Do Geniuses really need to work hard? Or Does it Just Come Naturally? MARIE CURIE

Dweck’s findings: Two Mindsets Fixed mindset: Intelligence and talent -fixed Innate talent creates success Effort will not make a difference You either get it or you don’t Growth mindset: Intelligence can be developed Brains and talent are just the starting point Enjoy effort and process of learning You can always grow and learn

Do Geniuses really need to work hard? Or Does it Just Come Naturally? MARIE CURIE

“In the fixed mindset, people believe that their talents and abilities are fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that’s that; nothing can be done to change it. Many years of research have now shown that when people adopt the fixed mindset, it can limit their success. They become over-concerned with proving their talents and abilities, hiding deficiencies, and reacting defensively to mistakes or setbacks-because deficiencies and mistakes imply a (permanent) lack of talent or ability. People in this mindset will actually pass up important opportunities to learn and grow if there is a risk of unmasking weaknesses”. - Carol Dweck

“In the growth mindset, people believe that their talents and abilities can be developed through passion, education, and persistence. For them, it’s not about looking smart or grooming their image. It’s about a commitment to learning–taking informed risks and learning from the results, surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you to grow, looking frankly at your deficiencies and seeking to remedy them. Most great business leaders have had this mindset, because building and maintaining excellent organizations in the face of constant change requires it.” -Carol Dweck

Fixed Mindset Response: Helpless When faced with failure or challenge, people with a FIXED mindset: Do not pay attention to learning information Get depressed, lose self-esteem Say to themselves ‘I am stupid’, Under-represent past successes and over-represent failures (I never do things right) Explain the cause of events as something stable about them. (I am ALWAYS this way!)

Fixed Mindset provides no recipe for recovering from failures: Giving up, retreating to comfort zone Blaming others Trying to feel superior

Growth Mindset Response: Mastery When faced with failure or challenge, people with a GROWTH mindset: Pay attention to learning information, and so do better on future tests. Focus on what they are learning, rather than focusing on how they feel. Try out new ways of doing things. Use self-motivating statements such as ‘ the harder it gets the harder I try’. When faced with tests which are impossible to pass they will factor in other reasons and not blame their intellect i.e. this test was beyond my ability for now.

Revision exam preparation 0 1 2 3 4 5 Be honest – how prepared were you for the psychology exams Revision exam preparation 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 = I did no revision or exam preparation at all 5 = I did as much exam preparation as I would for a real exam – meaning lots Write some qualitative data to go alongside the number you have given yourself

Other factors to consider… How many other exams did you do the same day as your Psychology papers? Were there any factors that you had to consider when revising? e.g. do you work? Have you been sick? Personal issues etc.

How well did you think you did? 60% C 70% B 80% A 90% A* Paper 1 Marked out of /72 Paper 2 Marked out of /68 =140 Marks needed for an A* = 126 Marks needed for an A = 112 Marks needed for a B = 98 Marks needed for a C = 84 Marks needed for a D =70 Marks needed for an E =56 Difference between a high C and an A is 15 marks!

This is how we did

Improvement The important part of self reflection is to consider how you are going to improve This could be to improve your U to a C or even a C to an A . Or you might want to consider how you are going to maintain the grade you have achieved Maybe you should focus on how you will improve a specific topic. Remember you will be examined on these exact same things in the real exam next year!

Strategies What are some?! Specific topic improvements: (in additional to others mentioned) Mind maps Additional reading – more than 1 text books Use variety of resources – YouTube or articles in psychology review Complete past exam questions on that topic Redo notes to ensure all complete Create Flashcards Organise folder and revision notes by topic and ensure you have the resources you need Spend 30 minutes a week looking for and checking out You tube for clarification Read the examiners reports for previous exams. Complete all work – attend all lessons – maintain the learner agreement you signed at the start Revise - find different strategies Support sessions – come to them! Answer questions under timed conditions Exam questions – self mark then hand in for checking Complete extension assignments Complete pre/post reading (e.g. Spend at least 60 minutes a week reading sections of text book) Consolidate all lessons –write-up complete notes Up date notes…condense them Ask questions Work with a buddy Create a timetable so you can manage your workload Reduce hours at paid employment Change your mindset… The list is endless… it must be about you though… what do YOU need to do?