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Rajaton mieli

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Haluatko osata sujuvasti matematiikkaa?
Oppia uuden kielen?
Soittaa kitaraa?

Aivomme omaavat mahtavan muutosvoiman, jos vain annamme itsellemme mahdollisuuden. Kyse ei ole vain siitä, että voimme oppia mitä tahansa, vaan miten oppiminen muuttaa pohjimmiltaan myös sitä keitä olemme.

Kirja näyttää, miten voimme kovan työn ja kekseliäiden opetusmenetelmien avulla jatkuvasti kehittää uusia kykyjä ja saada aivomme kirjaimellisesti kasvamaan ja muuttumaan. Kirjassa esitellään kuusi oppimisen avainta, joita ovat mm. joustavuus, asenteen muuttaminen, yhteistyö ja yhteinen ongelmanratkaisu.

Monet kirjan esimerkeistä pohjaavat matematiikan oppimiseen, mutta mukana on myös esimerkki Lontoon taksikuskien ällistyttävästä kapasiteetista sisäistää ja oppia suurkaupungin loputtomat kadut ja kujat.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2019

1113 people are currently reading
5456 people want to read

About the author

Jo Boaler

36 books183 followers
Dr Jo Boaler is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University and co-founder of www.youcubed.org. Formerly the Marie Curie Professor of Mathematics Education for England, a mathematics teacher in London comprehensive schools and a researcher at King's College, London. She is the author of eight books including What's Math Got To Do With It? (2015) and Mathematical Mindsets (2016). She is the recipient of the NCSM award for equity, the author of the first MOOC on mathematics learning for teachers and parents, a White House presenter and an advisor to the PISA team at the OECD.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
Profile Image for Régis.
32 reviews1 follower
April 22, 2020
A few inspiring ideas for personal development.

But these ideas are repeated so many times and the book is filled with so many testimonials and anecdotes, that I didn't find the book interesting.

Let me save you a few hours. tl;dr:
- Neuroplasticity is proven. At any age, the brain can change, form, strengthen, and everybody is on a growth journey.
- The times when we are struggling and making mistakes is when we learn the most.
- By adapting a positive mindset, you can change. More surprisingly, even the thought of strength training lead to muscular growth.
- A multidimensional approach to learning is the most efficient to build new pathways in the brain.
- Speed of thinking is not a measure of aptitude. The depth of understanding, flexibility and creativity matter more.
- Collaboration and sharing ideas enhances learning.

Also, as other have said, the title is misleading. The book is mostly about the best techniques to teach maths, and many generalisations to other domains are not proven.
Profile Image for Milan.
309 reviews2 followers
January 31, 2020
The title of this book is a little misleading. Limitless Mind is less about the mind and more about learning. And Jo Boaler picks math as the subject to concentrate on. The basic idea that she discusses is that the brain is not fixed but it can be changed with practice and concentration. Anybody can develop a math brain or a science brain if they are willing to put in the hard work.

The book has six main ideas:
1. Every time we learn, our brains changes and creates/strengthens neural pathways.
2. The times we spend struggling and making mistakes, we are helping our brain grow.
3. When we change our beliefs, our brains and responses change as well.
4. Learning is optimized when we use a multidimensional approach for various ideas.
5. Instead of speed of ideas, we need to be flexible and creative with our ideas.
6. Learning is enhanced when we connect people with ideas.

She cites a lot of research and I agree to her premise that anyone can become great at a subject or a sport if he/she is working hard and does not gives up while facing obstacles. But at the same time I also think that we do have born geniuses. They are wired differently. They work very hard but they also have innate talents. May be they form less than 0.00001 per cent of the population, but they are among us.

The takeaway from this book is that our brains are constantly growing (or shrinking). Mistakes are not to be looked down upon but they help our neural pathways to grow. It all depends on how the brain is trained and driven to learn more.
Profile Image for Jiajing.
13 reviews3 followers
December 8, 2019
I want to point out some problems with this book:
1.
The title is misleading. Most of the content is about math education, which is the area the author is dedicated to. But the title indicates more content. Chapter one's title is about neuroplasticity, but actually it talks about discrimination of female students in math. Well, not that relevant.
2.
The story of how the author fought with James Milgram in chapter six is TERRIBLE. I don’t know why she added this part. Before looking into this incident, I think this book is okay, though does not provide many new ideas. But after I searched online and read Milgram’s critics, I started to doubt the integrity of her work. And this is irrelevant to her complaint about academic bullying! It is whether her data was collected and analyzed in the correct way. Not only Milgram, also other people revealed similar critics on the replicability of her work after checking the data (see this and this blog post). There are tons of debates on this incident, I don't want to talk about which side was right, but I do think writing it down and entitles it as the "importance of collaboration" lower the value of this book. Maybe “the importance of straw man technique” is more suitable.

