Growth Mindset Class Discussion Material

Let’s Get Started What is mindset? Our mindset impacts us in many ways throughout our daily life, but did you know that your mindset is actually linked to your success? The two types of mindset that are uncovered throughout are fixed mindset and growth mindset. Fixed mindset thoughts might sound something like a person is either born smart or dumb and growth mindset thoughts sound like I’m not good at that, yet. By shifting our mindset from fixed to growth we understand that learning is malleable and is something we can grow over time with continued practice. In fact, growth mindset students have shown to be more successful in their schoolwork.

Carol Dweck Carol Dweck is well known in the field of Psychology for her work in Mindset. Her research in this area has provided many developments to understanding how and why people succeed and through her research she created and coined the term “Growth Mindset” along with the necessary steps in order to move into a Growth Mindset space. Think of it as the secret sauce recipe for success. Dweck has written many books and been featured in prestigious articles.

Fixed Mindset In order to understand what a growth mindset is one must first understand its nemesis, the fixed mindset. Dweck (2007) stated that a fixed mindset was best described with the following attributes: avoids making mistakes at all costs and if mistakes were made they were not repaired, does not tend to work very hard, does not take on any new challenges, and does not confront or correct their deficiencies therefore the student with a fixed mindset had a lower success rate when compared with growth mindset students.

Growth Mindset In the opposite effect, one would have a growth mindset evidenced by Dweck (2007) therefore shown to be more successful in schooling. According to Dweck (2007) students with a growth mindset, when studied, were taking on challenges, but also saw the challenges as a development opportunity. This growth process within the brain was the cause of the higher educational achievement. The difference between fixed and growth mindset was profound as evidenced by Dweck (2007) as she found a direct coloration between mindset and educational success.

Examples of Process Praise “You tried really hard” “I see how carefully you are building that tower” “You’re finding really good ways to do this” “I can see you’ve been practicing” “Your hard work has paid off” “That is not right, but you will get it if you keep trying!” “You are not there yet.” “Your answer is not right. This is a tough one! Try again.” “Not quite, but you can learn from that mistake! Try again!” “That wasn’t correct, but mistakes are an opportunity to learn. Try again!”