As of 2021 there are many changes in this country, but many problems still occur. Such as discrimination, not just towards grown adults but to students too. Pattanayak begins to shine light on the problem by writing the essay “There is One Correct Way of Writing and Speaking”. Her bad idea about writing was that America makes foreigners believe that English must be perfected and if not, the person will be treated less then. At the end of this essay, she lists some sources that have more insight on this matter. The source that will be used is “Growth Mindset: How to Normalize Mistake Making and Struggle in Class” by Katrina Schwartz. This article explains how “productive failure” can help children with their process. This is a better idea since it helps kids better learn and understand that failing does not mean that student is bad. As this idea has been tested on several students it has had an impact on students mindset. Since it teaches them to try different methods when they are stuck.
What exactly is the problem? Well as Pattanayak has mentioned this is a problem with the education system. It is designed for middle class white students and not for foreigners that would also want to expand their education. But this mentality has changed as teachers have been finding new methods to better educate children. Schwartz has mentioned that some Stanford psychologists have found that when children know that they can craft their brain to work better, they have a better time understanding new matrerial. The method productive failure (created by,Dr. Manu Kapur) helps give hope and chance to improve their mistakes. When people are stuck, many people would just like to give up. By teaching children that being stuck does not mean failure it gives encouragement of doing better. After some time people begin to realize continuing after failure gives good effect, well teaching young children this will also be a life skill. Pattanayak says in her essay that minority student has trouble communicating and that can effect opportunities such as jobs. As this makes students feel un-needed, many give up and lose their student visa. Therefore Schwartz method would help with the struggling, but instead of getting kicked out of the whole class there could be extra time given. Extra help could be provided in a way the student could cooperate with, instead of just studying.
Growth mindset can help students grow in many ways as they learn their potential in learning. Schwartz mentions Infei Chen as she has found that new research that “Intelligence is Not Fixed” and when students learn this they are more likely to succeed. Pattnayak would agree that letting students fail will end up giving students better mental stability. Pattanayak says, “This understanding of writing is rooted called current traditional rhetoric, which focuses on a prescriptive and formulaic way of teaching writing that assumes there is only one way to write (or speak) something for it to be correct.” (Pattanayak, pg.82) This quote can be used to back up Schwartz method of learning as she believes that being perfect is not a reality.
Pattnayak would agree that letting students fail will end up giving students better mental stability. Pattanayak says, “This understanding of writing is rooted called current traditional rhetoric, which focuses on a prescriptive and formulaic way of teaching writing that assumes there is only one way to write (or speak) something for it to be correct.” (Pattanayak, pg.82) This quote can be used to back up Schwartz method of learning as she believes that being perfect is not a reality. The experiment that shows an example of this method. Which was orchestrated by Maricela Montoy-Wilson when teaching the students this new method she says “Everyone is going to feel stuck,” The students need to use different muscles of their brains to figure it out but it also makes them feel like they are putting in the work to get the answer. Pattanayak speaks more about how foreigners are taught to speak differently because the way the way they speak is wrong. But this new method of productive failure will give people a new perspective of what is write or wrong. Schwartz whole point of this new method is to show its not always about being correct but instead of a person trying because sometimes the reward is the amount of effort you put in.
Schwartz talks about how Maricela Montoy-Wilson asks her students to ask for specific types of help. This will help students start asking questions in class, but to also not be shy about not knowing the answer. Which is what pattanayak insinuates that this is a good idea as this gives students the benefit of doubt to be wrong instead of the student fearing being wrong. Pattanayak would agree with this since the foreign students were always taught to be perfect by using this method at a young age does not make a student be afraid to fail sometimes. This can encourage doing better and more improvement. If this is not done the students will be to scared and will start cheating just to be perfect. Learning this method young can make the mind more expanded, Pattanayak and Shwartz both have this understanding that children can be taught by their failures.
Citations
Schwartz, Katrina. “Growth Mindset: How to Normalize Mistake Making and Struggle in Class” KQED, 24 Aug. 2015.
Pattanayak, A. (2017). THERE IS ONE CORRECT WAY OF WRITING AND SPEAKING. In C. E. Ball & D. M. Loewe (Eds.), Bad Ideas About Writing (pp. 82–98). essay, West Virginia University Libraries Digital Publishing Institute
Chen, Ingfei. “New Research: Students Benefit from Learning That Intelligence Is Not Fixed.” KQED, Ingfei Chen, 16 July 2014, https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/36603/new-research-students-benefit-from-learning-that-intelligence-is-not-fixed
“Give Work That Encourages Mistakes: See It in Action, Celebrate Mistakes.” Mindset Kit, https://www.mindsetkit.org/topics/celebrate-mistakes/give-work-encourages-mistakes-see-action
“Praising the Process: See It in Action, Praise the Process, Not the Person.” Mindset Kit, https://www.mindsetkit.org/topics/praise-process-not-person/praising-process-see-action