Profile Image for Genevieve Trono.
597 reviews129 followers
July 11, 2019
Limitless Mind by Jo Boaler presents the idea that brains are not fixed from birth. Boaler shares research and studies that back up this message as well as how this can help us move from from the fixed brain mindset to the brain growth mindset as learners.

Boaler is a professor at Stanford and backs up her book with a plethora of research. She shares this information in an accessible manner that is readable for someone who is not an academic in her fields of work. She breaks down her message into accessible chapters that help us better understand this newer research.

The crux of her book is the idea that when we learn and push ourselves, we develop new pathways in our brains. We are not born with brains that are made to be good (or not) at certain subjects but we actually develop them, and this ability never stops. Our brains are constantly growing and this happens by stepping outside our comfort zones.

We can do this by pushing ourselves in areas that are challenging and pushing through struggles and even mistakes. As we do this, the pathways in our brains are delicate but the more deeply we use these pathways the stronger they become. This message is the push for why struggle and mistakes are actually beneficial and allow our brains to continue to grow.

When we face challenging situations, rather than fear causing us to turn around, forge ahead, knowing these are the situations that help brain growth. Mistakes are a part of our everyday lives but many of us have grown up to think of mistakes as things are "bad" and something we should try and avoid.

Boaler encourages mistakes and strongly feels that facing obstacles is how we can learn and thrive. When we struggle, our brains are more active and are working harder than when we are just in" auto pilot" mode. When we are able to change our perspective on failure, we are able to live a more limitless life and continue on the path to improve and grow.

Life gives us endless moments where we can learn, grow and connect. Mistakes can help us be determined, proactive and move forward. Boaler shares that we are often unmotivated in areas where at one time someone or something gave us the idea that we couldn't be successful. I found this message to be so motivating and inspiring. As someone who has spent much of my academic life feeling like I wasn't "good" at certain subjects, this book is such a wonderful reminder that life long learning and growing can not only help us live fuller lives but the things we can master are, indeed, limitless.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Jo Boaler for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Katie.
218 reviews6 followers
July 10, 2021
This is one of the best and most informative required reading texts I’ve ever been assigned!

I loved this quote in the collaboration chapter:
“Even when we read a book alone, we are interacting with another person’s thoughts.”

