As a teacher at a small private school, I get to spend a lot of my time thinking about the brain and how it works, and how to help our kids become the best version of themselves as students and as people.
Sometimes, I stumble across information worth stealing/capturing for myself. Carol Dweck is a CLASSIC example: her work with "growth mindset" is, at this point, legendary. The gist of that work is in the video above.
I just discovered a useful book by a protege of Dweck's, Heidi Grant Halvorson, called Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals. The science in this book looks sound, it's accessible, and she doles out a lot of very practical advice culled from years of study, such as:
- Cultivate a "growth mindset" rather than a "fixed mindset."
- Strong self-control is one of the clearest predictors of success. You can cultivate self-control by practicing it in low-stakes ways (it's like a muscle; you can build it)
- If you want to work, surround yourself with triggers that will prompt you to work (yes, those dumb posters of runners and Einstein in your middle school social studies classroom actually had some merit)
- Set goals that are specific, difficult, and achievable. Be optimistic about reaching them, and realistic about the work it will take to achieve them.
- There are three basic human needs (once food and shelter are taken care of): relatedness, competence, and autonomy. Most of us are happiest when we're working toward those things. Many of us substitute the pursuit of fame and fortune for these three needs -- that doesn't go as well.
I'm not huge on the self-help type books, but this is a good tool for educators, and for anyone wrestling with their goals.
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