Wegrow up with a mixed message: making mistakes is a necessary learning tool, bu-组卷网

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We grow up with a mixed message: making mistakes is a necessary learning tool, but we should avoid them. And that’s a real shame. Because when we tell kids that learning is all about the results, we teach them that mistakes are something to be feared and avoided. We stifle (压制) their interest in experimenting because experimenting means you’re going to make a mess and fail. And that’s too big a risk.

Here’s a fascinating experiment that shows how children absorb what we say about effort vs. results. One of professor Carol Dweck’s experiments asked 400 5th graders in New York City schools to take an easy short test, on which almost all performed well. Half the children were praised for “being really smart”. The other half were complimented for “having worked really hard”. Then the students were asked to take a second test and given the option of either choosing one that was pretty simple and that they would do well on, or one that was more challenging, but on which they might make mistakes. Of those students praised for effort, 90 percent chose the harder test. Of those praised for being smart, the majority chose the easy test. Professor Dweck told me: “One thing I’ve learned is that kids are exquisitely (敏锐地) familiar to the real message, and the real message is ‘Be smart’. It’s not ‘We love it when you struggle or when you learn and make mistakes.’”

One way we can fix this is by understanding the concepts of “fixed mindsets” and “growth mindsets”. Those with fixed mindsets believe either we’re good at something — whether it’s math or music or baseball — or we’re not. When we have this fixed mindset, mistakes serve no purpose but to highlight failure. Those with growth mindsets are much more likely to be able to accept mistakes because they know that they’re part of learning. And it’s been shown that when students are taught about growth mindsets, their motivation to learn improves.

【小题1】Why do children often avoid experimenting?

A．They consider the process time-consuming.

B．They prefer easy tasks over challenging ones.

C．They are not interested in hands-on activities.

D．They are afraid of making mistakes and failing.

【小题2】What lesson can we learn from professor Carol Dweck’s experiment?

A．Praise promotes children’s self-confidence.

B．Keep children away from struggle and mistakes.

C．Praise children for their devotion instead of their talent.

D．Parents should give their children timely encouragement.

【小题3】Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A guidebook to parenting.