I am dubious of Carol Dweck's touted "growth mindset". She writes thing like this:
http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.htmlIn a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.
Well, most of what I've read about intelligence says that it is not malleable. We don't know how to raise IQ. Someone should study literature, or a foreign language, or mathematics because those subjects are worth studying or to get a useful credential, not because studying makes them smarter.
A detailed critique of the "growth mindset" that I recommend is
NO CLARITY AROUND GROWTH MINDSET…YETBY SCOTT ALEXANDER
APRIL 8, 2015
Why did you quote that paragraph, but not the one that immediately follows, which fully fleshes out what Dweck means by "growth mindset"?
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
My reading of those two paragraphs makes the concept seem quite uncontroversial. Who here would deny that dedication and hard work are significant components of achievement and success and are things which should be encouraged?
There may be some people who believe that there are no differences in genetic/innate intellectual talent, but I've seen nothing that suggests Dweck is one of them.
