Carol Dweck: Should We Stop Telling Kids They're Smart?

The article is more about how we say it and the affect it has. Subtle but Significant ways of saying things.

Chip, Now that my cognitive dissonance has subsided, my initial answer still stands. I totally get Dweck's theme of praising and rewarding with the term 'yet' to investigate how using the term supports a 10-year old's ability to cope with challenge and difficulty, especially in a manner that encourages a 'growth mindset.'

However, TED really dropped the ball by using a closed-ended question to ask the audience if they should stop telling kid's they're smart. This question distracts instead of reinforces Dweck's presentation, especially considering that she never once uses the term 'smart' (although the term 'smarter' was used twice, it doesn't support the crux of the presentation.

Dweck contributes to the confusion. Athough she makes good points, her presentation style is hard to follow and requires repeat viewing and copious note-taking. She fails to use a common 3-point presentation technique: 1) Tell em' what your gonna tell em', 2) tell em', and then 3) tell em' what you told em'. In my opinion, the presentation title should have been, "The Power of Yet and Tyranny of Now: Are We Raising Our Children For Now Instead Of Yet?" Hope this serves to explain the lack of participation on this post. It's definitely NOT YET ready for a microwave dinner audience.