Updated Growth Mindset Plan

Original Post

How does a focus on learning and creating significant learning environments impact or influence your innovation plan?

Embracing a growth mindset can greatly impact the creation of a significant learning environment. The growth mindset is pivotal for fostering a culture of continuous improvement and resilience in both students and educators. In my classroom, I emphasize to students that success is not merely about innate intelligence but is rooted in the effort put into achieving goals. This mindset shift encourages students to view challenges as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks. For instance, one student, Melissa, initially approached Spanish class with self-doubt, but through encouragement and emphasizing effort over innate talent, she improved significantly and gained confidence in her abilities.

Implementing the growth mindset involves steps like recognizing fixed mindset tendencies, making conscious choices to focus on effort and growth, and using positive affirmations to combat self-doubt. By incorporating these strategies routinely into lesson planning and daily interactions, we can create a classroom environment that values perseverance, resilience, and the process of learning. Additionally, promoting a growth mindset can positively influence students' acceptance of feedback, reduce preoccupation with grades, and discourage cheating as the focus shifts toward effort, progress, and learning from mistakes. Ultimately, pairing the growth mindset with grit ensures that students not only embrace challenges but also develop the determination and resilience needed to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential.

How can you help your learner develop a growth mindset?

To help students develop a growth mindset, I focus on creating challenging lessons that are created with the end goal in mind.  Utilizing Fink’s 3 Column Table will enable me to craft courses with a clear end goal in mind. This framework empowers me to think at a high level and establish a BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) for the course. Once I have defined this overarching objective, I can then utilize the Understanding by Design table to create a detailed lesson with a guide for the activities. This process involves developing the course backward by design, starting with the final desired outcome from the 3 Column Table and then working backward to outline the specific lessons and activities needed to achieve that goal. This approach ensures that each lesson is purposefully designed to contribute directly to the overall course objective set in the 3 Column Table. These types of backward-by-design courses will help students develop their growth mindset since the goal will already be worked into the lessons.

In addition, I will utilize platforms like Quizziz and Duolingo, which allow students to monitor their progress and effort, thus building confidence in their abilities. Moreover, I stress the importance of effort in the classroom, which has shown to significantly boost students' self-assurance in their learning capabilities. Additionally, understanding the concepts of fixed and growth mindsets, emphasizing the "power of yet," and fostering grit are crucial factors in positively impacting the growth mindset. I prioritize praising the process over innate intelligence or talent, as this approach is more effective in instilling a growth mindset. By providing opportunities for students to improve, offering positive feedback, and highlighting the value of effort, I aim to shift their mindset toward growth and foster a mindset of continuous learning and improvement.

What factors need to be considered if you wish to have an impact on the Growth Mindset?

To have a meaningful impact on fostering a growth mindset in students, several factors need to be considered. Firstly, understanding the concepts of fixed and growth mindsets, as introduced by Carol Dweck, is essential. Distinguishing between these mindsets and emphasizing the "power of yet" can help students develop a mindset focused on continuous learning and improvement.

Additionally, Angela Duckworth's concept of grit plays a crucial role in cultivating a growth mindset. Grit encompasses passion, perseverance, and stamina for long-term goals, which are fundamental traits for developing a growth mindset. However, to possess grit, students first need to cultivate a growth mindset, creating a partnership between the two concepts. (2013)

One important consideration highlighted by Dweck is the type of praise offered to students. Praising intelligence or talent may inadvertently steer students towards a fixed mindset, where they believe abilities are static. Instead, praising the process, effort, and resilience demonstrated by students fosters a growth mindset. This shift in praise can lead to better outcomes in instilling a growth mindset in students.

As an educator, it is crucial to reevaluate how praise is delivered to students. Focusing on praising the process, effort, and grit demonstrated by students rather than innate abilities or achievements can significantly impact the development of a growth mindset. This approach encourages students to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and view mistakes as opportunities for growth, ultimately fostering a mindset conducive to learning and development.

Consider how the growth mindset can change the acceptance of feedback and student’s attitude toward cheating.

Fostering a growth mindset in students can positively impact their acceptance of feedback and attitudes toward cheating. By prioritizing effort over grades, students are encouraged to learn from mistakes and rework assignments in effort-focused classrooms, which diminishes the temptation to cheat. In my classroom, I emphasize the importance of effort by providing students with opportunities to redo or retake tests if they don't perform well initially. This practice allows me to have conversations with students about their mistakes and what steps they can take to correct them. I strive to approach these discussions positively to prevent students from feeling like failures and potentially adopting a fixed mindset. By offering constructive advice and maintaining a positive outlook, I aim to guide students towards understanding the learning process and fostering a growth mindset mentality. In an environment where effort is valued, and low grades are expected to be reworked, cheating becomes unnecessary. Effort is the key focus in my classroom, reinforcing the importance of embracing challenges and learning from setbacks.

How can the growth mindset help limit some of your student’s preoccupation with grades? What role does grit play?

The growth mindset can help reduce students' fixation on grades by shifting their focus toward effort. This transition necessitates teaching grit, which cultivates perseverance and resilience in the face of challenges. Grit enables students to grow and learn, leading to a decreased emphasis on grades as they operate at elevated levels of comprehension. Typically, students are overly focused on grades due to the rewards associated with academic success, such as entry into prestigious societies or universities. However, by instilling a growth mindset and fostering grit, students prioritize effort and perseverance, making grades less of a primary concern. This shift allows students to operate at a higher level of understanding, ultimately resulting in good grades as a natural outcome of their dedication and commitment to learning.

How can we prevent the growth mindset from becoming a fad or being improperly implemented? Consider how grit can be misused. (rigor)

To prevent the growth mindset from being treated as a passing trend or improperly implemented, it's crucial for educators to consider individual student needs and avoid imposing a growth mindset and grit inappropriately. Overemphasizing these concepts without accounting for learning differences can have negative consequences.

I believe that the concept of a growth mindset is enduring and not merely a passing fad. While it may not have always been explicitly labeled as such, the idea of having a positive attitude toward learning and growth has always existed. Even if the terminology changes in the future, the core concept and its results will remain consistent.

The growth mindset is a good start, but is it enough?

Having a growth mindset is indeed beneficial, but it's not sufficient on its own. I believe that pairing a growth mindset with grit creates a winning combination. While it's possible to possess one without the other, students with a growth mindset but lacking grit may struggle to maintain their positive outlook when encountering difficult challenges. Combining a growth mindset with grit equips students with the determination and perseverance needed to face obstacles and avoid slipping into a fixed mindset. In essence, while a growth mindset is crucial, coupling it with grit enhances students' abilities to navigate challenges effectively.

How can we move our learners toward reigniting or adopting a Learner’s Mindset?

Moving learners toward adopting a learner's mindset involves fostering curiosity, encouraging continuous learning, and promoting a positive attitude toward challenges and mistakes. Emphasizing the joy of learning and celebrating progress can reignite or encourage the adoption of a learner's mindset.

Works Cited

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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

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Zhao, H., Zhang, M., Li, Y., & Wang, Z. (2023). The Relationship between a Growth Mindset and Junior High School Students’ Meaning in Life: A Serial Mediation Model. Behavioral Sciences (2076-328X), 13(2), 189. https://doi-org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.3390/bs13020189