Is 100% overrated?

Hello colleagues, Jo Boaler, Stanford University math education professor, says that 100% is definitely overrated. As reported by James Hamblin in the most recent The Atlantic, "Boaler said 100 percent is not an ideal score. When kids come home from school and announce that they got everything right on their school work, [researcher Carol] Dweck advises parents to offer some sympathy: Oh, I’m sorry you didn't get the chance to learn."

According to Boaler, it is best to avoid telling students they are "smart." When people are labeled "smart," they have trouble dealing with mistakes and failure. Emphasizing effort is important since this is likely to foster the kind of "growth mindset" that leads to success. It is often through making mistakes that learning is possible. Boaler goes so far as to suggest that mistakes actually grow our brains!

This brief article focuses on children. Are the issues similar for adults? What else might be important to keep in mind for adult learners? How can teachers best tap into and foster a growth mindset for the learners we serve?

Some members may be interested in checking out a couple of earlier discussions related to mistakes in learning: The Value of Mistakes and Turning Mistakes into Learning Opportunities.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Assessment CoP