I wasn’t expecting math education and brain science to be this inspiring in the middle of summer!
Profile Image for Shaghayegh.l3.
421 reviews56 followers
September 6, 2021
کتاب در جمله‌های «تغییر طرز فکر و باورهای مثبت»، «تاثیر مثبت اشتباهات و مشکلات بر مغز»، «رویکرد چندبعدی در یادگیری» و «مشارکت و ارتباط با افراد» خلاصه میشه. در نوع خودش کتابی تکراریه، شبیه کتاب‌های دیگه تو این سبک با مثال‌های طولانی و خسته‌کننده. سرسری خوندم و رد شدم.
Profile Image for Maire Forsel.
Author 4 books23 followers
March 9, 2021
Ma ootasin sellelt raamatult natuke midagi muud, aga see ei tähenda, et poleks siit midagi kasulikku leidnud. Lugeda võiksid seda nii õpetajad kui lapsevanemad, sest siit saab päris konkreetseid nippe, kuidas lapsi nii õpetada, et neil sellest maksimaalselt kasu oleks. Fookus on rohkem matemaatikal, aga rakendada saab siin tutvustatud meetodeid igas aines.
Mõtlesin seda lugedes, et mul endal polnudki võimalik kooli ajal ajalugu või füüsikat korralikult omandada, kuna kartsin paaniliselt nende ainete õpetajaid. Raamatu autor toob välja, et hirmukeskuse aktiveerudes kahaneb probleemilahendamise oskus (lk 12), nii et pole ime, et kui mingit ainet või mõnda õpetajat kardetakse, siis ei saagi midagi korralikult omandada.
Tähtsaim, mida siit raamatust saab, on teadmine, et inimesed ei sünni muutumatute võimetega ning geenid ei määra, kuhu oma elus jõuame. Kõigil, kes lastega tegelevad, on kasulik ka meelde jätta, kui kahjulik on last pidevalt kiita, kui tark ja tubli ta on - selline kiitus pärsib lapse pingutamist, aga pingutamine on oluline, et laps areneks, et ajus tekiksid uued ühendused. Seepärast tuleks tagasisidet anda nii, et see oleks kuidagi põhjendatud ning lisaks annaks välja sõnumi, et ma usun sinusse. Enda võimetesse uskumine, et piisava töö ja pingutuse tagajärg on areng, see on üks olulisemaid teadmisi, mida siit raamatust saab. Pealtnäha kesiste võimetega inimestega võib õige suhtumine imet teha, olen seda ka ise oma õpetajatöös kogenud. Tuuakse ka välja, et enamik maailmaklassi tegijaid on harjutanud kakskümmend aastat, kokku umbes kümme tuhat tundi, et jõuda sinna, kus nad on (lk 58).
Huvitav oli teada saada nn muutumatuse-mõtteviisiga inimestest - et nad kalduvad rohkem agressiivsusele, kuna usuvad, et nende enda ja ka teiste ebaõnnestumine on nõrkuse märk (lk 85). Lisaks on sellised inimesed ka rassistlikumad ja suhtuvad vihaselt neisse, kes nendega ühel meelel pole. Sellise inimesega olen pidanud viimasel ajal paraku palju kokku puutuma ja see teooria tundub tõesti paika pidavat.
Seoses sellega, et näen ise praegu lähedalt töökiusamist, oli minu jaoks huvitav lugeda sellest, kuidas Jo Boaler ise töökiusamise ohvriks langes ja kuidas ta selle olukorra lõpuks lahendas. Samas päris kurb, et tänapäeval veel üldse sellist asja ette tuleb, et mehed üht naisterahvast kolleegi sellisel viisil kiusama hakkavad. Eriti veel, et tegemist on haritud meestega, aga samas kadedusest akadeemilistes ringkondades on palju juttu olnud ja see paistab olevat üsna levinud. Ei aita sind doktorikraad, kui ise oled halva iseloomuga ja kade inimene. Selle strateegia, mida Jo Boaler lõpuks enda kiusajatest vabanemiseks kasutas, kavatsen kõrva taha panna - nimelt ta avalikustas kõik faktid, tegi lausa eraldi kodulehekülje, kus kõik tema kiusajamise üksikasjad ja alusetu laim kirjas (lk 172). Kunagi kui aeg küps, kavatsen sama teha, sest kui nõmeduste vastu ei võitle, seni ka maailm ei muutu.
Lõpetuseks üks oluline mõte siit raamatust - tänulikud inimesed on õnnelikumad (lk 200). Teadsin seda varemgi, aga tasub alati meelde tuletada.
Profile Image for Dan Callahan.
138 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2020
This book got me thinking about Batman. Batman is so different from all the other superheroes. He fell in a cave with bats and then all of a sudden felt like he could relate to them and started calling himself Batman. Did he get bitten by a radioactive spider or anything? (that question mark looks SICK by the way) The answer is no. Batman has no superpowers per say, other than being ridiculously wealthy, which is a superprivilege which gave him the means to go train with Ra's al Ghul and get jacked and be really good at fighting and saying POW! and shit.

