monitored their own understanding carefully, making note of when additional information was required for understanding, whether new information was consistent with what they already knew, and what analogies could be drawn that would advance their understanding.” This is a crucial part of “adaptive experience.” These experts were aware of what they knew and what they needed to know and were not discouraged by encountering new things, exemplifying a growth mindset. They understood the “power of yet” that Dweck elaborates on. Intriguingly, this power can be measured in the brain itself. Dweck’s sharing of a study which showed high brain activity in those who engaged readily with problems and little to no activity in those who refused to move or find a solution shows that the very act of trying to solve a problem helps us learn and become more capable. This transformation of our understanding of the meaning of effort and difficulty has tremendous power to help us improve.

 

 

Works Cited

Dweck, Carol. “The Power of Believing That You Can Improve.” TED: Ideas Worth

Spreading, Nov. 2014,

www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en#t-354758

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How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice. "Chapter 2 Key Findings."

National Research Council. 1999. How People Learn: Bridging Research and

Practice. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.  doi: 10.17226/9457.

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