Excerpts from 'The Perils and Promises of Praise' by Carol S. Dweck
Educational Leadership
October 2007 | Volume 65 | Number 2 Pages 34-39
“Alfred Binet (1909/1973), the inventor of the IQ test, had a strong ‘growth mind-set’. He believed that education could transform the basic capacity to learn. Far from intending to measure fixed intelligence, he meant his test to be a tool for identifying students who were not profiting from the public school curriculum so that other courses of study could be devised to foster their intellectual growth.”
“I think educators commonly hold two beliefs that . . . (1) praising students' intelligence builds their confidence and motivation to learn, and (2) students' inherent intelligence is the major cause of their achievement in school. Our research has shown that the first belief is false and that the second can be harmful—even for the most competent students.”
“More and more research in psychology and neuroscience supports the ‘growth mind-set’. We are discovering that the brain has more plasticity over time than we ever imagined (Doidge, 2007); that fundamental aspects of intelligence can be enhanced through learning (Sternberg, 2005); and that dedication and persistence in the face of obstacles are key ingredients in outstanding achievement (Ericsson, Charness, Feltovich, & Hoffman, 2006).”
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