Mindset for Success

Speaker:  Professor Carol S. Dweck
                Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology, Professor (by courtesy) Graduate School of
                Education, Stanford University

Format:   Seminar

Abstract

Taking the opportunity of Prof. Carol Dweck’s visit to HKUST to receive an Honorary Doctorate, this forum discusses the idea of “growth mindset” (click here for some introductory PPT slides), which challenges the notion that people are born with a pre-determined amount of intelligence or ability in general. Members of the HKUST community will discuss their efforts to inculcate this mindset in HKUST students, and Professor Dweck will talk about her experiences in this area worldwide and will share tips and suggestions. An interactive and open Q&A session will follow.

About the speaker

Professor Carol S. Dweck is a pre-eminent social psychologist, who has had considerable impact not only within her field, but also on society at large. Her main contribution is the idea of the “growth mindset”, which challenges the notion that people are born with a pre-determined amount of intelligence or ability in general. She has shown that people who have or are taught to adopt this belief respond more positively to challenges and failures, invest greater effort subsequently, and consequently are more likely to achieve positive outcomes in the long term. Not only has her research been cited more than 40,000 times, the World Development Report 2015 and the World Bank’s Global Insights Initiative have recommended its implementation worldwide. Professor Dweck was recently nominated as the first ever recipient of the US$3.9 million Yidan Prize for Education Research (founded by Charles Chen, Core Founder of Tencent). She is also an Elected Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received Lifetime Achievement and Distinguished Contribution awards from numerous other professional societies.