My Growth Mindset Challenge in Human Anatomy

This semester I am taking my most difficult and challenging course in my college career, Human Anatomy. Now don't get me wrong, I have had courses that have kicked my butt and ones that have taught me more than I could've ever thought, but Human Anatomy is just a whole other animal. This class alone meets for a total of 9 hours each week (even though it's only a 5 credit hour course) and has 16 optional hours each week outside of that. The main challenge I face in this course is the sheer magnitude of information I must know for each assignment, quiz, practical, and exam. The thought of tackling this class often brings anxious thoughts and feelings, but maybe a change in my thinking can help my motivation and my success in this class.

Carol Dweck's TED Talk over Growth Mindset

Source: TED Talks

When i watched a video over the concept of Growth mindset way of learning, I immediately identified with the words Carol Dweck was speaking. My parents have always told me that I am intelligent, I learned to read at the age of 4 and never had much trouble in Elementary, Middle, or High School, and to me it was about just getting the grade I needed on the test. I hated doing that I considered "busy work" in high school if I had already mastered the concept; it wasn't about learning, it was about what I already knew and how to use that to get the grade on that next test.

As I got to college, that mindset began to change as I just didn't know enough anymore to pass the tests without studying. I learned to love learning and figuring out new things. Carol Dweck defines Growth Mindset as  “... people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” (source: The Glossary of Education Reform) This is where I believe I am heading, but I still have a long way to go in changing my way of thinking. 

This is where Human Anatomy comes in: with such a hard course, I really believe the only way for me to stay motivated and actually learn all of that material is to have a growth mindset. To believe that I can learn this and I can develop the study skills, even with I have small failures. I love to learn and I love everything that comes along with learning about the human body, now to work on my resilience and my confidence when I fail.