At the beginning of this adventure, we were asked to develop a Growth Mindset Plan. Recognizing the need for some positive thinking in my life, I approached the opportunity in earnest. Now, as the year is beginning to wind down, we've been asked to look back and reflect on where it's taken us.
How have you personally adopted the growth mindset?
Personally, it's been a bit difficult. Undoing a lifetime of pessimistic thought has been no small task. Still, I have noticed an improvement an improvement with my ability to recognize my 'fixed' mindset and rephrase things into more growth-focused statements.
How well are you modeling the growth mindset?
Outwardly, I would say rather well, especially when it comes to my students. When learning new material, it's all too easy for them to make the assumption that they are unable to learn something new. By encouraging them to re-frame their doubts into statements that are more optimistic, their outcomes tend to be better.
Consider how the growth mindset can change the acceptance and feedback and student's attitudes toward cheating.
I believe helping students develop a growth mindset could reduce the rates of academic dishonesty. By encouraging themselves into focusing on the journey through academic pursuits rather than the pressure to achieve a higher grade, they may feel more confident about their studies and less inclined to cheat.
How can the growth mindset help limit some of your student's preoccupation with grades? What role does grit play?
It's certainly no secret that a preoccupation with grades leads to a stifling of creative potential; students focus on checking off criteria in a rubric rather than allow themselves to take chances out of fear of failure. This often leads to a belief that students need to retain nothing but facts in order to succeed. Using a growth mindset, however, can help students set smaller mastery goals that will likely feel less overwhelming to them.
Although smaller, there will no doubt be some things that may be particularly difficult for them to master. This is where grit factors into the equation. Students with grit tend to persevere through adversity and keep their goals in sight.
How can we prevent the growth mindset from becoming a fad or being improperly implemented? Consider how grit can be misused.
The most important thing to keep growth mindset from becoming a passing trend is to model what it should look like for students. As with all new material, it's important to review, model and check for understanding to ensure students are properly using the growth mindset. It's also imperative to remind students to channel their grit to achieving their smaller, more immediate goals rather than only stressing over completing the overarching goal. That could lead to a regression back to a fixed mindset and reduce the benefit of adopting a growth mindset.