The Perils And Promises Of Praises

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“The Perils and Promises of Praises”, By Carol S. Dweck In the article “The Perils and Promises”, Carol Dweck talks about the effects of praising on students. As a professor of Psychology, the author seems very competent in this field. She doesn’t mean that kids should not be praised. Everybody needs praising when they do well. I myself think that it helps for students’ motivation and confidence. The question is what kind of praising we should use. Should we emphases on their intelligence or the efforts they put in work? Believe it or not, this can affect their performance in school. I really like the idea of the author that there are two kinds of mind-set: fixed mind-set and growth mind-set. However, I don’t agree that it is only educators’ fault that some kids have fixed mind-set. I think that it all starts in the family, way before school. Parents think their kids are special and tell them that they can achieve everything they want. But parents often forget to mention that the key to success is hard work. Kids grow up with the idea that they are exceptional. But then they begin school where they meet other “exceptional” kids and realize that they are just average. Now what? Nobody told them what to do when they are average. Oops! Here it comes the factor of disappointment. Kids have realized they can’t make it on their own. Do they ask for help? NO! That means they have to admit that they are not smart enough. The others still don’t know they are dump. How can they hide it? Cheating? YES! Perfect. They get to keep their reputation and there is no disappointment or shame. Or is there? Do kids realize that cheating is harmful for them? I don’t think so. They are just kids. Who is responsible to tell them? We are - their parents, teachers, friends, even strangers. This should be like a public duty. But how do we do that? Carol Dweck has an excellent idea.
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