Image designed by Islam Abudaoud. Full image can be found here
Found originally via Laura Gibbs's Growth Mindset Memes blog
I really enjoyed learning about the Growth Mindset from Carol Dweck. In particular, the way she explained the Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset in her Ted Talk was fascinating. Teachers shouldn't frame classroom environments around the ideas of failure and intelligence being static; rather, in order to help students achieve, challenges should be embraced and learning growth encouraged. Dweck talks about the importance of using the simple word "yet" to help students grasp this concept. I also found interesting Dave Paunesku's article critiquing the use of Growth Mindset as not enough to solve the achievement gap. He argues that we need to address the systems in place that limit opportunities for certain students rather than attributing the blame for low achievement to the students themselves. I found this article persuasive, perhaps in part because Paunesku's argument strongly relates to one of my favorite subjects, Sociology.
I had heard of the Growth Mindset concept before, yet hadn't heard of Carol Dweck or looked at any related research. One challenging course I'll be taking this semester is Intensive Intro to Latin, which is a class combining Latin 1 and Latin 2 into one semester. Approaching this course with a growth mindset will be helpful for me in the coming weeks! I often tend to focus on outcomes rather than process, so keeping the Growth Mindset in mind will be a good exercise for me this semester.