My point is this, Batman didn't start out special. His talent was not fixed. He put in a ton of work and made himself in a force for good. Batman is the man. He believed he could be badass and therefore became badass. This is what Jo Boaler is talking about. Our brains are like a dense forest. If you want to get good at something you have to go out with a machete and start chopping down vegetation until there is a clear path for you to easily travel on. Some vegetation is thicker than others but with enough effort and belief AND SUPPORTS you can clear a path to badassery. The supports are where we as teachers, managers, coaches, any other type of leader comes in. This book gives guidance on how to best support people to believing they can learn anything. It really is a powerful brain shift that can lead to some real superpowers. I recommend this book to anyone who just wants to become a better version of themself and help others do the same. KAPOW!
Profile Image for Sana.
Author 1 book4 followers
October 21, 2019
This book makes for a good conversation starter. I agreed with the idea of the limitless reality for all of us, however, I disagree with several points like the fact that one person may be more gifted in one area than the other. For example, if I m not a very good singer, it does not matter how much time I spend practicing, my vocal chords are not going to change, I am never going to sing well enough for a bigger audience or expect them to suffer through my performance.
Profile Image for Melek .
414 reviews13 followers
July 15, 2022
Güzel bir konu olan nöroplasiticity’i çok alakasız şekillerle bağlayan bir kişisel gelişim kitabıydı. Yazarın kendi teorisini desteklemek için farklı kişilerin anektodlarını ve cümlelerini paylaştığı bir kitap idi Sınırsız Beyin. Çok fazla tekrarın yapıldığı kitaptan bu tekrarları çıkarınca 50 sayfa falan kalır elimizde.Kitabın başlığı da beni oldukça yanılttı. Kitabın içeriği ile alakasız bir başlık konmuş. Sonuç olarak ben beğenmedim.
Profile Image for Christine Fitzgerald.
555 reviews4 followers
December 13, 2019
Embrace struggle and failure, take risks, look forward and be positive,, be open to different ways of thinking, sometimes we won’t succeed and that is okay. Just a few of my takeaways from my new favorite book! Share this with yourself, your students and your fiends, you won’t be disappointed!
Profile Image for Andy.
2,082 reviews611 followers
August 22, 2022
The term “limitless mind” is not science; it’s snake-oil marketing. I can understand a publisher putting a title like that on a book to sell copies, but the author herself keeps repeating “limitless mind” ad nauseam throughout the text. This is a shame because there’s some good advice in here. It’s just not about “limitless” brains as revealed by neuroscience or gee-whiz anecdotes. Can the author's methods teach me to memorize Pi to 359 million digits? Of course not, because the human brain is not limitless. As the author notes in the book, it can even be harmful to just tell people they're "limitless" if you don't give them the resources necessary for learning.

It's not sensational self-help material to say that good teaching works better than bad teaching, but if that's the point then that's important and it would be good to explain that clearly with solid evidence.
Teaching children math is not my area of expertise and I have not looked up the author's original research to see if she has done some rigorous trials of her teaching methods to show that they work better than just plain good teaching.

Overall, much of the content of the book seems to amount to the concept that it’s possible to teach people stuff because it’s possible for people to learn stuff. Wow! If the author is correct in her implication that this is a revolutionary idea, then the real story is: What the heck is wrong with the schools and/or the entire society? Where is the culture of ignorance, incompetence, competition and corruption coming from?

Other books to consider:
Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience
Detroit: An American Autopsy
Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud
Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

Brainwashed The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience by Sally L. Satel Detroit An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff Crisis of Conscience Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud by Tom Mueller Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer
200 reviews
September 13, 2020
One of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read. I really liked the insights the author had on learning in general. Points like people conflating the speed of problem solving or the act of memorizing with their mathematical ability was really insightful. It was also really eye opening to see the examples of how women and people of color were often forcefully urged to leave STEM because their teachers thought they didn’t belong there and had their own pre-conceptions about who is allowed to do science. I found it really sad to see what the author had to go through with academic bullying but hopeful that she was supported through it. I really liked their emphasis on mistakes and the struggle, understanding that seems critical to growing. I related to struggling with problems and needing way more time than normal, having inspiring figures to push me forward, and failing often and spectacularly in my own life as examples of what the author’s research teaches us about learning. And their emphasis on learning in groups and never in isolation really hit home, it made me think about the problems my mom experienced initially being one of the few women in computer science and having difficulties forming connections and study groups that almost made her leave the field.
794 reviews
July 5, 2019
Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC at BEA 2019!

