Think Yourself Smarter
Your teacher hands back a test and much to your disappointment,
you did poorly. At that moment, you wish you could hide from the world.
It’s a feeling that many student are familiar with. But according to
research, what’s more important is how you react in the long term.
Scientists say students can be divided into two groups. The
first, called “mastery-oriented learners”, view a poor result as a
challenge to do better in the future. The second, called “helpless learners,”
will respond by just giving up.
As you would expect, the first group performs better than the second.
But surprisingly, this attitude is even more important than a student’s
natural intelligence. No matter how you will come across a question that you
cannot answer. When you do, it’s important not to fall victim to helplessness.
Learned helplessness was first discovered in dogs in late 1960s.
In an experiment, some of the animals were subjected to electrical shocks that
they could not escape from. Later, then when they were given a way to avoid
the shocks, they made no attempt to do so. Their feeling of helplessness was
too strong.
So what makes some students mastery-oriented and others helpless
learners? It all comes down to your idea of intelligence. Mastery-oriented
learners believe that hard work is the key ingredient to success. When faced
with failure, they simply conclude that they need to try harder next time.
On the other hand, helpless learners believe that intelligence is innate.
To them, success in school seems to depend on natural talent and ability. Thus,
when they encounter difficulties, they conclude that they’re just not smart
enough. They are likely to give up because they feel improving on their natural
intelligence isn’t possible.
This phenomenon is common among student. Sometimes, those who perform
brilliantly in elementary school see their grades fall upon entering junior
high school. This is because they are reacting helplessly to more difficult
lessons.
Helpless learners are also more likely to avoid challenges in school.
They are unwilling to test themselves for fear of failing. On the other hand,
mastery-oriented learners will be more likely to pursue challenges. They see
a difficult problem as a exercise for their brains. Even if they can’t solve
it, they realize that just trying is beneficial.
Students need to know what a mastery-oriented learner is so that they
can become one. Recently, a group of failing students were given seminars
about how they could become mastery-oriented learners. Many of the worst
students turned their lives around as a result. One particularly unruly pupil
put his hand up saying “you mean I don’t have to be dumb?”
If you want to be a mastery-oriented person, you can! Start by not l
etting negative results discourage you. If you think you can do better and
keep trying, the results will follow.
In addition, research shows that teachers and parents should praise
student for their effort, not their intelligence. Rather than telling
children that they are smart, congratulate them on how hard they worked.
Talking to students about brilliance of Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton
is fine. But make sure they realize that these geniuses had to work incredibly
hard for their achievements.
This research is great news for everyone, since it means we all have
the keys to success in our hands. Positive thinking is something everyone
is capable of. As the saying goes, “Success is a ladder you cannot climb
with your hands in your pockets.”
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應該不太難吧 :P
順便練練英文吧!!
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