Carol Dweck is an American psychologist and a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. She is known for her work on the “Growth Mindset”.

In one of her talks, she praised a school in Chicago for using a unique grading system.

When a student fails to get the required grades to pass, they receive a grade of – “Not Yet”.

The school’s reason for this is simple. When a student receives a failing grade, there is a sense of finality. Failure.

To most students, the immediate response to a failing grade would be shame and negative self-
worth.

However, by telling the student “Not Yet”, the student understands that they are still on the learning curve – instead of being off it,

“Not Yet” means that there is a path for them in the future.

This simple change in their grading system encourages the students to strive for continuous
growth and learning.

This is where Metacognition can come into play and help these students learn more effectively.

Metacognition is a critical component for successful learning. It involves: Self-awareness of one’s thinking patterns; Self-reflection of one’s strengths and weaknesses; and Self-regulation of one’s strategies for learning and problem-solving.

Research shows that Metacognition increases students’ motivation. They can be more active in studying because they feel in control of their own learning.

MindfulChoice is a Metacognitive method that helps develop individuals’ ability to control their thinking processes – by “thinking about thinking”.