Comments on: How To Be Smart

By: Re-Wiring the Brain | Tony thinks..

Re-Wiring the Brain | Tony thinks.. — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:47:18 +0000

[...] the previous two topics have dealt with this topic), but in case you were wonder which mindset (fixed or growth) is closer to reality, the science clearly supports the notion that a person’s skill and [...]

By: Matt Hamblin

Matt Hamblin — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:44:56 +0000

While I do agree with the general principle that praising children in the wrong way/for the wrong things can lead to them becoming complacent with their intelligence, I have to say that the “fixed mindset” vs “growth mindset” theory is shaky.

The article implies that people with a “growth” mindset are always very hard-working and eager to take on a challenge, and people with a “fixed” mindset are always lazy and unwilling to face challenges.

This essentially blames the “fixed” mindset for an abundance of lazy and complacent kids.

I don’t believe that the “fixed mindset” is the reason kids don’t do their work or study hard. The primary reason kids don’t do their work is because they don’t care about learning in general. There are plenty of “growth”-leaning thinkers out there who acknowledge that they have the power to learn as much or as little as they please, and still choose not to learn.

Also, I know quite a few people who lean towards a “fixed” mindset, but still study very hard in school because they don’t think of studying as making them smarter, they think of it as a means to uncover more of their natural ability.

The reason the results of the study were so extreme (growth mindset tried harder, faced setbacks better; fixed mindsets didn’t try as hard, gave up) can be attributed to the very young age of those who were studied (Kindergarten and 5th grade). Children often see things only in “black and white;” seeing the “gray” of an issue is a skill that is developed with age.

So if we’re looking to solve Gen-Y’s apathy problem, glamorizing learning and education is where we must start. We have to make learning “cool” again. How to do this, I don’t know, but until learning isn’t a dirty word on a high school campus, the mindsets of the students are irrelevant.

By: Sherry Farrahi

Sherry Farrahi — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:16:31 +0000

Well, people with a growth mindset would definitely agree with this article, and people with a fixed mindset would most likely resent it. I strongly agree with this article; I don’t think “being smart” should be categorized as people who obtain knowledge naturally and don’t put forth any effort. I believe to become smart, one must be dedicated and put effort into their work. Although it feels good to be called smart, one should not be apprehensive to challenges just because it will make them look less smart. Being challenged is what builds on to one’s intelligence. By not fully succeeding the first time, it should make one want to try harder the next time to better grasp the concept, not make them turn away. All in all, I think this article is accurate about the growth of knowledge based on the mindset of a person.

By: Victoria Malone

Victoria Malone — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:40:13 +0000

Maybe I didnt say this right. I don’t think parents should constantly praise their children…then you get the kids that start crying when they get an A and their parents don’t say anything. My parents don’t shower me with praise. They say good job or well done. A little praise every once in a while never hurt anyone…but if it is constant the result could be disastrous.

By: Victoria Malone

Victoria Malone — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:37:27 +0000

HI TONY TONEVA! This is Victoria Malone and I am in your mom’s Honors Algebra 2 class. I looked at the “How To Be Smart” Article. The truth is I like it when my parents give me praise and I have gotten good grades since I can remember, so there input has not had a bad effect. My self esteem is high and I am not a baby that has to be told when she is doing something correctly or well. If you are satisfied with yourself, try not to care what other people think. I can’t always do that, but I am independent so if a person has a problem with me…it’s not good. And in my experience I think that getting good grades is a little more important than learning. While I believe that one must still learn and learning is important, I think that learning and getting D’s is not effective. Maybe I just sound like a brat…but this is what I think.
P.S. You don’t look a lot like your mom…but your picture was really tiny.
P.S.S I love your name! It reminds of Tony the Tiger!!

By: Holden Rolfs

Holden Rolfs — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:28:56 +0000

Wow, this certainly puts an entire new thought process in my head. The postulation that ATTITUDE is the main factor in determining intelligence certainly may seem implausible at face value, but studies rarely lie. If this it true, then those with higher intellect would thirst for more knowledge while those who are lower in the smartness chain don’t care. Not necessarily BECAUSE they’re any less smart, but they are what they are because of their APATHY.
In reflection, this could mean that the smallest amount of not caring as a child could make them a tad less smart, causing any apathy, until they spiral into a mutual and unstoppable chain-reaction. This process would explain how we are defined at young ages, that the cause-and-effect ideal is exploited by mother nature.

