(Growth by Nick Youngson)
The "not yet" way of grading does not imply that a student has failed, but still has the opportunity and capability to pass something. I think that's immensely better than a "no" or F as far as self-esteem goes. A definite "no" or "failed" is like a forceful period at the end of a sentence, no more room for change. In an ideal world, everyone would be able to switch over to the growth mindset overnight and I think we would see people flourish. Unfortunately, I think it will take a long time for everyone, or even most people, to agree that a growth mindset is better than a fixed one.
Oliver,
ReplyDeleteI think that a major impediment to that kind of "not yet" mindset is the idea that you're supposed to finish your formal education in a set amount of time and with a set amount of dollars. Educating people requires significant amounts of resources, so the question of how to specifically allow people to grow in their education while still respecting these kinds of realities is difficult (but none the less important).
I really agree with what you are saying. While I appreciate the "not yet" style of grading, I don't think it is ever going to be formally implemented because of how the majority of people view education. "No" isn't even helpful for people... I mean we hold back children when they fail and make them do exactly the same thing as before. Clearly, it wasn't a good system for them, so why not change it up? Putting them through the same coursework is silly. If more people could look at things with a growth mindset, we would be better off for sure.
ReplyDeleteOliver,
ReplyDeleteYou made a a great point in this post! I agree that changing over to this "growth mindset" way of thinking would be really beneficial, but in today's society it would be quite different. Any change is difficult, and especially when it comes to the way we are used to thinking and teaching children! I also really liked your photo you used, and that you put it in the middle of your text. Nice thoughts!
I agree with what you're saying about how the implementation of the growth mindset is not something that will happen easily. But even if it requires a large overhaul, there can still be slow and steady changes made to work towards that change. It's difficult, but the current system needs a change. We might not be able to get the growth mindset into use overnight. But over many nights, one step at a time, I think that we can eventually get that point.
ReplyDeleteOliver,
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! I agree that this mindset would take a large overhaul of what this generation already practices. I think we're also engrained in the way we do things that it would really take lots of effort to change the system. Making changes begins with one person, though, and lots of times attitudes are contagious. I think practices this growth mindset will influence others to do the same!
I agree with you that the growth mindset can be powerful but has its own set of challenges. I think it's super important to be able to learn from mistakes rather than to fear them, and it's in education that we should give the most room for mistakes. That said, it's also true that the fear of failure can be a powerful motivator in some cases. It wouldn't make a lot of sense for me to take the same class over and over again past a certain point, so "not yet" is only so applicable.
ReplyDeleteHi Oliver, i definitely agree with you that it would be an enormous effort to achieve growth mindset in schools. And as with all things, there are certainly people who would use it to justify laziness or distort it to achieve things that were not the original intent. However, I found the message of growth mindset to be something truly inspiring, and not something that has to be implemented in a formal grading system in order for students to enjoy its benefits. It can simply be a teacher encouraging a student who is struggling.
ReplyDelete