The article “The Words That Unlock Your Child” (BBC News Magazine, 19 April 2011) has some good advice.
An excerpt:
Think how often you hear children saying “I just lack the brain for numbers” or “I don’t have the coordination for sports”. These are direct manifestations of the fixed mindset, and they destroy motivation.
Those with a growth mindset, on the other hand, do not regard their abilities as set in genetic stone. These are the youngsters who approach tasks with gusto. “I may not be good at maths now, but if I work hard, I will be really good in the future!”
BBC © 2011
Nick Vujicic can tell you about that! Wow…
But I hope they are not saying to not call anyone intelligent! If someone is intelligent, he is. Period. The point is to learn how to use your mind, how to use your rational faculty. The problem is false philosophic ideas about knowledge: tell someone he is intelligent; teach him that knowledge is Platonic insight; and you have a recipe for disaster. The solution is a proper view of knowledge: knowledge is perception-based and is primarily inductive. And induction takes work and an active mind.
