100 Percent Is Overrated - The Atlantic

by ParentCo. June 30, 2015

Encouraging kids to face challenges and make mistakes could have greater benefits than praising them for being "smart." According to professor of mathematics education at Stanford University, Jo Boaler, "mistakes grow your brain", and kids who have been labeled smart or gifted tend to get stuck in a comfort zone, afraid that stepping outside of it may put them at risk of losing it.

“When we give kids the message that mistakes are good, that successful people make mistakes, it can change their entire trajectory,” Boaler said. 100 percent is not an ideal score. When kids come home from school and announce that they got everything right on their school work, Dweck advises parents to offer some sympathy: Oh, I’m sorry you didn't get the chance to learn.

Read more at The Atlantic: 100 Percent Is Overrated - The Atlantic

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