Thank you.
Today I want to tell you about the power of
"yet."
I learned in High School in Chicago where
students had to pass eighty four unity to
graduate and if they didn't pass they got
the grade "not yet."
I thought, isn't that wonderful?
Because if you fail you're nowhere but if
you get the grade "not yet" you're on a learning
curve.
"Not yet" gave them a path into the future.
And "not yet" also helped me understand a
critical experience early in my career.
To figure out how kids cope with challenge,
I gave ten year olds some problems that were
a little too difficult for them.
Some of them reacted in a shockingly positive
way.
They said things like, "I love a challenge!"
or "I was hoping this would be informative!"
They understood that their abilities could
grow through their hard work.
They had what I would call a "growth mindset."
But for other children it was tragic, catastrophic
from their more fixed mindset perspective
their core intelligence had been tested and
devastated.
Instead of the power of "yet" they were gripped
by the "tyranny of now."
So what did they do next?
In one study, after a failure on a test, they
said they'd cheat next time instead of study
more.
In another study they found someone who did
worse than they did so they could feel better.
And in many studies we found they run from
difficulty.
Let's look at how that looks in the brain.
Moser and his colleagues measured from the
brain as kids encountered errors.
Processing the error shows up in red.
If you look at the fixed mindset brain on
the left nothing is happening.
But if you look at the growth mind-set on
the right it's on fire with "yet!"
They're processing the error deeply learning
from it and correcting it.
So, how are we raising our kids?
Are we raising them for a growth now or for
"yet?"
Are they focused on the next "A" or test score
instead of dreaming big?
Instead of thinking about what they want to
be and how they want to contribute to society?
And if they are too focused on "A's" and test
scores, are they going to carry this with
them into the future?
Maybe.
Because many employers are coming to me and
saying, "we've already created a generation
of young workers who can't get through the
day without a reward."
So, what can we do?
How can we build that bridge to "yet?"
First, we can praise wisely.
Our research shows that when we praise kids
for the process they engage in for their hard
work, their strategies, their focus, their
perseverance - they learn that challenge seeking.
They learn that resilience.
Praising talent, praising intelligence makes
them vulnerable.
There are other ways of rewarding "yet."
We teamed up with game scientist at the University
of Washington to create a math game: Brain
points.
The typical math game rewards right answers,
right now.
But not Brain Points.
We rewarded process and the learning curve
so effort, strategy and progress.
The Brain Points game created more sustained
learning and perseverance than the standard
game.
And just the words "yet" and "not yet" after
a student has a set back we're finding creates
greater confidence and greater persistence.
We also can change students mind-sets directly.
In one study, we taught students that every
time they pushed out of their comfort zone
to learn something really really hard and
they stuck to it the neurons in their brain
could form new, stronger connections and over
time they could become smarter.
Those who learned this lesson showed a sharp
increase in their grades.
Those who did not showed a decrease.
We have done this with thousands of students
now across the country with similar results.
Especially for struggling students.
So let's talk about equality.
In our country there are groups of kids who
chronically show poor performance and many
people think that's inevitable.
But when educators create growth mind-set
environments steeped in "yet" equality can
happen".
Let me give you a few small examples.
One teacher took her Harlem kindergarten class,
many of whom could not hold a pencil for the
first month, threw daily tantrums, she took
them to the 95th percentile on the National
Achievement Test.
That same teacher took a fourth grade class
in the South Bronx - way behind - she took
them to the top of New York State on the state
math test.
That teacher is a Stanford grad and she's
here today.
And another Stanford grad, Phd student, now
a professor, went back to her Native American
reservation in the state of Washington.
She transformed the elementary school in terms
of a growth mind-set.
That school had always been at the bottom
of the district - at the bottom of the state!
Within a year to a year and a half, the kindergarteners
and first graders were at the top of the district
in reading and reading-readiness.
That district contained affluent sections
of Seattle so the reservation kids outdid
the Microsoft kids.
And they did it because learning a growth
mindset transformed the meaning of effort
and difficulty.
It used to mean they were dumb and now it
means they have a chance to get smarter.
Difficulty just meant "not yet."
Last year I got a letter from a thirteen year
old boy.
He said, "Dear Professor Dweck, I read your
book.
I liked the fact that it was based on sound
scientific research.
That's why I decided to test out your growth
mindset principles in three areas of my life.
As a result, I'm earning higher grades, I
have a better relationship with my parents,
I have a better relationship with the other
kids at school.
I realize I've wasted most of my life."
Let's not waste any more lives because the
more we know that basic human abilities can
be grown, the more it becomes a basic human
right for kids - all kids, all adults - to
live in environments that create that growth.
To live in environments filled - overflowing
- with "yet."
Thank you.