FIN

By: Garrett Woods

Garrett Woods — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:03:12 +0000

This article was very good for me to read and has given me a new outlook on my schoolwork. Towards the end of the year I haven’t been trying my hardest to be a growth thinker. My parents contribute a lot to this. They always tell me how proud of me they are for my grades, because when they were in school they were horrible students. But I need someone to tell me that I can do better. Because quite frankly I can do do a lot better. As I go through the classes in my day it’s easy to classify the smarter people. This article helped me realize that they don’t have anything that I don’t. They just have a different mind set, that, in order to be successful I need. A growth thinker isn’t that hard to do. Its just a willingness. What seperates the AP students from the regular is their willingness to be a growth thinker. My lack of being a growth thinker has really set in this year as I am satisfied with grades, and have been able to accept some lower grades… because maybe it’s just who I am. But this study has showed me that it’s not who I am. Who I am is who I tell myself to be. I need to step up to the plate and be willing to grow.

I have a great respect for this doctor for going out on a limb to prove many wrong. This study makes a lot of sense. Americans are easily satisfied by good enough. I fear for our country and our good enough mind set. Many other countries in poverty have realized that they need to change to get ahead, now that we are already ahead we have settled. This articles shows that you should never settle, because nothing can ever be good enough. This article taught me a lot and I think every parent should read it for it also has some valuable parenting tips. My most successful friends have the parents that push them. The people that push grow and succeed. I will push, I will study, I will succeed!

I love Ms. Toneva so much that we are gonna get married when I am of age.
-Garrett

By: Evan W.

Evan W. — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:26:05 +0000

This article was very interesting. It is very interesting to how the mindset of a someone growing up can be influenced by their parents. My parents have definetly over praised my brother and I when we were younger, but also if we did bad she would get on us if we did not do good. “I know you can do better than that!” She would say. Everyday up to high school I had this mindset that some people were smarter than others. I did not put that much effort into anything yet because i did not neccesarily need to. But as soon as i got to high school i realized i had to put effort into my work. At this stage in our high school career it would take a very smart person to not put effort into their work and still succeed with getting good grades. The classes that I put more effort into i do much much better at. I have gotten over the stage of my mom praising me for being “smart”. I learned my lesson in relying on my smartness. It just did not work for me. Math is my best subjecy and always has been but recently I have not put much effort into it and my grade has shown. Also at the beggining of this i hated chemistry, i just would not get it. But when i put effort into it i succeeded. I have gotten over my mom’s praises; eventhough it took me learning the hard way. I also have changed my mindset but not completely, i walked into math this year thinking i was really good at it i dont need to put much effoert into it. But that has back fired greatly.
Sorry Mrs. Toneva

By: Kyle Alford

Kyle Alford — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:15:16 +0000

i think that this article is really true. i can personally think of instances in my life where this has happened to me and i was thinking just that. i think i fall into the 20% that cant really make up their mindset because i do believe that you can never stop learning and challenging your brain, but i can think of times when i thought to myself that you know im just no good at this and basically gave up. then when i think about it my teachers and parents have told me things like i must be really smart, basically making me think that it was god-given talent or whatever. it just makes me think is that wrong? they clearly just thought that they were encouraging me, but i guess can me considered somewhat detramental. its impossible to know what your true potential will be if you get treated like this. i think the word needs to get out about this, because i can see the effects it has on kids in high school still today, kids who just think that they arent smart, when if they tried hard enough im sure they could be, but to try is not “cool” in our society today with teenagers. it just blows my mind with this research which i had never even considered. great arcticle thanks

Kyle Alford
we all know i love anna toneva the most

By: Khadija S.

Khadija S. — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:55:06 +0000

This article has brought up a lot of interesting points i have never thought about before. One of the major things i have noticed is that when my parents do not praise me i tend to try harder in the subject and i try to study more , i guess this proves the point of praising someone’s ability. I have thought about it and every time my parents d congratulate me on achievements i think that i don’t have to try harder in that subject anymore because i have achieved what i wanted – my parents praise. Then i begin to get lazier and lazier and notice that my grades drop and that my parents no longer are happy with them that is why i start trying. I’m not saying that this is my parents fault, my dad actually tells me that as long as i put a hundred percent effort in it i am capable of achieving what i want. This article explains some of my behavior, but i have realized that now its because of my parents try , its because of my own self satisfaction and future. granted that when you are younger you are focused on looking smarter and leasing your parents so they can brag about you, but once you get older you tend to realize that you actually have to try harder for yourself and its not your parents who are going to be living your future its you. So although this article does prove many points like how younger ones are impacted by praise, it doesn’t really focus on the mindsets of older children and how they change due to themselves and self realization. i do believe though that constant praise is not good and it does cause laziness.