Documentation:Learning Commons:Content/Myths About Learning/Myth 1 Talent

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Myth 1: Talent is everything!

Talent can help, but your attitude about learning is way more important. If you believe your learning abilities are fixed, you'll put up mental blocks that hinder your learning. For example, if you are used to getting straight A's you may tend to avoid risks that might take you out of your comfort zone and risk your perfect record. Conversely, if you believe you are not good at something (say math for example) you may lower your expectations,etc. Either way, those fixed beliefs will prevent you from opening up to new experiences that may have a profound impact on your learning. Students who have a 'growth mindset' about learning, and believe that they can really improve over time and with effort tend to take more chances, progress faster, and see risk and failure as part of the learning process (Dweck, 2006). "Research suggests that students who view intelligence as innate focus on their ability and its adequacy/inadequacy, whereas students who view intelligence as malleable use strategy and effort as they work toward mastery." (Schoenfeld, 1983). Mindset can have positive and negative impacts on learning: intelligence and ability are neither innate nor static. Our brains grow, change, and adapt as we use them.

A combination of motivation and focused effort in deliberate practice will really help you develop a deeper understanding. Deliberate practice is about more than just putting time in: it includes frequent feedback, repeatedly adjusting your approach, and a belief that you can learn and grow with effort. What you do is just as important as how often you do it.

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Bust the Myth

  • Know that your beliefs affect your behaviours. Cognitive psychologist Dr. Stephen Chew calls these "beliefs that make you stupid". Watch his video: How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 1 of 5, "Beliefs That Make You Fail... Or Succeed" for suggestions about how to overcome these.
  • Apply what you learn in practice. Practice builds accuracy and fluency (the real kind, not the illusion of fluency). This fluency also builds the confidence and flexibility to apply what you've learned in different situations. Professor of Mathematics, Michael Starbird, describes how practice leads to deeper understanding. Watch his video: 5 Elements of Effective Thinking: First Element: Understand Deeply.
  • Feed your curiosity. Ask questions, perform experiments, talk to experts, work with others, make mistakes, and explore your questions from many different angles. This helps develop a mindset of growth and will take you farther in your development.

References:

  • Growth Mindset: Mindset Scholar's Network Retrieved: May, 29, 2018.
  • Ambrose, S.A, Lovett, M.C. (2014) Prior Knowledge is More Than Content: Skills and Beliefs Also Impact Learning, in Benassi, V. A., Overson, C. E., & Hakala, C. M. (Editors). (2014). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Available at the Teaching of Psychology website: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php.
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