I really enjoyed this book! It's a great look at from a Stanford professor at how we can apply recent insights in neuroscience towards education and how we think about learning. Boaler notes that as a society, we approach learning as a fixed thing; if you are bad at something, we generally just assume you'll always be bad at it. This compounds itself for women and people of color. The insights of neuroplasticity and the interconnections of brain regions show us how learning is a dynamic, constant, lifelong process, and that we shouldn't construct these arbitrary barriers around ourselves. Very approachable, not too technical (honestly, I kinda wanted it to get more technical as a budding neuroscientist myself, but this keeps it approachable), and well written! Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Ashley Piekarski.
196 reviews3 followers
April 14, 2022
Boaler made me second guess everything I knew about my public education experience. She made me see myself and who I am and why I identify that way in a new light. She revealed the walls I had built up for myself, boxing me in, and revealed the walls that the too-restrictive education system built around me and around so many kids in the system.

I could've been a marine biologist, a sustainability scientist, anything! But this book is not just for those who were not built for the education system, it also explains how A students are negatively impacted by the system! I would love to see a world where Boaler's idealism runs rampant. In fact, it's already running rampant in California! Can't wait to see the results!
Profile Image for Caitlin Alexander.
99 reviews3 followers
January 30, 2022
I think this book sums up the philosophies of growth mindsets, Angela Duckworth's 'Grit' and Malcolm Gladwells' research in 'Outliers'. I really love Jo Boaler's approach to teaching and learning mathematics and enjoyed reading this before going into a new school year. I took away one star because I felt that some of the examples of people 'overcoming' disability through positive mindset was reductionist and inspiration porn.
Profile Image for Kayla.
110 reviews15 followers
January 25, 2020
Limitless Mind is a great book not only for math educators, or even educators in general, but for anyone looking for proof that they can recreate themselves, move beyond perceived limits, and learn new things.
Profile Image for jenkamichiko Jenny.
483 reviews31 followers
July 23, 2020
5/5 to Dr. Jo Boaler’s ”Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead & Live without Barriers”, published by Harper Collins. This truly is an #amazing #audiobook (or #book ) and Boaler is a #remarkable #scientist . She is a Professor of Education at Stanford University and has conducted research on Maths teaching and students’ attitudes to learning Maths. Even though I am not a Maths teacher I have much to learn on the importance of #positive (growth) mindsets and the importance of #struggle and #challenge in the learning process.

Boaler mentions #labels as inhibiting as people can say ”I’m not really good at X” and if we keep believing so we stagnate. Instead we should think ”it takes me more effort or longer time to do X” and keep our #minds open to #learning .

We all are different and through cooperation and #multimodal learning #creative and new #solutions are formed.

If we change our mindsets the outcome is changed and also the reality we live in. If we are #limitless , #freedom and creativity are key themes and that leads to #braingrowth with new #pathways and connections. We become #unlocked .

In the audiobook she tells us about how important it is for #students to handle #failure in order to learn. We shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes and as a #teacher I should open up and share more of my own.

Boaler also encourages us to #share #uncertainty and be happy while learning. We can model a #mindset of discovery and being curiosity in order to expand or #explore our limitless #potential . We do not know all the answers and that is a good thing. Therefore we should #embrace times of not knowing and together discuss #solutions .

We should also value multiple ways of thinking and there is not only one correct answer.

What will I do with this information?

Well, today I’m meeting up with jewellery designer to create a new bracelet in the series with the inscription ”Limitless”. I’m not there yet but it is a reminder for me to not limit myself and instead keep my mind open and face my fears especially. I will not give labels to students or children what they cannot do. I will try to ask more questions in class with open answers for #discussion .

As a parent, I can have our kids as thought partners and learn more from them.
Profile Image for Deisy.
21 reviews
August 5, 2025
Mind jäi painama, et ehkki autor toetub isiklikele kogemustele ja teadusuuringutele, et näidata, kuidas naisi akadeemias sageli tõsiselt ei võeta, saab see teema paradoksaalselt kinnitust ka teksti enda kaudu – suurtest teadlastest rääkides mainib autor üksnes mehi, näiteks Newtonit ja Einsteini. Ainus nimetatud naisteadlane on Marie Curie, ent tema saavutustesse ei süveneta. Samas aga tore, et see raamat olemas on. Leidsin palju, millele olen üliõpilasena mõelnud ja õpetajatöös kinnitust saanud!

