R12

Question:

What happens if a student has “a fixed mindset” as mentioned in Dweck’s article, as instead of the teacher? Would that “fixed” learner create a more difficult challenge for any teacher, one that has a fixed or growth mindset? Especially when considering students with certain disabilities, like ASD, and may have a fixed mindset, what strategies might work best?

Quote:

“To build a better world we need to replace the patchwork of lucky breaks and arbitrary advantages that today determine success—the fortunate birth dates and the happy accidents of history—with a society that provides opportunities for all” (Gladwell, 2008, p. 268).

Connection:

Gladwell’s quote above made me think about the United States’ track record of offering opportunity to its citizens. If Gladwell’s conclusion is true, doesn’t the United States provide conditions for opportunity better than most other countries? Although the country is not perfect, its forefathers seemed to understand and value this idea given its previous dependence on Great Britain. For students in America, having the strength and presence of mind to seize those opportunities, as Gladwell mentioned later, should be the focus. In social cognitive theory, the mindset of the student plays a key part in success. Potentially the education reform should be organized around helping students learn how to recognize and seize the opportunities that living in America affords them. Somehow immigrant students have learned how to do this part (seizing the opportunity) much better than American students.

Connection:

When Gladwell described the schedule of the KIPP student, it reminded me of the film, Race to Nowhere. This description suggested that students who spend more hours in school became better learners, but in Race to Nowhere the opposite seemed to be true. As students work harder and longer, do they ultimate hurt or help themselves to learn more? One main difference between the two scenarios is that students at KIPP seem to receive an amazing amount of support and specific guidance from teachers.