Growth mindset is important because it is the belief that we can develop our abilities with dedication and hard work over a period of time. We are not predestined to stay at a certain level of intelligence or ability which is what a fixed mindset would have us to believe. When faced with a challenge, we have to make the decision to either attack it head-on or shy away from it because we are afraid to fail.
I will admit that I have a little bit of both mindsets inside of me. There are times when I step out of my comfort zone and try new things. Deciding to start a master’s program is an example of my growth mindset coming out. I have not been in school myself in quite a long time, and I’m adapting to the challenges as they come along. As for teaching though, I have more of a fixed mindset. I have been teaching for over fifteen years. I know what has worked for my classes in the past, and I don’t like straying from that. As we all know though, times change, and we need to be more adaptable in order to help ourselves and our students. This will require me to shift my mindset when it comes to teaching.
Step one entails recognizing when your fixed mindset voice is trying to pull you away from doing something that may be challenging to you. It’s that little voice that brings up all of your insecurities and tells you that you’re not good enough. That voice doesn’t like for you to take the blame for your own shortcomings and hates to be criticized.
Everytime that fixed mindset voice starts talking, you have to recognize that you have the choice to listen or to ignore it. You can choose to take the easy way so that you don’t have to face possibly failing in front of everyone or accept the challenge to push yourself to grow your abilities. When you do fail at something, you can either shut down or find ways to improve yourself. Learn to accept feedback from others and build upon your core beliefs.
Think of when you learned to ride a bike. When you took your first big fall, did you just give up? Your mom or dad probably helped you get up, gave you feedback on how to improve, and then you jumped back on again. We have to learn how to react to bumps in the road that could cause us to crash even in our lives.
The fixed mindset is a sneaky fellow. He creeps in at the most inconvenient times to create doubt in what you’re doing. When he comes around, combat the fixed mindset with the voice of the growth mindset. The fixed mindset wants you stuck in the same old rut the whole time. Growth mindset wants you to take in the feedback you get as you try new things to grow and further develop into a well-rounded person. Change the perspective of your situation and face it with bravery and an open mind.
Think of that bike again. When you fell, you might have scraped a knee or elbow some, but then you got back on to ride some more. I lived out on an old dirt road growing up. My siblings and I rode our bikes up and down it all the time. It had some super loose sand in places. There would be times we would get stuck or even slide and fall. It would then be time to climb back up and go again. In life, you’ll have setbacks and challenges. You just have to make sure that you do not let them hold you back from achieving your biggest dreams.
Once you hear growth mindset outmaneuver the fixed mindset, a plan must be made in order for growth to truly happen. Take on new challenges and keep working hard to learn more from the feedback given to you along the way. You only stop growing once you allow yourself to be stopped.
A big part of the growth mindset is the power of “yet.” It is easy when you’re struggling with something new to throw in the towel and say that you’re done and quit. I teach high school math, and my students really struggle with concepts from time to time. I have had students that look at part of an example and give up before they even start because it looks too difficult. We need to work daily on retraining our students’ brains to accept that they may not get it at first, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t get it eventually. High school students are afraid to look dumb in front of their peers, so they would rather just not try than look that way. We need to create a safe environment for them to learn without judgment so that they will spread their wings to try and fly on their own without the fear of failure. Knowing that they don’t understand yet implies that they can work their way up to comprehension. I tell my students from day one that I am there to help them in any way possible, but I can’t learn it for them. They have to take the initiative to ask for help if they really need it.
I, myself, am having to work towards a growth mindset. I tend to struggle with my fixed mindset that’s been instilled in me throughout my life. I have always been the person that was obsessed with getting an A. I worked hard for it. I still do. I am seeing though that the courses we are taking in this program are trying to get us to look at a growth mindset and open ourselves up to there being less control over what we have to do. We are given the opportunity to expand upon our own ideas without rigid boundaries and guidelines. I can see my own mindset growing along the way as we discuss the different parts of the program.
Resources for sharing and promoting
Pathway Transformation Initiative - Growth Mindset: https://youtu.be/d0jEF66xSBA
LearnStorm Growth Mindset: The Truth About Your Brain: https://youtu.be/rf8FX2sI3gU
Failures are the Pillars of Success: https://youtu.be/M-3Fs4zGjDU
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: https://youtu.be/KUWn_TJTrnU
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