Growth Mindset 2.0

  In my original growth mindset plan, I suggest that it is contradictory for schools to try to encourage a growth mindset.  After all, the purpose of the current industrial system is to educate students by teaching a list of state-curated standards and grade them on their mastery of said standards to determine if they are ready to progress to the next level.  When our entire system is based on grades, it seems quite foolish to then plaster the walls with posters advertising growth mindset strategies and spend time encouraging students to embrace the Power of “YET”.  In addition, the Case Western Reserve University study has now shown that mindset has no significant effect on academic achievement.  So the question is: Why bother with discussing growth mindset at all? The answer is this: perseverance (aka grit) and attitude.     
​   If we expect students to adopt these characteristics,  we must begin by modeling them ourselves.  As we build a significant learning environment, we must allow our students to see us fail, and try again, and fail again, and repeat as necessary.  While this is happening, they should also hear our self-talk about what we did right, what we need to improve on, and how we intend to accomplish the task. The concept of growth mindset can be taught with a poster or through direct instruction, but the most powerful lesson is seeing it in action.  And although grades are a required part of school at this time,  we can help students focus more on the learning process by providing them with assignments and feed forward that are authentic and valuable rather than just a worksheet with a red letter on it.  According to the research, that red letter may not change much by adopting a growth mindset, but how the student reacts and responds to it will.
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