"A" for Effort

I love this short article from Dr. Mercola's newsletter with regards to childrens learning capabilities and achievements in effort. 

I always wondered why my own father continued to praise not my academic achievement during adolescence but my effort in doing so.

I love you Dad!

Mommy Bridget

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
December 22 2007 | 52,674 views

More than three decades of scientific research suggests that repeatedly telling children that they are especially smart or talented leaves them vulnerable to failure, and fearful of challenges.
Children raised this way develop an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed, making striving to learn seem less important than seeming smart; challenges, mistakes, and effort become threats to their ego rather than opportunities to improve.
However, teaching children to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life. This results in “mastery-oriented” children who tend to think that intelligence is malleable and can be developed through education and hard work.
This can be done by telling stories about achievements that result from hard work. Talking about math geniuses who were born that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of great mathematicians who developed amazing skills over time creates a growth mind-set.

Sources:
  Scientific American November 28, 2007