While working in Asia, especially in South Korea and China, I experienced a kind of “culture shock”, but in the field of education, I’d call it an “educational shock.” One impression, in particular, has stayed with me ever since.
Meet Lin, she isn’t obsessed with algebra because she finds the content captivating or challenging. She’s not driven by curiosity or a desire to solve real-world problems. Instead, her main concern is scoring high marks, impressing her teachers, and looking “successful” in the eyes of others. That right there? That’s what we call a performance goal.
As educators, this should make us pause.
Are we fostering environments where learners like Lin feel that their value lies only in their grades, rankings, and gold stars? Or are we helping them cultivate learning goals — the kind rooted in growth, effort, understanding, and long-term thinking?
Performance goals are not inherently bad. In fact, they can drive short-term achievement. But if they become the only compass students follow, we risk creating classrooms filled with anxiety, superficial learning, and a dangerous fear of failure.
On the other hand, when we nurture learning goals, we empower students to focus on progress over perfection. We create space for mistakes, questions, and exploration. We shift the narrative from “How do I look?” to “What can I learn today?”
This image and lesson reminded me that as teachers, we have a powerful role: not just to teach content, but to shape the mindset behind why our students learn. And that mindset? It matters just as much as, if not more than, the material itself.
Let’s keep asking the hard questions:
• Are we praising effort as much as outcome?
• Are we creating safe spaces for vulnerability and curiosity?
• Are we showing our learners that they are more than their test scores?
The classroom should be a place where students don’t just aim to look smart, but to become deeply, authentically, and meaningfully smart.
What are your thoughts on performance vs. learning goals in your classroom or learning journey? Let’s keep the conversation alive.