Helping Develop a Growth Mindset
“Maybe you just haven’t seen it yet.”- Danny Gokey. These powerful lyrics resonate with the growth mindset as it implies an ongoing, lifelong learning. As growth implies growing, it means no one has truly maximized his or her potential, yet. The concept of yet is juxtaposed to the concept of failure. “Yet” involves seeing failure as the result of having yet to take the correct steps, like Edison and the light bulb. It is by nature indomitable in spirit as failure leaves a person’s quest for greatness undeterred. Conversely, a fixed mindset person may think they are already great and depend on the validation of others to tell them how great they are already. It is better to grow from failure than to stagnate seeking the approval of others.
I had “yet” to understand that concept as I grew up in a culture that taught praise from others meant you were doing something right. Feedback was always seen as personal attacks. I think now that not giving feedback is a form of hostility as it shows no personal investment in others. Did people that endlessly praised me have a wrong perception of me? Did it create a wrong perception of myself? I see this reflected many times in my students preoccupation with test scores. Numbers matter to them; possessing real-world skill often is secondary to the immediate satisfaction of a “passing” grade. They are not to blame as that is the culture of the education community. Bad data equals “you are a failure” and the students believe that. That is why COVID-19 virtual learning revealed a lack of effort from the students; they believe they are failures already or statistical success is unachievable.
Some resources I have used is Cognitive therapy and enrolling in skills based learning. I also seek people out who give feedback and do not “praise” me. It pushes me to see that I have “yet” to achieve all that I can be. I share these concepts with my students and try to give them projects instead of endless tests. Honestly, I would say I am a fixed mindset person that is emerging into a growth mindset. I have yet to get totally into a growth mindset person; however, I will get there “yet.”
Briceno, E. (2012, November 18). The power of belief -- mindset and Success: Eduardo Briceno: Tedxmanhattanbeach. YouTube. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://youtu.be/pN34FNbOKXc
Dweck, C. (2014, October 9). Developing a growth mindset with Carol Dweck. YouTube. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://youtu.be/hiiEeMN7vbQ