"Andekate soosimise liikumisel on väärt ideaal tagada õppimises edukatele õpilastele rikas ja huvitav keskkond, ning selle vajalikkusega ma olen päri. Seda aga on tehtud, põlistades samas arusaama, et mõned õpilased väärivad seda oma muutumatu ande tõttu – justkui saadud kingituse tõttu. Ehkki programmides rõhutatakse, et mõnel õpilasel on vaja erilist proovile panevat materjali, kuna nad on teistest kaugele ette jõudnud, siis samal ajal minnakse mööda faktist, et teisedki võivad pingutades sellele tasemele jõuda. Sõnum on see, et mõnel inimesel on sünnipäraselt midagi, milleni teised ei küüni. Andekaks sildistamine võib olla kahjulik põhjusel, et siis ei olda valmis pingutusteks, ja kui tulevad raskused, siis löövad need jalust maha." (lk 47)

"Tunnistage lastele, kui te midagi ei tea, aga teil on idee, kuidas seda teada saada. Mitte kunagi ärge teeselge, et teate, kui te tegelikult ei tea. Palju parem on olla avastamise, teadasaamise, uudishimulikkuse eeskuju, kes rõõmsalt elab teadmatuse asupaigas – sest nii on võimalus avastada uut." (lk 188)
Profile Image for Rebecca.
133 reviews
March 19, 2020
Fijn boek om te lezen, met voor mij heel veel herkenbaarheid. Onwijs leerzaam en geeft veel goede inzichten hoe je 'dingen' anders/ motiverender en leerzamer kan aanpakken, die makkelijk toepasbaar zijn.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,853 reviews91 followers
August 10, 2019
"In every moment of our lives our brains have opportunities to make connections, to strengthen pathways, and form new pathways."

I've highlighted almost every page of this book. None of the concepts around growth mindset were new to me. I took a course by the amazing teachers at Stanford almost 5 years ago when my son was in elementary school and the concepts resonated with me then. I believed in it and wanted to encourage my kids to think this way.

"This approach illustrates a key takeaway - when you hit a barrier, it is advantageous to develop a new approach and come at the problem from a new perspective."

But none of it brought it home the way this book did, for me. Even though parts of it were repetitive, I needed that repetition, I needed to hear the ideas again and again so I could internalize them in the right way. I've been taught the opposite messages my whole life, it's going to take a long time to unlearn and repetitive exposure to these ideas and examples is a start.

"The difference between positive and negative interactions frequently depends on three aspects of being unlocked: having an open mind, asking analytical questions, and embracing uncertainty."

There are parts of a growth mindset that I think I already do naturally. I am not afraid to ask questions, try new approaches, and I will often work on having an open mind. But uncertainty is almost never my friend. And yet, even there, I have many examples in my life when I've taken a big uncertain risk and have learned more in the process.

"If you settle into routines and do the same thing everyday, it is unlikely that your brain will grow new pathways and connections."

This one was hard on me, I am a person of routine. I do so much of the same thing every day. So it's a reminder for me to try one new thing every day. However small or big, it means I am growing and creating new connections in my brain.

"So my final advice for you is to embrace struggle and failure, take risks, and don't let people obstruct your pathways. If a barrier or roadblock is put in your way, find a way around it, take a different approach...Do not accept a life with limits. Instead of looking back on things that have gone badly, look forward and be positive about opportunities for learning and improvement. See others as collaborators, with whom you can grow and learn. Share uncertainty with them and be open to different ways of thinking."

I am going to print this quote and frame it both at home and at my desk at work. I don't want a life with limits. I want to grow and learn and thrive every single day of my life in every area of my life. I am eternally grateful to Jo Boaler for the reminder of the mindset I need to practice to ensure my life can be limitless.

with gratitude to netgalley and harper collins for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Genevieve Trono.
597 reviews129 followers
July 16, 2019
Limitless Mind by Jo Boaler presents the idea that brains are not fixed from birth. Boaler shares research and studies that back up this message as well as how this can help us move from from the fixed brain mindset to the brain growth mindset as learners.

Boaler is a professor at Stanford and backs up her book with a plethora of research. She shares this information in an accessible manner that is readable for someone who is not an academic in her fields of work. She breaks down her message into accessible chapters that help us better understand this newer research.

