Learning Intelligence

Carol Dweck's research about children's ability to 'grow' their intellectual capacity should be no surprise. Attention is a key component of learning, and if we attend to how our brain works, it would follow that we would increase our capacity to learn. Surely higher education can benefit from a similar tactic in helping college students. In Texas, many universities struggle with retention and graduation rates. If we were to follow Dr. Dweck's proven success with 4th graders, we might be able to better engage and retain students who drop out, transfer, or prolong graduation for as long as possible. But helping students use their abilities to learn is but one solution. Instructors and instructional designers must also learn these basic principles so that course designs support, nurture, and mirror what students come to understand about their mental abilities.