GROWTH

MINDSETPRINCIPALS

LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

APRIL 18, 2017

GROWTH MINDSET

INTRODUCTION TO MINDSETS

Today, we are learning about the power

of our beliefs, both conscious and

unconsciously, on our behaviors. Changing

just the simplest of these beliefs can have a

strong impact in the lives of our students and

ourselves.

GROWTH MINDSET

WHAT IS A MINDSET?It is an attitude, assumptions, belief system, or

perspective on how we view ourselves through our

personality, behaviors and actions

personally in the world. It has many applications across a

wide variety of areas. Mindsets are powerful beliefs that

are in your mind and your mind can be changed. Today,

are talking about Growth Mindset in education. This is but

the tip of the iceberg.

GROWTH MINDSETOUR LOFTY GOALS IN EDUCATING STUDENTS

1. To be college and/or career ready

2. To be able to read critically, solve complex

problems and to write effectively

3. To be able to take on challenges with zeal

4. To evolve into powerful agents of change

for themselves and the world

GROWTH MINDSETWHY IS IT VITAL TO TEACH ABOUT MINDSETS?

a. Educators must believe that talents of

students can be developed to allow them

to fulfill their potential.

b. Every child can be successful with the right

combination of hard work and good

instruction.

GROWTH MINDSET• WHAT IS A GROWTH MINDSET?(OPENING ACTIVITY PAPER TOP HALF) (SHARE OUT)

Name something about which you

believe you have a strong knowledge

base or skill level.(Use your Index card in your folder)

GROWTH MINDSET• The person responsible for this work on mindsets is

a professor and researcher,

Carol Dweck, PH.Dwhose decades of research is published in her book,

Mindset-The New Psychology of Success

How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential

She is a world-renown psychologist from

Stanford University

GROWTH MINDSET• Professor Dweck has this to say about Mindsets:

• “There is no relation between students’ abilities or intelligence

and the development of mastery-oriented qualities. Some of the

very brightest students avoid challenges, dislike effort and wilt in

the face of difficulty. And some of the less bright students are

real go-getters, thriving on challenges, persisting intensely when

things get difficult and accomplishing more that you expected. It

shows that being mastery-oriented is about having the right

mindset. It is not about how smart you are. Having the mastery-

oriented mindset helps them become more able over time.”

• How many of you have found this to be true or not true?

Dweck - Education World interview

GROWTH MINDSET• DEFINITIONS OF GROWTH MINDSET

- A belief that your abilities and intelligence can

change through effort and learning

- Each person is capable of learning anything

- A belief that views mistakes as learning

opportunities

- Struggle and failure might be necessary but with

effort and perseverance, everyone can

succeed

GROWTH MINDSET• MORE DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

- Intelligence, creativity and artistic ability can

be developed over time with practice,

hardwork, endurance and a willingness

to learn and adapt

- You believe your traits, habits, personality, skills

are growing and changing. Effort is the

linchpin. How far will you go if you try?

Failures may hurt but they provide

feedback as signposts not endpoints.

GROWTH MINDSET• FROM THE CHART CALLED “TWO MINDSETS”

# A growth mindset means intelligence can be developed.

# Leads to a desire to learn

# Embraces challenges

# Persists in the face of setbacks

# Sees effort to the path of mastery

# Learns from criticism

# Finds lessons and inspiration in success of others

GROWTH MINDSET

In contrast to a Growth Mindset is a

Fixed Mindset that is a belief that

states:

Each person’s intelligence, skills and

talents are predetermined.

You are born with certain skills and

you are wasting your time trying to

improve those skills in which you are

not strong.

GROWTH MINDSET• MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIXED MINDSET

• ( Taken from a book called A Mindset of Learning by Mraz and Hertz)

• “When you think about yourself and the world with a fixed

mindset, you believe your traits, habits, personality, skills are

fixed and immovable. You are smart or dumb, athletic or

clumsy, artistic or not. There is nothing you can do to change

those traits. Effort is not valued. Why try if you know you are

dumb? Failure is a terrifying prospect. If you fail, does that

mean you were never smart in the first place?”

GROWTH MINDSET• ALSO FROM THE CHART – FIXED MINDSET

% Intelligence is static

% Avoids challenges

% Gives up easily

% Sees effort as fruitless or worse

% Ignores useful negative feedback

% Feels threatened by success of others

GROWTH MINDSETAnswer this question:

Can you have both types of Mindsets

or are your beliefs in one Mindset or

the other?Next - Answer questions on bottom of first sheet.

GROWTH MINDSETMORE QUOTES FROM CAROL DWECK

“When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one

world (Fixed Mindset) success is about proving you are smart

or talented. Validating yourself. In the other mindset (Growth

Mindset) it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new.

Developing yourself.”

“Test scores and measures of achievement tell you where a

student is, but they don’t tell you where a student could end

up.”

“Becoming is better than being.”

GROWTH MINDSET• So How Does This Work in the Brain

• Your brain is an organ. It is soft like warm butter.

• Your skull protects your brain.

• Your brain consumes the energy from 1/5 of the food you

eat to operate.

• Neurons in the brain create pathways when you learn

something new. The more pathways, the denser your

brain becomes.

• You can grow the size of your brain through building

strong pathways by learning and trying new things.

