The Trouble with Being Smart or Creating Fixed Mindsets
Notes from a recovering school teacher
Some of us thinkers were branded as smart when we were young. This is a devastating label for many of us. Here’s why…
I’m going to tell you a story to demonstrate. I was a second grade teacher for many years. I was lucky to have an amazing teaching partner who wanted to collaborate with me to find ways to transfer the ownership of our students’ learning away from us and onto them.
We created a rather brilliant approach to spelling that was really more about students learning how to use data to set and accomplish realistic goals than it was about learning spelling patterns. This was when I got a real sense of the damage done to those kids we laud praise upon for being smart.
The system worked like this:
We’d start each week with a pre-test of spelling words. All the words on the test contained a particular spelling pattern or 2-3 related patterns. We’d then correct the test together in class and the students would use that information to create their own spelling list to study for the week. Any words missed on the pretest had to go on the student’s list, but beyond that they were free to pick from a curated list of words with the focus spelling pattern(s).
The words were presented in three columns, and I explained that the words in the first column were the simplest words and the easiest to master. As you moved across the columns, the words became more complex, likely becoming more difficult to remember. There was no additional guidance and the students had the freedom to pick whichever words they wanted (beyond those they’d missed on the pretest) to create their unique list.
They had several activities they could use to practice their words and at the end of the week, the students would pair up and test each other on their customized lists. We’d then graph the results of that test and analyze the data:
If you missed one or two words, you’d probably created a “just right” list for your level, with enough challenge to learn something but not so much that it was overwhelming and more than you could master. If you missed three or more words, you’d probably chosen words that were too difficult for you and next time you might consider choosing simpler words. If you consistently missed zero words then your list was probably too easy, and next time, you may want to challenge yourself with more difficult words.
(The graphs were also great to show trends over time, and we could use this data to adjust the student’s approach accordingly. Truly, this system was brilliant. I credit my teaching partner who was amazing to work with though she eventually wanted to move away from this because she felt it took too much focus away from spelling. I was more like, “fuck the spelling! This is real learning.”)
Now of course, there were always two to three smart kids in class that consistently chose the most difficult words and still aced the test every time. How to differentiate for these kids and make it more challenging? Well, they were encouraged to pull out the dictionary and find even more complex words that still contained the spelling pattern.
The first week these smart kids got to strut over to the bookshelf and pull out the dictionary, they were always so excited! They really had a great time finding longer, more challenging words and I loved seeing them so engaged rather than bored. Often, on this first go around, they would choose words that were too difficult and would be devastated when they missed several on their test. The following week, they’d use the guidance the whole class had received and look for words that were a bit simpler. If they missed one or two of these, they’d usually be done with the dictionary.
These smart kids would go back to the words they knew they could ace every time (usually because they already knew the words.) The dictionary would remain on the bookshelf during spelling because it challenged their very identities and made them feel less smart. These kids had fixed mindsets and when the learning task actually presented a challenge, they gave up because it meant they were no longer elevated above effort due to their intelligence.
What an eye-opener! And I couldn’t help but be reminded of all the activities I avoided as a child—and as an adult if I wasn’t sure I’d be good at it right out of the gate. How I spent years not allowing myself to be a beginner at anything, or if it was at all challenging, I’d abandon it quickly. Who knew being labeled smart would make you risk-averse and give you a fixed mindset?
Here’s a simple explanation of fixed mindset vs. growth mindset (concept developed by Carol Dweck):
People with a fixed mindset avoid challenges, because it makes them feel like they’re not talented or smart. They lose interest when the work gets hard, and they give up easily.
Those with growth mindset seek and thrive on challenge. They want to stretch themselves, because they know that they will grow and learn. “This is hard. This is fun.”
https://medium.com/leadership-motivation-and-impact/fixed-v-growth-mindset-902e7d0081b3
Humans are actually wired for challenge. We get satisfaction when we accomplish difficult things. Dr. Jane McGonigal talks about this in her book about psychology of video games, Reality is Broken. Yet, schools seem to reprogram us (the smart ones anyway. Those kids who always had to work for their grades had no problem using the data to keep them in their challenge zone) for risk-aversion—unless we’re playing in a digital world where the risks seem far less serious than those in real life.
So which are you? The risk-averse smart person or the person invigorated by challenge? What about your kids? Do they seek challenge or avoid it? Can you see how most classrooms create and reinforce this damaging identity?