Embrace the growth mindset

Our size and physical strength are not fixed, otherwise why would we work out and play sport competitively? Our skills and knowledge are not fixed, otherwise why would we get a degree or attend a vocational course? So why believe that our intelligence is fixed?

I think the view that one's intelligence is predetermined is mostly the result of our experiences from childhood. There was always that one boy or girl in the class who aced every test, usually without having to study very much. We would soon label such a person 'clever' or 'immensely intelligent', while sometimes calling those who perform less well 'stupid' or 'dumb'.

Unfortunately, I remember very well that the vast majority of students falling somewhat wrongly into the dumb category would gradually come to believe that their intelligence level was fixed and that nothing could help improve it. Most of these students would lose hope and consequently falter in class.

Nothing could be more untrue than a statement saying that intelligence is fixed

In supporting this judgement, I will recall two pieces of evidence. The first stems from the fact that the most important factor in achieving a top performance in tests and exams is not intelligence or IQ, but rather grit. Psychologists have shown that grit, the ability to study continuously and persevere day in and day out even if failure keeps occurring, is the biggest contributor to high scores on standardised tests and university exams. Please watch the TED talk on this topic: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit

Second, Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, has highlighted the findings of Dr Carol Dweck as a major game-changing on this issue. Dweck shows that we adhere to one of two mindsets: fixed or growth. Those in the former group believe that intelligence is fixed by genes, whereas those in the latter group believe that their intelligence can grow through effort, struggle, and failure - the building blocks of grit.

An analogy with physical exercise may help illustrate the growth mindset. Like any muscle, the brain becomes more powerful when it is stretched and challenged. To strengthen my pectorals, I don't stick with my past routine, with which I am comfortable; I focus on a more challenging work-out and embrace the prospect of pain and discomfort. To strengthen one's brain, then, one must face new and difficult tasks rather than repeatedly completing tasks at which one is already successful.

Growth always involves a struggle. Bodybuilders and professional athletes embrace the growth mindset of their bodies and face the struggle that ensues. Individuals embracing the growth mindset of their minds also accept that they will struggle for some time before adapting to whatever it is they are studying or learning.

If I could go back in time, I would approach my fellow secondary school students, who naively believed that their intelligence was fixed, and declare the following: EMBRACE THE GROWTH MINDSET, ACCEPT THE STRUGGLE, AND YOUR INTELLIGENCE WILL GROW.

I repeat that same message to you.