Growth Mindset Plan
The way in which we think about a task determines what steps we take to fulfill the requirements to reach said task. As we have learned there are more than one way to view situations. Dr. Carol Dweck teaches us about both the growth and fixed mindsets. A person with a fixed mindset believes you are born with a certain amount of intelligence, moral fiber and a certain personality and that these characteristics are carved in stone. There isn’t anything you can do as an individual to develop these characteristics. In contrast a person with a growth mindset believes that these qualities are things that can be cultivated through effort, strategies and help from others. Developing a growth mindset will not happen overnight especially if you have been dealing with a fixed mindset for most of your life.
As an educator I now realize the growth mindset is extremely important. We must teach our students how to cultivate their intelligence. For me it has been important to change my way of thinking before I am able to impart this mindset into another person. The growth mindset is important because it teaches us that our intellectual abilities can constantly be improved if we first change our mindset. There are four steps explained to us by Dr. Dweck that will help us start the process. The steps are learning to hear your fixed mindset, recognize that you have a choice on how you interpret challenges, talk back with a growth mindset and take a growth mindset action.
In the first step we have to learn how to hear our fixed mindset voice. This is the voice that tells us why we can’t do something. This hits close to home for me. I was hesitant to start this master’s program because I work full time and I have two children but in order for me to grow in my career and to reach a goal I set for myself I couldn’t continue to let that voice stop me. In my career I will give my students examples of what this voice sounds like. Then next steps tells us that we have a choice how you interpret challenges, setbacks and criticism. When we encounter certain things we can interpret them from a fixed or growth mindset. This is very critical for the students I teach every day. I teach math to middle school kids. Math doesn’t come easy for many people, adults included. Most students do not choose challenging problems to solve and they often quit when they fail a test or get a problem wrong. My students have to decide what they are going to do next. I will instruct them that the choice is theirs. We can look at this situation and say “I’m not smart enough”, or we can ask ourselves what can I do to pass the next test, what steps can I take to attempt this challenging problem. Let’s look at our processes and see if there is something that can be altered. Let us seek out the help of my fellow classmates or my teacher. This is what steps three and four teaches us. I have to remember to do this as well. As a first year teacher I was given a mentor and I need to utilize her. She was given to me for guidance and if I take advantage of the opportunity it will grow as a teacher. Hard work, good strategies and help from others is what the growth mindset is all about.
The notion of yet resonated with me. The word yet means that there is still time. We still have an opportunity to get something done. Whether it’s making an A in math or completing a master’s degree. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. Failure is not final, it’s a part of life that we have to learn to deal with and adjust accordingly. I have started reminding my students that it’s okay to fail, you just can’t live there. You have to use that failure and build upon it. Yet is a very powerful word it gives hope to a situation that may otherwise seem hopeless. I had my student’s google the growth mindset in class and watch some videos that came up. During DEAR (drop everything and read) time I started reading Dr. Dweck’s book to them and they seem to enjoy it. We also say daily affirmations at the beginning of class. The growth mindset is something I want them to carry with them for the rest of their lives and apply it to all aspects of their lives therefore it’s something that must be cultivated daily. I have to remind myself daily that this is a marathon and not a race. As we have been taught no one has a total growth mindset there are some areas where we have a fixed mindset.
Growth mindset has been a buzz lately in education and it is important to recognize that it extends well beyond a fad of having cute sayings and posters in our classroom. We can easily fall into the trap of a false growth mindset if we do not full understand how growth mindset works.A false growth mindset can be defined as instances “when educators think and do all sorts of things that they simply call growth mindset” but do not reflect the actual concepts of growth mindset. Teachers can fall into this trap by focusing too much on praising effort alone and over ensuring the students without giving them the means to succeed. Reflection and collaboration are important steps in preventing growth mindset from being nothing more than a fad.
I have to admit that this assignment was a challenge for me. I’ve been out of school for a little over a year and this is the first assignment I’ve had to turn in. I was a little intimidated but I kept telling myself that I have the tools need to complete the assignment and if for some reason I don’t get the desired grade I can reach out for help, change my process and put forth more effort. I plan to take this approach throughout this class and throughout this entire program. I have to take it one day and one step at a time. Having a growth mindset really makes me happy, even at my age my intellectual abilities can still be cultivated and developed.
Educational Leadership 