Suddenly, it seems, we are totally underway. 
 
I've been skimming a fascinating book, Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide, which draws from latest neuroscience and behavioral economics to bust long-held myths regarding brain function, learning and decision-making. As I pass academic settings across campus, I consider his contention that effort is superior to native intelligence.

Drew Donaldson works with Eli on some academic goal setting.

 
Is making a mistake good or bad? Research indicates that not only can we learn from our mistakes, but that reviewing mistakes is a most efficient learning strategy. 

 
The brilliant physicist Niels Bohr is quoted as observing that an expert is "a person who has made all of the mistakes that can be made within a very narrow field."

 
"Mistakes aren't things to be discouraged," Lehrer declares, "...they should be cultivated and carefully investigated." The impact of this insight is huge, because traditional education simply penalizes learners for each imperfection.


 
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck conducted studies involving twelve New York City schools, in which 400 fifth graders were pulled out of classes--one by one--and given a set of non-verbal puzzles to solve. Regardless of the kids' performance, 50% were told, "You must be smart at this," while the other half heard, "You must have worked really hard." The students were then offered the choice of taking either a tougher test--puzzles through which they would learn a lot--or another easy test. The results were astonishing!

 

Ninety percent of those who had been praised for their efforts chose to tackle tougher puzzles; a majority of those told they were smart opted to play it safe and take the easier test. "When we praise children for their intelligence, we tell them that this is the name of the game: Look smart, don't risk making mistakes."

 
The same kids were then given puzzles designed for much older, more mature students. Those who had been praised for their effort threw themselves into the task; several of them remarking: "This is my favorite test!" Afterwards, when asked if they would like to see the tests of students who had done better or worse than themselves, those motivated by praise for effort wanted to see superior work; those motivated to protect their self-image as intelligent preferred to validate that by examining inferior results.

From left: Hannah, Oliver, Frankie.

 
The implications of these studies are profound. Lehrer observes, "Instead of praising kids for trying hard, teachers typically praise them for their innate intelligence (being smart). This type of encouragement actually backfires, since it leads students to see mistakes as signs of stupidity and not as the building blocks of knowledge. The regrettable outcome is that kids never learn how to learn."

 

(The Dweck studies are also found in  The Talent Code, which Mike Henriques referenced in his introductory letter to students in August, and at opening faculty meetings.)



On another matter, what makes photographers think that they have our permission to shoot us?!