Page 32 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

CHAPTER 3

TWO APPROACHES TO LEARNING

As you can probably sense, the scholastic chess world is a deadl y pl ace. Every

year, thousands of boys and girls put thei r hear ts on the line, each chi ld
believing he or she may be the best. Glory is a powerful incent ive. Ine vitabl y
dreams are dashed, hearts are br oken , most fall sho rt of thei r expe ctations
because there is little room at the top. Of cour se thi s dy nam ic can be found in

virtually any ambitious field. Little League athl etes dr eam of pl aying for the ir
favorite Major League team. Kids sho oting hoops in the schoolyards want to be
like Mike. The world of actors and mus icians is brimming with huge
expectations, w ild competitiveness, an d a t iny windo w of realistic possibi lity.

Two questions arise. First, what is the difference that allows some to fi int o
that narrow window to the top? And second, what is the po int ? If ambi tion
spells probable disappointment, why pur sue excellence? In my opi ni on, the
answer to both questions lies in a well-tho ught -out appr oach tha t ins pi res

resilience, the ability to make connect ions bet ween di verse pur sui ts, and da y-
to-day enjoyment of the process. The vast majority of motivated peo pl e, young
and old, make terrible mistakes in thei r appr oach to learni ng. The y fall
frustrated by the wayside while tho se on the road to succes s keep steady on

their paths.
Developmental psychologists have do ne extensive research on the effects of a
student’s approach on his or her abi lity to learn and ultimately master material.
Dr. Carol Dweck, a leading researcher in the fi d of developm ental ps ycho logy,

makes the distinction between entity and incremental theories of intelligence.
Children who are “entity theorists”—that is, ki ds who hav e been in nc ed by
their parents and teachers to think in thi s manner —ar e pr one to use langua ge
like “I am smart at this” and to attribut e thei r succes s or failur e to an ingr aine d