• Pathways are strengthened by practicing what you learn.

GROWTH MINDSET• Let’s watch this video called

• The Power of Belief• A TED Talk

Discussion – What were your take aways from

what you saw and heard?

GROWTH MINDSET

Review the enclosed article,

You Can Grow Your Brain

Discussion

Neuron Activity

GROWTH MINDSET• Let’s Compare and Contrast Growth and

Fixed Mindsets

1. Listen to my examples and identify if it indicates a

Fixed or Growth Mindset. (Use Signal Cards to answer)

2. Identify something about which you have a Fixed

Mindset. (Write on your Index card in your folder)

3. Identify something about which you have a

Growth Mindset. (Write on your Index card in your folder)

GROWTH MINDSET

EFFORTHow would you define effort? What helps you

to determine how much effort you put forth in

something?

What about your students?Adolescents often develop the low-effort syndrome as a way to

assert their independence from adults.

There is a great amount of information about this topic.

GROWTH MINDSET

EFFORT (CONTINUED)

= In a Growth Mindset, effort is the

reward. People with this

mindset do not give up

easily. Setbacks are motivating

to them. Champions find

success in learning and

improving and doing their best.

GROWTH MINDSET

+ In a Fixed Mindset, people will

quit easily, will not struggle

or give extra effort. They will

not accept challenging tasks

so that they do not fail or

look less smart.

GROWTH MINDSET• THE ROLE OF FAILURE IN

• GROWTH MINDSETS In a Fixed Mindset, mistakes and failures are poisonous to

people because they ignore their presence rather than

do what it takes to remedy the situation.

In a Growth Mindset, mistakes and failures are a natural part

of the learning and growth processes and they are

opportunities to be embraced not avoided.

These mistakes and failures may be painful at first but the

opportunity for growth and learning benefit students in

the long run.

Famous failures article

GROWTH MINDSETSUPPORTIVE FEEDBACK VS. THE PERILS OF

PRAISE AND CRITICISM

Feedback- when a person (teacher) suggests what

another person (student) might do to improve. This is

called Process Praise

Praise – makes you feel good about your work but

research has shown that praising students for their

intelligence can hinder their motivation to learn.

See article in your folder

GROWTH MINDSET• Process Praise sounds like this:

• I like the way you tried all kinds of strategies on that

problem until you solved it.

• It was a hard assignment but you stuck with it until

you finished it. You concentrated on the task and

kept working.

• You took on a challenging task that took a lot of

work!

GROWTH MINDSETTHE NOT YET PERSPECTIVE

Instead of the adopting the attitude that one can

never learn something difficult, choose the

perspective that one has not yet learned it.

Through effort, continued practice and

perseverance one can learn something difficult.

YOUTUBE VIDEO – SESAME STREET: THE

POWER OF YET

GROWTH MINDSET• How to help students develop a Growth

Mindset• Hold a discussion in class about how students who struggled

in a subject area were able to improve and be successful with

persistence and effort

• Discuss that often “fast learning” or getting school work done

quickly does not always lead to “deep learning”. Students

who take longer to learn something, learn more deeply.

• Break down difficult or complex tasks into their component

parts so students can see their own skill building progress.• Heather Landers - teaching.colostate.edu/tip

GROWTH MINDSET• How to help (continued)

• Make your expectations for learning the content and skills in

your classroom clear and explicit. Small growth increments

repeated over time can lead to a Growth Mindset and

increase confidence,

+ As students make progress, praise their efforts and

strategies instead of their intelligence.

• Help students focus on and value the process of learning.

Students are focused on grades which encourages a Fixed

Mindset. (and so are parents)

GROWTH MINDSET• More Help

• Design some classroom activities and lessons

around cooperative rather than competitive or

individualistic work. Given research states that

students are more motivated and successful when

working in groups. Group work helps them develop

responsibility and with positive feedback can help

develop a Growth Mindset.

• What are the benefits and challenges of group work?

GROWTH MINDSET

SCENARIOS( In small groups using given examples)

Identify each example as a Growth Mindset

or a Fixed Mindset

GROWTH MINDSET• COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS

Carol Dweck says, “If parents want to give their children

a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to

love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and

keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be

slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and

repair their own confidence.”

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THIS STATEMENT? HOW

MIGHT YOU COMMUNICATE THAT TO PARENTS OF YOUR

STUDENTS?

WHAT DID YOU TRY HARD AT TODAY? Carol Dweck

GROWTH MINDSETRESOURCES AVAILABLE

- BOOKS

- ARTICLES

- LESSONS, ACTIVITIES, POWERPOINTS,

VIDEOS AND IDEAS ON

INTERNET FOR DIFFERENT

LEVELS OF STUDENTS

GROWTH MINDSET

TIPS FOR YOU

2 ARTICLES INCLUDED IN YOUR

FOLDER

GROWTH MINDSETQUESTIONS????

DOES THIS HAVE TO BE TAUGHT AS A

SEPARATE SUBJECT OR CURRICULUM

CONCEPT?

GROWTH MINDSETDISCUSSION:

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO USE THIS

INFORMATION IN YOUR SCHOOL?

EXIT SLIP

Answer the questions on the given paper at

back of folder. Sign it and turn in to presenter.