Growth Mindset is diametrically opposed to something Dweck labels as Fixed Mindset, which sadly, is a thing we often see in the parents of our students. Not you, Dear Reader; of course, I'm not talking about you.
I've sat in a number of parent conferences and special education meetings and listened to parents say something like this: "Well, I wasn't any good at Math, so I wouldn't expect my son to be good at Math either," or, "She comes by it honestly; her mom was slow to pick up on Math, too." Those parents don't realize it, but they have just reinforced a fixed mindset.
Fixed Mindset means an individual does not have control of learning, that said individual can only learn at a set rate, can only learn at a set level, and can only be so smart. It means once a threshold is reached, it may not be surpassed. Contrasting to that, the Growth Mindset gives the individual hope for something greater, saying that there is always room for improvement and the ability to improve.
For as long as I can remember, educators have uttered the following:
1. All Students Can Achieve at High Levels.
It's nice to see this statement make its way back into popular thought:
2. Students’ Ideas about their Ability Determine their Learning Pathways and Math Achievement.
My challenge, now, is to revisit this concept. I think I've gotten into the habit of breaking down problems too much for students. Now I need to encourage them to ask their own questions and apply their own strategies to solve problems. I need to put more real problems in front of them, wind them up, and watch them go.
My challenge is to empower my students with the tools they need to solve those problems, while at the same time not leaving them to flop around like fish our of water. I still must provide them with the structures they might need to develop their higher-order thinking.
Next, for Apollo 13, mistakes were not an option, but in our classroom they absolutely are. Since we all make them, we need to learn how to deal with them:
3. Mistakes and Struggle are Extremely Important for Learning.
One of the hardest things to accept might be the next one:
4. Mathematics should be Dissociated from Speed.
Finally, I need to follow up on completed assignments, understanding that the life of an assignment does not end when it is turned in:
5. Teachers Messages are Hugely Powerful.
Feedback, of course, is more than just handing out attaboys; feedback involves giving the kind of criticism that encourages students, individually, to improve.
I improve when I help them improve.
who are compassionate, productive citizens.