August 29, 2016

School District News

From Superintendent

Robert Vian

Help you student get off to a good start in school.

Researchers have shown that what children are praised for can impact how they respond to solving problems. 

For many folks the idea of praising a child for being smart and doing well in school is a way to build the child’s confidence. 

Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University isn’t convinced.  Dr. Dweck and her assistants tested individual children with an easy to solve, non-verbal IQ test using puzzles.  Once the child had finished the puzzle the adults randomly either praised the children for their intelligence or for their effort in trying to solve the puzzle.

The single, short praise was used purposefully, to see how sensitive a child was to the praise. 

Then the researchers offered the children a second puzzle.  Children were told they had a choice, a puzzle that was harder than the first, but that the student would learn a lot from by attempting to solve it or a simple puzzle like the first.

Of the students who received a single praise for effort, 90% chose the harder puzzle.  You guessed it, the majority those praised for being smart chose the easy puzzle.

In the third round of testing, students were not given a choice of puzzles.  Puzzles were geared for kids two years old, every student failed to solve the puzzle.  Those students who were praised for effort on the first test spent a considerable amount of time trying different solutions to solve the puzzle.  Those who were praised as smart gave up quickly and were miserable.  Several “effort kids” remarked that the third puzzle was their favorite.

Finally an easy fourth puzzle was given, the “smart students” did 20% worse than they had on the first puzzle.  The “effort students” did 30% better. 

Dr. Dweck summed up the research by saying, “Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control.”  She continued, “Emphasizing natural intelligence takes (results) out of the child’s control, and it provides no good recipe for responding to a failure.”

I’ve seen this in my children and many other students when the response has been “I didn’t even try” as a way to explain a failure that may not have even happened.  Children (adults too) refuse to do things they may fail at to protect themselves from looking like they are not smart or non-athletic. 

Praising EFFORT may encourage trying new, even difficult things. People who try new things will shape the world, for the ones who don’t try.