Book SummaryLimitless Mind, by Jo Boaler

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Limitless Mind

What if everything you know about learning is wrong? Most of us were brought up to believe that some people are naturally smarter than others or that we’re born with aptitudes in certain areas and are destined to be bad at everything else. We may have been taught there’s only one approach to learning and that if we struggle with a subject, it means we’re not cut out for it. If you’ve received any of these messages in life, then you’ve been done a great disservice.

In Limitless Mind, published in 2019, Jo Boaler explains how neuroscience research has overturned our age-old beliefs about how learning works. Whereas we used to think that mental development stopped at a very early age, we now understand that the brain is capable of learning new skills and incorporating new ideas throughout our lives. Rather than being a sign of inadequacy, struggling to learn and making mistakes are integral parts of cognitive growth. In order to best serve students and ourselves as we continue to...

Limitless Mind Summary The Science of Learning

Before we delve into improving how you learn, it’s important to understand how the brain incorporates new skills and information. Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain has much more capacity for development than was believed in the past and that many of the ideas on which the traditional education paradigm is based are flat-out wrong. Our new understanding of the brain’s neuroplasticity reveals that struggling with problems and ideas is beneficial, quick thinking is unimportant, and true learning takes place when different regions of the brain interact.

Boaler explains that scientists and educators have long believed that a person’s mental capacity is a fixed quantity that is set in stone early in life, and certainly by adulthood. Because of this, our educational system has classified students into high, medium, and low achievers, and teaches them (or neglects to teach them) based on their perceived ability. Not only is this premise fundamentally flawed, but it also does a disservice to every student.

(Shortform note: Boaler frequently cites the work of psychologist Carol S. Dweck, author of Mindset, on the limiting...

Limitless Mind Summary Attitude, Not Aptitude

If the science says that we’re capable of learning more and better than we think, then what governs how much and how well we learn if not built-in aptitudes? The answer, according to Boaler, is attitude—the way we think about learning. The aptitude theory of learning has negative effects on both struggling students and those considered “gifted,” while an attitude of growth has many benefits, though it may take effort to relearn how to learn.

Many teachers and parents tell students that they’re simply not good at certain subjects in school. Sometimes this is done with good intentions, such as to offer comfort when a student struggles, but sometimes it’s a symptom of systematic prejudice, such as telling girls and students of color that they’re not good at science and math. Boaler points out that this is a self-fulfilling prophecy—students who are told they’re low achievers tend to give up and stay in that group, and teachers who pass that judgment on a student put less effort into helping them succeed. Studies show that fixed-thinking beliefs—that you’re either good at something or you’re not—can become ingrained as early as the age of three.

(Shortform note: Proponents of...

Limitless Mind Summary Different Approaches

While it’s important to adopt a positive attitude toward learning and accept mistakes as part of the process, it’s also important that students be encouraged to approach learning and problem-solving from multiple directions, not just the techniques and interpretations drilled into them by repeating what’s in textbooks. To do this, our education system should place a higher value on conceptual knowledge than rote memorization, and we must also foster true collaboration so that students are exposed to many ways of thinking.

Boaler describes conceptual knowledge as the understanding of how individual ideas relate to each other. The advantage of conceptual understanding is that once it’s achieved, it takes up less memory space in the brain than lists of memorized facts. Furthermore, understanding how different ideas relate to one another creates new avenues for problem-solving and builds a framework for the mind to incorporate even more knowledge. For example, if you were to memorize a separate list of driving directions to every place you regularly visit—the grocery store, the post office, a friend’s house—that would be a hundred times more taxing than simply building a mental...

Limitless Mind Summary Applying the Science

It’s one thing to understand the theoretical basis of how to boost learning, but it’s another to put it into practice. Throughout her book, Boaler gives advice to parents, teachers, and school administrators about how to rethink the education system so that it can better serve the needs of its students. These include celebrating when students work through their challenges, encouraging them to freely make mistakes, using textbooks as merely jumping-off points, and guiding students through effective collaboration. Boaler concludes by reminding us that we never stop being students, and we’re capable of learning throughout our lives.

While such an understanding can help students’ self-confidence, there’s a deeper lesson to be taught. Teachers and parents need to tell students that making mistakes and working hard to correct them is the process by which the brain gets stronger. Students’ efforts must be praised, but in addition to that, teachers must offer productive guidance on how students can improve. Instead of steering students toward subjects where they’re strongest, educators should target the areas in which students have the most problems. In order to dislodge our...

Shortform Exercise: How Did Your Beliefs About Learning Shape Your Education?

In Limitless Mind, Jo Boaler contends that being labeled as a high, average, or poor achiever, as well as being told that you are or aren’t good at a subject, creates a limiting mindset that can keep you from reaching your full potential. Think back to your time in school and reflect on what kind of messages (positive or negative) you were given by parents and teachers and what impact they had on your educational growth.

During your early school years, were you labeled as an above- or below-average student? If so, what expectations do you feel were set for you? As a result, do you feel you received more or less attention from teachers than other students in your class?