Growth Mindset
December 10, 2024 | EDLD 5302 | Fall 2024
"Starting each day with a positive mindset is the most important step of your journey to discovering opportunity."
Growth Mindset: Why Is It Important?
A growth mindset is crucial because it creates resilience, adaptability, and a love for learning. People with a growth mindset believe that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, practice, and perseverance. It is particularly important in higher education because it encourages students to embrace challenges, persevere through difficulties, and continuously improve.
A growth mindset is essential for me to utilize in both daily life and while pursuing my Master’s degree because it fosters flexibility and a continuous desire to learn. Embracing this mindset means viewing challenges not as roadblocks but as opportunities for growth and improvement. In my daily life, a growth mindset helps me approach obstacles with optimism, knowing that effort and perseverance lead to progress and success. In the context of graduate school, it is particularly important as I navigate difficult assignments, research, and the demands of graduate-level expectations. A growth mindset encourages me to embrace setbacks as learning experiences, seek out feedback, and continuously fine tune my skills and knowledge. By maintaining this mindset, I can stay motivated, overcome difficulties, and ultimately achieve both personal and academic success.
To communicate the power of "yet", it is essential to emphasize how this simple word can transform someone's mindset and academic journey. By adding "yet" to statements about what I can't do, I remind myself and others that abilities and skills can develop with time and effort. For example, instead of saying, "I can't understand this concept," I can say, "I can't understand this concept yet." This simple shift fosters resilience and openness to growth. In my daily life and throughout graduate school, I can use this mindset to approach challenges with patience and persistence, embracing the process of learning rather than focusing solely on immediate outcomes. When faced with academic difficulties or personal setbacks, the power of "yet" helps me maintain a positive outlook, stay motivated, and continue working toward my goals with the understanding that progress takes time and effort.
The Message of "Yet"
Carol Dweck's 4 Simple Steps
To develop my growth mindset, I can apply Carol Dweck’s four simple steps on how to change my mindset. First, I can embrace challenges by stepping out of my comfort zone and taking on tasks that push my limits, viewing them as opportunities to learn rather than risks of failure. Second, I will focus on the effort I put into tasks, understanding that consistent hard work, rather than innate ability, leads to growth. When faced with setbacks, I can use the third step of learning from criticism and failure by seeing them as constructive feedback that helps me improve, rather than viewing them as discouragements. Lastly, I will celebrate progress and persistence, recognizing and appreciating the small wins and continuous improvement, rather than only focusing on the final outcome. By actively practicing these steps, I will cultivate a mindset that thrives on learning, resilience, and continuous self-improvement.
To promote a growth mindset within higher education, I can start by creating an environment that emphasizes effort, determination, and learning from mistakes rather than focusing solely on outcomes. One effective approach is to provide constructive feedback that highlights progress and areas for improvement, using language that encourages students to view challenges as opportunities to grow. I can also share examples of how perseverance and a willingness to learn have led to success, both from my own experiences and from others. Promoting collaboration among students, where they can learn from one another and share strategies for overcoming obstacles, can also foster a growth mindset. Finally, regularly reminding students that intelligence and abilities are not static, but can evolve with effort, will help them embrace challenges with confidence, and encourage a deeper engagement with their academic work.
The Influence
Promoting a Growth Mindset
Promoting a growth mindset in my daily routine should be a consistent practice, ideally integrated into every aspect of my day. By regularly reinforcing this mindset, I can ensure it becomes a natural way of thinking and responding to challenges. This means actively reminding myself to embrace challenges, learn from critiques, and view loses as opportunities for growth. It's important to incorporate this mindset throughout my daily life, from tackling work tasks to personal goals, so that I can develop resilience and stay motivated even when faced with minor or major problems. The more often I practice it, the more ingrained it will become, helping me remain adaptable and stay focused on continuous improvement. In both my personal life and academic pursuits, consistently promoting a growth mindset is crucial for maintaining long-term progress, boosting my confidence, and fostering a lifelong commitment to learning. (As someone who plans to pursue a Doctorates, it's definitely needed!)
Growth Mindset Resources
Below are materials that go into depth regarding Growth Mindset and how it can be promoted to students, how staff/faculty can utilize it within higher education, and ways to improve your own growth mindset in your daily life
Growth Mindset
Below are links to articles by institutions that explain Growth Mindset and checklist they have their staff/faculty utilize to promote growth mindset within their classrooms:
Below is a link to a program called "Growth Mindset for College Students" developed by Perts. This evidence-based program is utilize to help increase college students' success by laying the foundation for growth mindset.
References
Dweck, C. (2014). Developing a Growth Mindset. YouTube. https://youtu.be/hiiEeMN7vbQ?si=gDAcpHG5l3V88gsp
Briceno, E. (2012). The power of belief–mindset and success. TEDx Talks: YouTube. https://youtu.be/pN34FNbOKXc?si=v76SkEm6KNlWzL-Lm6KNlWzL-L
Harapnuik, D. (2013, April 5). Fixed Vs Growth Mindset = Print Vs Digital Information Age. It's About Learning Creating Significant Learning Environments. Retrieved October 17, 2024, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=3627