Growth Mindset: Revisited

For this post, I will be giving my thoughts on two videos from Laura's Growth Mindset playlist. 

Video #1: Cognitive Friction

This video surprised me. My general conception of the Growth Mindset was that challenges are important for people to learn and that traditional grading has limited the implementation of Growth Mindset-focused curriculum. However, I always thought the challenges were either individual or collaborative. This video introduced the idea that competition between humans, as long as it remains below a certain threshold of extremity, can be useful for growth. I do tend to feel more motivated when there is an element of competition in an activity, but I know some people really dislike competition, so it was interesting to see a video advocating for it.

Video #2: Hidden Strengths

I think this video makes an intriguing hypothesis, and it's possible that the statements made are actually supported by scientific studies, but I did not see any referenced in the video. I have heard that if someone loses a sense, such as hearing, then their other senses become stronger to compensate. The biologist narrating the video mentioned that autism and dyslexia are often seen as deficits but may also be indicative of advantages in other areas. This concept could certainly help people view their deficits in a more optimistic light, which would help with personal growth.

(Image Info: Growth Mindset Cat taken from Laura Gibbs' Growth Mindset Blog; Laura notes the original image source is from Flickr, accessible here)