Fostering SMART Goals in Your Students
A Teacher's Guide to Implementing Goal Orientation
Criticism of Dweck's Theory on the Growth Mindset
Dweck’s idea that students are not born with talent and that their personalities do not determine their strengths and abilities can be controversial in the educational world.
Dweck’s theory proposes that hard work and persistence equal talent and that from birth, individuals are not given certain dispositions to be better in certain areas naturally. The main argument against Dweck’s theory is that children’s ability or talent is significantly constrained by factors external to the child. The external factors could be that the child was adopted and born in an undeveloped country. The child could be unfamiliar with the customs of the United States and will consistently fall short to other children comparatively. The growth mindset fails to acknowledge the disadvantages that some children are exposed to. No matter how hard the child works to achieve a talent or ability they will fall short and it is certainly not because they did not try hard enough.
The growth mindset idea is spreading fast across the American education system and it is argued to be potentially dangerous. If an education system refuses to recognize the disadvantages that children face, it inherently punishes the children.
