The Secret to Raising Smart Kids: Scientific American Annotated
Research is converging on the conclusion that great accomplishment, and even what we call genius, is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift. Mozart, Edison, Curie, Darwin and Cézanne were not simply born with talent; they cultivated it through tremendous and sustained effort.
The research suggests there are two perspectives: a “fixed mind-set” and a “growth mind-set.”
…more than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings.
…studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life.
These two different perspectives offer insight into how people deal with failure: helplessly as an individual short coming or mastering it as an opportunity.
[in the former group] mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. They avoid challenges because challenges make mistakes more likely and looking smart less so.
The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence is malleable and can be developed through education and hard work. They want to learn above all else Because slip ups stem from a lack of effort, not ability, they can be remedied by more effort.
May be not just for children.
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