The crux of her book is the idea that when we learn and push ourselves, we develop new pathways in our brains. We are not born with brains that are made to be good (or not) at certain subjects but we actually develop them, and this ability never stops. Our brains are constantly growing and this happens by stepping outside our comfort zones.

We can do this by pushing ourselves in areas that are challenging and pushing through struggles and even mistakes. As we do this, the pathways in our brains are delicate but the more deeply we use these pathways the stronger they become. This message is the push for why struggle and mistakes are actually beneficial and allow our brains to continue to grow.

When we face challenging situations, rather than fear causing us to turn around, forge ahead, knowing these are the situations that help brain growth. Mistakes are a part of our everyday lives but many of us have grown up to think of mistakes as things are "bad" and something we should try and avoid.

Boaler encourages mistakes and strongly feels that facing obstacles is how we can learn and thrive. When we struggle, our brains are more active and are working harder than when we are just in" auto pilot" mode. When we are able to change our perspective on failure, we are able to live a more limitless life and continue on the path to improve and grow.

Life gives us endless moments where we can learn, grow and connect. Mistakes can help us be determined, proactive and move forward. Boaler shares that we are often unmotivated in areas where at one time someone or something gave us the idea that we couldn't be successful. I found this message to be so motivating and inspiring. As someone who has spent much of my academic life feeling like I wasn't "good" at certain subjects, this book is such a wonderful reminder that life long learning and growing can not only help us live fuller lives but the things we can master are, indeed, limitless.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Jo Boaler for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Virve Fredman.
259 reviews53 followers
July 1, 2023
Olipas mielenkiintoinen kirja, täydellistä jatkoa (sattumoisin Jo Boalerin kollegana työskennelleen) Carol S. Dweckin Mindset-kirjalle, joka on mielestäni sekin aivan loistava.

Kirja käsitteli monipuolisesti sitä, kuinka mieletön kyky aivoillamme on oppia ja sisäistää asioita, kun niitä vain pääsee opettelemaan meille sopivalla tavalla.

Koen, että tämä on loistava kirja jokaiselle, joka on valmis luopumaan ajatuksesta, ettei voi tehdä jotain, koska ei osaa tai tiedä tarpeeksi. Tämä kirja antaa loistavaa sysäystä omien mielen rajoitteiden purkamiseen.

Koin ehkä hieman mjääh-tavaraksi kirjoittajan tilityksen siitä, millaista negatiivista vastaanottoa hän on piireissään saanut (tuntui vähän liian henkilökohtaiselta draaman purkamiselta), mutta ymmärrän toisaalta kyllä, miksi hän on halunnut nostaa näitä asioita kirjassaan esiin.

Kaiken kaikkiaan kirja oli kuitenkin oikein kiinnostava ja suomennettu versio toimi sekin hyvin. Kuuntelin kirjan äänikirjana ja se oli siinä muodossa oikein hyvä.
Profile Image for Rob.
247 reviews6 followers
June 30, 2022
An elementary teacher with whom I’ve exchanged book thoughts sent this to me toward the end of the school year. I’m not sure why, but I always feel like I’ve been paid a great compliment when someone purchases a book for me. It’s like they are saying, “Hey, I see you, and I think this is something you’ll like.”

The teacher is correct. I really appreciate the lessons in this book. Boaler expands on Dweck’s work about the fixed versus growth mindsets. Each chapter focuses on one of “six keys to learning,” and the keys make sense with little necessary explanation.

Dweck’s work covers a couple of the keys, particularly loving our mistakes. We need to make mistakes to learn, or at the very least we need to take risks and struggle. Too often we praise achievements of children (and adults) that require little to zero struggle, so when those folks do encounter something that requires work and struggle, they think they can’t do it and they give up. We need to openly value the struggle that learning brings.

The information on multidimensional thinking (opening up to different solutions), flexibility over speed (speed of thinking isn’t an indicator of aptitude), and collaboration is enlightening. I particularly like the stories and how Boaler demonstrates how these can be integrated into teaching.

Finally, toward the end of the book, Boaler briefly writes about the research that demonstrates those with a growth mindset are less aggressive toward other people. I find this fascinating, and I’d like to see an expanded section on this information.

