It looks like I have both mindsets, but I am keen to think I have more from a growth mindset. A growth mindset allows me to achieve my goals and desires or expand on my talents. Someone with a growth mindset believes that both weeklies, intense practice, and hard work can be improved. Individuals with a growth mindset don’t often feel like victims of circumstance, as they trust their ability to change the situation or outcome. Changing our beliefs can have a powerful impact. The growth mindset creates a powerful passion for learning. “Why waste time proving over and over how great you are,” Dweck writes, “when you could be getting better?”. She describes a growth mindset as “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.” Your mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life’s challenges. When a child has a growth mindset, they tend to have a hunger for learning and a desire to work hard and discover new things. This often translates into academic achievement. That is why we need to stimulate our students to approach a growth mindset daily. Encouraging growth mindsets is essential for creating a classroom environment conducive to learning for all children, particularly under-resourced students. Educational researchers have found that understanding fixed and growth mindsets can stop plummeting grades in struggling students and put them on the pathway to academic growth. Dweck takes this stoic approach, writing: “in the growth mindset, failure can be a painful experience. But it doesn’t define you. It’s a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from.” Because a child’s perspective is more likely to be shaped by their mentors, early elementary is the best time to teach students about mindsets in the classroom. But whether you’re a kindergarten teacher or a high school principal, encouraging a growth mindset in your students can play a vital part in closing the achievement gap for your school. References: Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books. Khan Academy. (2014, August 19). The growth mindset. YouTube., from https://youtu.be/wh0OS4MrN3E
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