Can anyone actually provide a quote from Dweck along the lines that "anyone can do anything if they work hard enough". I don't think she's ever said that.
First and foremost, it must be made clear to students that their performance reflects their current skills and efforts, not their intelligence or worth. In this case, if students are disappointed in their performance, there is a clear and constructive implication: Work harder, avail yourself of more learning opportunities, learn how to study better, ask the teacher for more help, and so on.
That's a pretty clear statement about what I've been complaining about: poor performance is invariably a consequence of not working hard enough. Believe in yourself and study "better," and you will achieve!
And of course, if you fail, it's your fault for not working harder or better or whatever. It's certainly not my fault for leading you down the garden path.
In the discussion here, performance in school has TWO components: ability and effort. Dweck dismisses ability as something that you can increase if you just work hard enough, and that is a lie.
