The Power of the Growth

Mindset

Elisabeth Salyer
EDLD 5302
Summer I: 2017
Why is the growth mindset so important?

The realization that one is not born with a predetermined amount of talent has to
be one of the most inspiring pieces of information for a student who is struggling in
both their personal and academic lives.

How intelligent or talented we are can change based on how much effort we put
into learning about ourselves and the subject we seek to improve in.

Understanding that setbacks are normal for everyone is key in understanding that
it's how we deal with the setbacks will change our individual results.
Power of the Growth Mindset Assignment
The school district in which I work is currently working on guiding our faculty and
staff to think and act in a growth mindset. For this reason I wanted to design this
assignment in a way that would most benefit my students. I work with students
that struggle with mathematics. I push-into classrooms and work with both
teachers and students. I pull-out students to work with them in small groups.

My goal is to identify a small group of students whom I already work with to

introduce them to Carol Dwecks work. The presentation that follows is designed
for them and is a combination of a presentation of information combined with time
for them to think and discuss and reflect upon what they are seeing and hearing.
How will you incorporate the four steps?
Introduce students to the idea of
the Growth Mindset by watching
the Khan Academy video.

Discuss points for the video:

How are muscles like

intelligence?

When do we learn the most?

What is mindset?
Mindset is what we call the attitudes and beliefs that someone has.

Mindset has been studied by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck for
many decades.

The idea of mindset explains:

Why talent alone does not equal success.

How sometimes even the most talented are not the most successful.

Praise is not always the best solution to improve performance.

What is Fixed mindset?
Fixed mindset is the idea that we are born with all the intelligence and talent we
are ever going to have. This way of thinking believes that our success is
determined by those traits we are born with.

People with a fixed mindset tend to:

Avoid challenges

Give up easily, or not try at all.

Ignore criticism

Feel like they are less when others around them are successful.
What is Growth mindset?
Growth mindset is the idea that the talent and brains we are born with are just
the starting point for our potential. Our basic abilities can improve with hard work
and dedication.

People with a growth mindset:

Accept challenges

Are persistent when they fail or struggle

See mistakes as an opportunity to learn

Learn from constructive criticism

Are inspired by seeing others succeed

Listen to John Legend....
Discussion:

Successful people...

Are persistent, tenacious, they

learn from failure.

Didnt know you could get better at

things.

Realized he couldn't get better

unless he studied.

Worked with a coach to improve.

How will you incorporate the four steps?
1. Learn to hear your fixed mindset
voice.

Guide students through the idea of voice

and how we can think about
issues/problems in our head, and that
sometimes we say what we think or hear
someone say what they think.

By changing how we think or listen to

others we can change our results.
What does a Fixed mindset sound like?

Can I do it?

What if I fail?

Ill look like a failure.

Im not talented.

Im not smart.

I dont want to try.

It was ______s fault.

How will you incorporate the four steps?
2. Recognize that you
have a choice.

We can choose how we

think about setbacks.

This choice allows us to

be more or less
successful depending on
our choice.
Recognize that you have a choice.

How will you react when

You are challenged?

You experience a setback?

You are criticized?

How will you incorporate the four steps?
3. Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.
Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.

Maybe I dont have the talent, Maybe Im not smart enough.

I many not be able to yet, but with time and effort I can learn.

If I fail everyone will know.

Other people have failed and still had success.

If I dont try, no one will know I couldn't do it.

If I dont try, Ill never know what I can do.
How will you incorporate the four steps?
4. Take the growth mindset action.

Learn to hear both voices, so you can choose your

path.

Take on challenge to make yourself better.

Learn to hear criticism in a way that makes you

understand people are around you to make you
better.
How will you communicate the message of yet to
others?

How can you communicate that

you are still working on getting
better?

I am still working

Can you help my...I dont

understand xyz?

Can I come in for tutorials?

What resources will you use promote the growth
mindset?
There a plethora of resources available on the internet and in my schools
professional library. Aside from traditional resources, there are colleagues in my
district that will be helpful in this endeavor.
When and how often will you promote the growth
mindset?

Promoting the growth mindset will not be a one and done presentation. Students
will have to be mentored through the process. They will have to be taught what
the process looks like in action. In order to do this relationships between student
and mentor will have to be strong. The students teachers will need to be aware of
what the process is, and how they can best support the student and the mentor.
How will the growth mindset influence or impact the
way you approach your work in this course and
program?
The decision to even begin working on my masters degree originated from having
a growth mindset. Though the decision did take me quite some time, ultimately I
chose to begin.

I believe I can apply both my fixed and growth mindset experiences to benefit my
work in this program. Simply being aware of the traps that come from having a
fixed mindset make me more mindful of how I would benefit from keeping myself
in a growth mindset.
References
Dweck, C. (2006-2010). Mindset. Retrieved from https://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY. Random House, LLC.

Harapnuik, D. (2017) Its About Learning: Creating significant learning environments. Retrieved from
http://www.harapnuik.org/?p=3627