I Whole heatedly agree with the growth mindset paradigm. My personal experience completely changed when I realized that being wrong meant that I was attempting more difficult journeys. The comfort of being right all the time has led me down terrible roads in the past. I notice that trait in others and look at them as personalities to avoid.
The power to change one's mind is such an awesome power. I am in a place where I like to be wrong and push myself so far outside of my comfort zone that it has transformed me over the years into a man that can easily accept criticism and even think of myself as growing stronger from the process. I have recently been studying ways to try to better connect the above mentioned connections. My taking this class is part of what I mean. This class seemed more challenging and more rewarding than the classes from which I had to choose.
One thing I learned about my own learning at OU was during a semester which led me to two classes that forced me to learn at levels I was uncomfortable. "Modern Religion" with Brian Chance and "The Idea of a Liberal Society", the professors name escapes me at the moment. In one class we discussed philosophers arguing for and against the existence of God. It was incredibly difficult to read for me, and I loved it. I walked out of class almost in a daze thinking about all the new ideas I had taken in. Then I was back in another class discussing Locke, John Stuart Mills, and my favorite Jean Jacques Rousseau. The professor of that class was fantastic, he spoke with passion and painted elaborate stories about these men and their ideas. Both classes were safe to speak up. We were only articulating the ideas of the philosophers and not our own opinion. Then the tests were long writing tests which were my highest source of fear and anxiety at the time. The exam questions were to pretend you were one philosopher explain another's idea to still another of the philosophers. I grew so much in that semester. I remember thinking that this was the reason I came to this university. I still pick up those books trying to read them to friends that have not had the class and call me nerd and run out of the room screaming.
Photo taken by me
I spent a lot of time reading and enjoying the beauty of this university during this time in my life. There are only a few photos that I took during this time and the above is one. The world came alive in a very unique way during this time and that is when I believe I discovered the growth mindset.
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