Power of Growth Mindset

Image Source: Canva

Carol Dweck introduces the ideas of a fixed mindset, a growth mindset, and the "power of yet," while Angela Duckworth discusses Grit and how to get it. Both agree that helping students develop a growth mindset is essential for their success, but how can it be developed? Duckworth believes, and I agree, that students need to develop Grit. “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day in, day out…for years and working really hard to make that future a reality.” (TED, 2014). However, for students to possess Grit, they require a Growth Mindset. So, how can I help my students cultivate a growth mindset? Dweck suggests that offering the wrong type of praise may steer students toward a fixed mindset. Initially, when I listened to her TED talk, I found her advice to be counterintuitive. How could praising a child for their intelligence and good grades be detrimental? Then, she explained that praising the process leads to better outcomes for instilling a Growth Mindset in students. As a parent of two and now a teacher, I used to believe that any form of praise was beneficial. However, after hearing Dweck's insights and the outcomes of her research, I have to reconsider how I deliver praise to my students. I need to focus more on the process and the grit a student demonstrates rather than simply praising their talent or intelligence.

 I really appreciate the concept of "yet" and the positive message it conveys to students.   As a Spanish language teacher, I often hear students say, “I’m not good at Spanish.” This academic year, while starting at a new school, I encountered a chorus of voices telling me how little Spanish they knew. One student, Melissa, boldly stated, "I'm not good at Spanish," essentially implying not to expect much. My consistent response is, “You probably know more than you think, even if you’re not good at it yet.” By actively conveying the message that effort matters most in my classroom, students have been building confidence in their own abilities to learn the language. I have also created lessons that challenge them to learn various concepts. Using applications like Quizziz and Duolingo, students can see how their own effort shows the progress they make in each lesson assigned. By consistently emphasizing the importance of effort in my classroom, I've noticed a significant boost in students' confidence in their language learning abilities. Additionally, I've developed lessons that push them to grasp different concepts. Through platforms like Quizziz and Duolingo, students can witness firsthand how their efforts directly translate into progress with each assigned lesson.  I'm really hopeful that my efforts to come up with ways that push students to learn Spanish will pay off and that next year, I won't hear as many "I'm not good at Spanish" complaints.

In my classroom, I make it clear that effort counts. If a student doesn’t do well on an assignment or a test, I give them the option to re-do or retake the test. Clearly, I need to chat with my students about the mistakes made and what needs to happen to correct those mistakes. I try to put a very positive spin on the situation so that students don’t feel like failures and then throw them into a fixed mindset. Instead, I hope to give constructive advice with a positive spin so that students figure out the process and change it. Hopefully, I will throw them into a growth mindset mentality. Cheating doesn’t need to happen in situations where the class culture expects low grades to be reworked. Effort counts in my classroom. 

All students are conditioned to be grade-focused instead of effort-focused. There are rewards that come with good grades, from induction into the National Junior Honor Society to getting into their choice of university at graduation. Shifting the mindset from grades to effort will require teaching or modeling grit. It’s that perseverance against challenges that will help students grow and learn, making grades less of a concern because students will be operating at a higher level of understanding, resulting in good grades nonetheless.  

 Simply having a growth mindset isn't enough; however, when paired with grit, I believe that's a winning combination. Maybe you can have one without the other, but I believe that students with a growth mindset but lacking grit may experience moments where they fall into a fixed mindset when facing tough challenges. 

RSA. (2015, December 15). RSA ANIMATE: How to Help Every Child Fulfil their 

potential [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9TVbAal5s

TED. (2014, December 17). The power of believing that you can improve | Carol Dweck | TED 

[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0mgOOSpLU

TED. (2013, May 9). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance | Angela Lee 

 Duckworth [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/H14bBuluwB8?si=cZMEGn0JTa5MTL7U