A Growth Mindset

Musings on an in-service session

Dr. Carol Dweck is a world renowned Psychologist, author of many books.  One of her most recent publications is Mindset.  In this book Dr Dweck describes two different mindsets that describe the outlooks and behaviors of people of all ages in today’s society.  Her works are all based on years of clinical studies and analysis.  The book Mindset is written so that her research can be applied to everyone in all walks of life.  She discusses parenting, teaching, and  functioning in the workplace.  Her basic thesis is that there are two main mindsets – a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.  We can see these mindsets in everyone from young children to senior citizens.  What defines the difference between the two mindsets is how you see yourself. 

People with a fixed mindset always want to look smart, always associate with the high achievers, those who are perceived to be the “smart ones.”  They avoid tasks that will show any deficiencies on their part.  They believe that making an effort to achieve shows that they are inherently deficient.  It is a sign that they lack ability. Therefore, they tend to coast along in life.  They generally fail when they have to try hard, because they have never come to appreciate that failure can have a positive outcome down the line. According to their assessment,  if they have the ability, they shouldn’t have to make the effort.  They believe that a set back or a deficiency is a negative measure and reveals too much about them that would embarrass them in front of others.  Hence, they run from mistakes, and avoid challenges that they are unsure of overcoming. 

People with a growth mindset focus on continual learning.  To them life is a learning experience all of the time and at all costs.  If they suffer set backs, which they do, of course, they seek to recover, reassess, and tackle the job again. They are persistent and see the value in learning and growing from their mistakes. People with a growth mindset understand that effort can activate ability over time.  They know and appreciate that even “geniuses” have to work hard and that failure is part of the learning experience.  They turn their mistakes around so that they can capitalize on them and make them part of a larger, overall learning experience.  Unlike their counterparts who have a fixed mindset, people with growth mindsets understand that raw ability is only secondary to success.

As teachers, we ourselves, should have a growth mindset.  We should take risks, learn from our mistakes, understand that our efforts activate our abilities over time.  We shouldn’t shy away from those areas in teaching that provide us with the biggest challenges.

Our students also need a growth mindset.  It allows them to embrace learning, for learning’s sake. They need to better understand the role of effort in creating intelligence.  Most importantly, they need to retain resilience in the face of setbacks.  Students with a growth mindset will be far more successful in life than those with a fixed mindset.  They won’t shy away from learning new skills because they won’t be obsessed with failure.  They will understand the process of learning, not only the data they need to know to pass the tests.  It is this process that separates those who are successful in life from those who tend to stagnate. 

To learn more about Carol Dweck’s work, you can watch some of her videos on you tube or read her latest publications.