LA PRENSA Hispanic Newspaper
“So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!”
~Carol Dweck
All of us agree that our students need our support and encouragement on their way to academic success. The influence you have as parents is an important part of that success. Your children want and need to hear from your and wish to feel your presence during their failures as well as their success. They are listening attentively to you even though it may not seem like it some times. They are paying attention to the type of support you are giving to them. Growing up I always heard the words “echale ganas” from my parents. This way they instilled in me a desire to give my best effort in all that I do. Without me knowing my parents educated me to have a growth mindset. This is a mindset that has always helped me to “echarle ganas”/keep striving forward until this very day.
 |
David Romero
Consejero Académico y Activista estudiantil
Académico: de
Iowa State University |
This story is not uncommon for many of you. Our parents and other members from our families know what its like to “echarle ganas”. Let’s help our students understand the meaning of the words “echale ganas” so they may one day reap the benefits that come from persistence and hard work.
Many studies by psychologist Carol Dweck have demonstrated the existence of two types of mindset when it comes to “echarle ganas”. One of this mindsets is a FIXED MINDSET. In this mindset a student is interested in doing well only to keep an appearance because they are worried about what others will think of their intellect. A fixed mindset student is interested only in doing the bare minimum to keep afloat. The problem with this mentality is that a student will never fell the necessity to take much needed risk in order to grow. A fixed mindset student is afraid to fail and is afraid to be called a failure. A fixed mindset can limit substantially the intellectual ability of a student.
On the other hand, we also have a GROWTH MINDSET. This is a mindset that welcomes a challenge and is ready to learn from all experiences. A student with a growth mindset is still interested in doing well academically, however, the difference is they are not afraid to make mistakes because they know it is a part of the learning process. Students with a growth mindset have a greater capacity to succeed because they have ability to “echarle ganas” without being afraid of the results. They enjoy learning for the sake of learning.
How can we help our students to adopt a growth mindset? A great way to start is to celebrate the process and not the result. For instance, the next time your son/daughter comes back home with an A+, celebrate the effort and the hard work they had to apply in order to achieve that result. Don’t focus on the A+ itself but rather on the steps and decisions they had to make in order to achieve the result. This will send students a strong signal about what is truly important in the learning process. It will let them know that you appreciate their dedication, effort, and persistence much more than simply working for a grade.
As parents you have a great influence over the academic development of your children. The words you use to communicate with them have the capacity to instill in them a growth mindset that will stay with them the rest of their lives. Help them to define the true meaning of “echarle ganas” under a growth mindset.
Resumen en Español:
Echarle ganas es una frase común con la que muchos de nosotros hemos crecido. Es una frase que nos ha empujado a saber el significado de lo que es la persistencia y la dedicación al trabajo.
Existen dos tipos de mentalidades – Una mentalidad fija y una mentalidad de crecimiento.
Ayudemos a nuestros hijos/hijas a tener una mentalidad de crecimiento fomentando en ellos un deseo de aprendizaje sin miedo al fracaso.
Recuerde celebrar el proceso hacia el éxito y no el resultado. La próxima vez que su hija/hija traiga buenas calificaciones – pregúnteles acerca de las decisiones que ellos/ellas tomaron que han resultado en esas calificaciones. De esta manera ellos aprenderán a enfocarse en el proceso y no el resultado.
A growth mindset is the way to go. It will help you reach your dreams of higher education. Questions? Comments? I would love to hear from you. Join the discussion on Facebook and ECHALE GANAS…
0 comments:
Publicar un comentario