By: Jackie Bittner
Why is the growth mindset so important?
In the book, Mindset, The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck quotes Benjamin Barber, saying “I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures.…I divide the world into the learners and non-learners.” This statement allowed me to reflect on which group I would be in, and I realize that I genuinely have a desire to learn, and consider myself a lifelong learner. When I relate this to whether I am currently operating with a fixed mindset or a growth mindset, I realize that it can be a little bit of both because it all depends on the actual situation at hand. For instance, when it’s just at the beginning, or early stages of the learning opportunity, I can easily lean towards a fixed mindset, but after I really get to process the situation, or circumstance, then I tend to follow the growth mindset’s ways of thinking. I also believe that my feelings can get in the way of how I think and what I end up doing. With that being said, I have to admit that I’ve allowed a fixed mindset to hold me back from fulfilling some of my lifelong goals, or aspirations. Therefore, I am learning that having a growth mindset is important, and using this type of thinking to my advantage, for myself, and for my students, especially after pursuing my Masters Degree in Applied Digital Learning, will make a big difference in the way that I reach my goals, and accomplishments.
How will the growth mindset influence or impact the way I approach my work in this course and the program?
I understand how to choose a growth mindset over a fixed mindset now, and plan to use this positive, growth mindset to get myself where I want to be in my personal learning journey, my academic career, and in my life. I plan on following, and applying the growth mindset ways of thinking from here on out by accepting feedback, as a way to learn and improve my situation.
I’ve seen that over the years, I have struggled with self worth, so when I encounter challenges, I can take it very hard, or emotional, at first glance, so this can seem like a major setback for me. I also have a build up of anxiety at the beginning stages of a challenge. After a chance to really process the situation, I try to turn it around by focusing on the real problem, and finding ways to fix it, or do better. Therefore, I end up with a growth mindset over time. It’s not immediate thinking, but eventually, it does happen. In her book, Dweck states, “Next time you feel low, put yourself in a growth mindset, and think about learning, challenging, confronting obstacles. Think about effort as a positive, constructive force, not as a big drag. Try it out.” Therefore, I will embrace the growth mindset, and value the learning process to allow it to inspire or motivate me, and keep my curiosity going with the challenges that I may face, so that I can continue to see feedback as a useful tool to help me improve through any obstacles that I may be facing.
What resources (content, video, media, etc.) will I use to promote the growth mindset?
Not only are there books out there, like, “The Growth Mindset: How Mindset Drives Your Success,” and “The Growth Mindset Coach,” but there are also many articles available that will help promote the growth mindset, and help me understand each side of the spectrum. Some of the titles of these articles are, “Benefits of a Growth Mindset,” “ 7 Tips for Moving Students to a Growth Mindset,” and “Growth Mindset In a Classroom.” Also, I will refer to Dweck’s video clips, such as, “Developing a Growth Mindset,” and “The power of believing that you can improve.” According to Dweck’s book, there is a big difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset can certainly hold you back from learning, and growing. It makes you believe that you can’t do things, and even over time, with learning, you can never achieve it. Whereas, having a growth mindset is important because it is a way to keep you going, and helps you bounce back when a situation is tough. This type of mindset teaches you resiliency, and learning through the opportunities that are in front of you, versus giving up, and being defeated, the way that you would with a fixed mindset. In her book, Dweck also explains, ”Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they are just something in your mind, and you can change your mind.” Therefore, you can change to a growth mindset from a fixed mindset by following 4 main steps to get you on to the correct thinking path. The four mindsets are: 1. Learn how to hear your fixed mindset voice, 2. Recognize that you have a choice, 3. Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice, and 4. Take the Growth Mindset Action.
How will I incorporate the four steps, and communicate the message of “yet”?
First off, I will incorporate the 4 steps by recognizing that I have an inner voice of a person with a fixed mindset, and when it starts talking to me, then I can stop listening to that inner voice. Secondly, I can use this chance as a challenge, and recognize that whatever the task may be, I should use developed strategies, and put forth extra effort against it. Next, I can talk back to this voice, and remind myself that with passion and hard work, I can succeed. Finally, I can learn from it, be persistent, and not give up. Plus, make adjustments from the feedback that I receive, and tackle the task again, until I get the results that I want. Essentially, I will remind myself that there is so much power in the word “yet”. If I don’t know it at first, or right away, this just means that I don’t know it yet. But, over time and determination, I will learn and grow. I will give myself a chance to tackle the challenge, and have real growth over time, versus faking the situation, just to look smart. There are many ways to get to my final destination, but failure is not one of them. Continuing to learn and grow, and giving myself room to learn from the things that I don’t know, will allow me to have a growth mindset, and reduce my anxiety or my fears.
When and how often will I promote the growth mindset?
More importantly, as an educator, with this knowledge, I can definitely support and help my students grow in their challenges and improve their way of thinking by teaching, and sharing this information with them so that they can have a full, and happy life. I will create a supportive and safe environment in my classroom where my students feel comfortable exploring, and taking risks. On a daily basis, I will encourage them to learn from their mistakes, and seek opportunities to learn, and grow. I will focus on sharing praises of effort, and strategy, and not just on talent. They will be able to have independence, and autonomy. Also, I will show them how to set academic and personal goals, and allow them ways to reflect on it. I will remind them that it is important to never give up, and when something doesn’t work the way that they want, then learn to change the strategy, or modify the approach, but don’t stop trying to make those adjustments to better understand how to get to where they want to be. All of this combined is learning to actively use the growth mindset, and remembering to teach children that “we can view intelligence and personality as qualities that grow and develop over time. This way of thinking — growth mindset— is associated with a willingness to tackle challenges, a passion for learning, and greater achievement, “ stated Rebecca Louick in Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: Key Differences and How to Shift Your Child’s Mindset. We are not meant to know everything, or to know it the first time around, so we must allow ourselves the chance to learn something new. It’s better to give yourself room to grow, and not be so hard on yourself during the learning process. Understanding this method can even help you get to where you want to be faster.
References
Dweck, Carol S. Ph.D. C. O. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
Louick, Rebecca. (2023, June 25). Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: Key Differences and How to Shift Your Child’s Mindset. Big Life Journal. https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset-differences-and-how-to-shift-your-childs-mindset
Jackie Bittner M.Ed. 