Mindset Menace
     The central focus of Alfie Kohnâs article âThe Perils of  âGrowth Mindsetâ Educationâ published in Salon Magazine on August 19, 2015 is research on how the idea of having a âgrowth mindsetâ has become nothing more than a cultural meme. Kohn notes that everyone is so caught up in having students develop a growth mindset that the underlying issue of fixing the school system itself is not being addressed. While many believe that being praised for effort is a good thing, Kohn concludes praise itself is what is really problematic. Regarding praise, Kohn states that it is âa verbal reward, an extrinsic inducement, and, like other rewards, is often construed by the recipient as manipulationâ (12). To support his argument, Kohn shares from a research literature that kids end up less interested in what they were rewarded or praised for and are in turn focused on the reward or praise themselves. Ultimately, Kohn presents this information to teachers and parents, so that they can, instead of blinding children with petty rewards or praise, give them nonjudgmental feedback, guidance, and unconditional support.
     Maintaining his claim that the âgrowth vs. fixedâ conflict is ridiculous, Kohn cites, âA 2010 study found that when students whose self-worth hinges on their performance face the prospect of failure, it doesnât help for them to adopt a growth mindset. In fact, those who did so were even more likely to give themselves an excuse for screwing up â a strategy known as âself-handicappingâ â as compared to those with the dreaded fixed mindsetâ (15). In other words, students that adopt a growth mindset and experience failure are more likely to impede themselves than those with fixed mindset. While the study isnât necessarily credible, it still brings up a point that anyone concerned with the school system has thought about. There is too much emphasis on performance which, in turn, undermines learning itself.
     According to Kohn, so much attention has been paid to personality, performance, and mindsets that it has detracted from societal factors that influence learning such as sexism, poverty, economic and political barriers. In other words, Kohn believes that people such as teachers are quick to blame studentsâ shortcomings with learning on their mindsets rather than other forces that could be at play. I am of two minds about Kohnâs claim that there is too much emphasis placed on âfixingâ students mindsets. On one hand, I agree that this emphasis does take away from far more important issues like sexism or poverty that could be the root of struggles in students. On the other hand, Iâm not sure if everybody is really only focused on âfixingâ mindsets. I just find it hard to believe that people can only be fixated on mindsets and not try to rationalize and see if there could be another underlying cause for a studentâs poor performance. Sure I struggled a lot in school, but I have never had someone tell me it was because of me having a specific mindset. It usually stemmed from things like teaching methods, environments, or even things happening back home. I am sure that some teachers do emphasize mindsets but none of my teachers ever did. Just my two cents.
In your third paragraph you talk about Kohnâs thoughts as well as your own personal view. I agree with your opinion when you say, âOn the other hand, Iâm not sure if everybody is really focused on âfixingâ students mindsets.â I think you have the right idea. I also think that some educators are not blaming student failure on whether or not they have a growth mindset or not. I think that there could be underlying factors that are causing students not to achieve to theyâre set standards.
