SBA Essay

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In order to place you in the English class that best fits you, please complete the following task. You will have 60 minutes to read a short passage and then write an essay. If you are not ready to complete this task right now, you may return to this page at another time or day.

This is due Tuesday, May 29th. Once you press “Start”, the timer begins and you cannot exit and return later.

Please type in the box provided; you will not be able to cut and paste from a Word document.

Grow Your Brains

As students fill my classroom seats eager, nervous, or even terrified to begin their first semester of college, I wonder who will thrive in the university setting and who will struggle. Even the best researchers cannot precisely predict student success, but they do report some interesting findings regarding how the brain works. When students think of their brain as a muscle that can be exercised and developed, and they learn new ways of doing algebra, for example, “it can grow their brains—even if they haven’t done well in the past” according to David Yeager, a professor, researcher and leading expert in the psychology of education. Yeager further explains, “When students feel ‘dumb,’ the solution is not to tell them they’re ‘smart’ but to make them feel as though being ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’ is irrelevant to success.”

Some may mistakenly believe this is similar to the promotion of self-esteem so popular in years past, but the message is quite different. The self-esteem movement praises students regardless of the quality of the performance, but Yeager advocates a message that promotes the capacity to learn if students work hard.

This growth mindset is the key to college success. Therefore, the excuse of “I’m just bad at math” or “I can’t write” will no longer be tolerated in my classroom. I will tell my students they simply need to work hard and grow their brains.

Edger Brimsum
Professor of Sociology

Directions:

Write an essay explaining Brimsum’s argument and discussing the extent to which you agree or disagree with his analysis of student success. Include reasons and examples from your own experience, observations or reading.

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