Will Richardson’s Interview with Carol Dweck on Motivation & Praise
Monday, February 16th, 2009
This is a must-view video for all of us. Dweck’s research probes the perils of empty praise and reinforces much of what the AASL Standards tell us about building students’ dispositions and self-assessment skills. Don’t miss this or Dweck’s book, Mindset.
One of her key ideas is that we have a responsibility to help students develop a growth mindset (in which students believe that they are on a continuum of growth and can continue to build skills and expertise) instead of a fixed mindset (in which students believe their intelligent is pre-determined and cannot change, as in, “I’m smart, so I should know how to do this, and I can’t, so I’m frustrated” or, “I’m dumb, so that’s why I don’t get this - I give up.”)
Her work is so, so powerful, especially for those of us who work in upper middle-class environments in which there is some pressure to demonstrate “good parenting” or “supportive teaching” by praising — or over-praising — our students.
This is a must-view video for all of us. Dweck’s research probes the perils of empty praise and reinforces much of what the AASL Standards tell us about building students’ dispositions and self-assessment skills. Don’t miss this or Dweck’s book, Mindset.
One of her key ideas is that we have a responsibility to help students develop a growth mindset (in which students believe that they are on a continuum of growth and can continue to build skills and expertise) instead of a fixed mindset (in which students believe their intelligent is pre-determined and cannot change, as in, “I’m smart, so I should know how to do this, and I can’t, so I’m frustrated” or, “I’m dumb, so that’s why I don’t get this - I give up.”)
Her work is so, so powerful, especially for those of us who work in upper middle-class environments in which there is some pressure to demonstrate “good parenting” or “supportive teaching” by praising — or over-praising — our students.