Before finishing this book, I sent information about it to one of our new principals and our new math coach. I’d like to see a book study in a school on this book with highlights from the online course offered through Stanford. I think it could transform a school.
156 reviews
December 16, 2020
Mixed feelings about this read. On the one hand, the key ideas that the brain keeps changing, that no one has fixed abilities, and that struggle or making mistakes have a positive impact on brain growth are really interesting and incredibly important. When the author talked about students or adults talk about giving up a topic of study/hobby because they told themselves they just didn't have the brain for it or because they didn't want to be found out as not so smart, I really recognized myself, so I was excited to learn more about how to shift perspective from the idea that abilities are limited to the idea to the idea of being limitless.

However, the argumentation of the author lacks strength, due in part to its lack of depth and the lack of diversity of examples. For example, the author pulled most of her examples from STEM fields, mainly mathematics. While this focus reflects the author's specialisation and experience and the widespread phenomenon of math anxiety, it reduced the impact of the author's findings. I would have liked to see the concepts applied to a wider array of subjects and skills. As well, I would have liked to see more findings or experiments involving adult learners or individuals outside of a classroom context, as well as individuals with learning disabilities. Finally, while we're introduced to the idea that brains change continuously, especially so when we make mistakes, struggle or take on new hobbys, and some of the science behind it, the author doesn't get into the science very deeply or consistently.
Profile Image for Ayşenur.
73 reviews3 followers
January 24, 2021
Bu yıl okuduğum ilk kitap Sınırsız Zihin oldu. Sabit bir zihin yapım varmış onu öğrenmiş oldum. Kitabı okumadan önce bazı insanların bazı şeylere doğuştan yetenekli olduğunu, en hızlı yapanın en zeki olduğunu, yaş belli bir seviyeye geldikten sonra bazı şeyleri iyi bir şekilde öğrenemeyeceğimizi düşünürdüm. Ama bu kitabı okuduktan sonra beynimizin gerçekten de mükemmel ve sınırsız olduğuna ikna oldum. Çünkü kitap yapılmış araştırmalarla ve röportajlarla bunun böyle olmadığını bizlere gösteriyor. Hatta kanıtlıyor desem daha doğru olur. Kitaptan çok fazla ilham aldım ve kendime olan inancım arttı. Şu an istersem her şeyi yapabileceğime dair köklü bir inanış yerleşti içime. Ayrıca hiç beklemediğim kısmı bir öğretmen olarak beni geliştirmiş olacağıydı. Google'a öğretmenler için kitap önerileri yazsam karşıma bu kitabın çıkmayacağına adım gibi eminim. Ama keşke çıksa. Fark etmeden kişisel gelişimime katkı sağlarken mesleki gelişimime de çok faydası oldu. İyiki okumuşum diyorum. Şimdi yakın çevreme de kitabı ödünç verip hepsini yanlış mitlerden kurtarmayı düşünüyorum. Kurgu dışı romanlar okumayı seviyorsanız sizlere de tavsiye ederim.
12 reviews
May 22, 2020
For me, this book brought about mixed feelings. Boaler's 6 keys discussed in the book are important to recognize. When she's specifically discussing those ideas, I found the book to be insightful and I gained some new ideas for my classroom (although I do wish she offered more practical application tips). In other parts of the book, Boaler seems to be more focused on explaining the innate sexism within education then discussing how to have a limitless mind. I also grew tired of the constant references of how wonderful her youcubed organization is.
31 reviews
October 17, 2019
It’s a good, straightforward book with some key takeaways that should come as no surprise to the average reader

1. Mistakes are a tool to be leveraged for learning
2. Struggling to grasp a topic is a good thing. The brain , like the body needs to be pushed to its limits to grow and develop
3. A positive attitude about learning and life in general can really make a difference to how you learn, and can take you a long way in developing your problem solving skills
4. Stay active
Profile Image for Drennan.
39 reviews
January 18, 2020
Growing up with learning disabilities I decided I wasn’t good at math or any other subject. Joe Boaler has helped me to see that given the right environment all students can succeed. I love many things about this but, but my favorite chapter was on collaboration and how working together can change everything!
Profile Image for Jeff Wilsbacher.
43 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2020
Mostly what I would describe as "woo" or "bullshido". There is an aspect of mindset that allows your conscious mind to see different things, this is certainly valuable, but its value is radically overstated in this book.
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