Mindset & Grit Whittney Smith, Ed.D.

Grit & Mindset O Grit is a combination of being resilient in the face of failure and having deep commitments (focused passions) that you remain loyal to over many years. O Mindset is a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines one’s behavior, outlook, and mental attitude

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset O People “are the way they are” and that doesn’t change. O Success and therefore a positive self image develops by performing well and looking smart O Intelligence can be developed, the brain is like a muscle that can be developed and trained. O Success and therefore a positive self image comes from a desire to learn and grow through effort

How do these mindsets effect us? Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset O If a person believes they failed because they are not smart or do not have enough ability, they refuse to try to learn. O If a person believes that they failed because of not being prepared or working hard enough, they excel

“Growing” your Intelligence O Neuroscientists agree that the brain’s intelligence is malleable (it can grow) – Brain Plasticity O Neurons in the brain grow every time you learn something new O The more Neurons grow, the easier it becomes to remember new things because of the neural connections

Fixed vs. Growth “Voice” when approaching a challenge

Fixed vs. Growth “Voice” when you hit a setback

Fixed vs. Growth “Voice when you face criticism

The Power of Praise: Praising Intelligence & Ability Instead of Effort We say:They hear: “You learned that so quickly! You are so smart!” “If I can’t learn something else quickly, I am not smart” “Look at that drawing! You must be the best artist in the whole school!” “I shouldn’t try drawing anything more difficult or they’ll realize I’m not the best in the school.” “Wow! You got an A without even studying! You are so brilliant!” “That was a very easy test for me. What if I don’t get an A on a more difficult test? Then they won’t think I’m brilliant.”

Growth Minded Feedback O Of course it's hard - that's why they call it school! O I can tell that you are excited about this topic O Your hard work is clear O I can tell that you didn't give up O Mistakes are part of the process - it's called practice! O Mistakes are welcome here! O I think this is moving into your long term storage O Your persistence paid off! O Let's do one together O Listen to me solve it/answer one out loud O Let’s write a plan for practicing and/or learning. O If you make ______changes, we can re-asses your score. Let’s discuss a plan.

Growth Minded Questioning O Did you get the 8 hours of sleep last night that your brain needs today for class? O What part of this task is making you anxious? O How can we break this problem/task down into smaller parts? O What can you do to move this to your long term storage? O What did we learn today that feels more permanent in your brain? O What made you come to this conclusion? O What evidence supports that? O When does it start to become confusing? O How does it feel to get that answer? O How can your partner/team help you solve this?/answer that?/reason it out? O What can be some strategies to figure this out? O What additional information would help? O What question(s) do you have? O Is my explanation helping, or should I try something new?

Don’t tell students they are “smart!” Praise them for… EffortGritTenacity Asking for Help Sticking to a task Asking Questions Taking on a Challenge Handling a mistake well

Grit O the quality that enables individuals to work hard and stick to their long-term passions and goals.

O 12-Item Grit Scale 12-Item Grit Scale GritScale Focused Passions Consistent Interests Hard worker Resiliency

West Point Military Academy Study O Whole candidate score – SAT, Class rank, demonstrated leadership ability, and physical aptitude O Grit, of all the variables measured, was the best predictor of which cadets would stay through the first difficult summer. O The Whole Candidate score had no predictive relationship with whether you would drop out that summer.

Grit vs. Talent O Unrelated; or inversely related O In terms of academics, if you're just trying to get an A or an A−, just trying to make it to some threshold, and you're a really talented kid, you may do your homework in a few minutes O If your goal is to maximize your outcomes; you want to do as well as you possibly can; then there's no limit, ceiling, or threshold.

Growth Mindset & Grit O children who have more of a growth mind- set tend to be grittier. O Developing an intervention to communicate information to students about deliberate practice - very effortful practice on things you can't yet do O Implementing programs in schools