Mindset Playground

Curiosity is one of the most important features of a growth mindset. Find out more about the importance of curiosity for a growth mindset, and learn more about what curiosity does to your brain.

QUOTE "There are good reasons why many people are not changing much. Here are four reasons that I've learned about. Later I will share what these look like and what can be done about it." They don't know they can. They don't know how. They don't want to. They don't know they are worth it.

Main points; read the article for lots of details: #1 Caring for others builds resiliency against stress #2 Purpose in life reduces stress #3 Focus on how stress can help students grow

This article works through the process both of deciding when to quit something and also the benefits of learning to say "no" ... and both of these are important skills to have as you continue to grow. The article is about work and the business world, but it can easily apply to school as well!

There is a lot of overlap between growth mindset and the recommendations you will find in this article, such as: No grades: "Commenting on a piece of work forces students to internalize changes rather than focusing on exclusively on the grade." Reconsider assessment: "If teachers remove the expectation that students turn in perfect work then students won't feel they have to either cheat or be cheated."

Johannes Haushofer bravely posts document listing degree programs he did not get in to and academic positions he did not get. Haushofer wrote that he created the document to "give some perspective". "Most of what I try fails, but these failures are often invisible, while the successes are visible," he wrote.

Read the article for details about these mental habits: 1. Making excuses. 2. Catastrophizing the future. 3. Seeking audience approval. 4. Believing self-doubt. 5. Putting yourself down. 6. Second-guessing yourself.

QUOTE "The key to instilling a growth mindset is teaching kids that their brains are like muscles that can be strengthened through hard work and persistence." Dweck explains: "I know how powerful it can be when implemented and understood correctly. Education can be very faddish but this is not a fad. It's a basic scientific finding, I want it to be part of what we know and what we use."

This article addresses three common MISCONCEPTIONS about growth mindset: 1 I already have it, and I always have. 2 A growth mindset is just about praising and rewarding effort. 3 Just espouse a growth mindset, and good things will happen. Dweck argues that we need to address those misconceptions and be aware of our own fixed mindset triggers: QUOTE "One reason why is we all have our own fixed-mindset triggers. When we face challenges, receive criticism, or fare poorly compared with others, we can easily fall into insecurity or defensiveness, a response that inhibits growth."

Read the article for more details about these growth-provoking questions: 1 What do you know? What don't you know? 2 How do you achieve goals to learn something new? 3 How do you show what you know and can do? How do you tell your story with narratives and numbers?

Read the article to find out more about each one: 1. If you find criticism hard, know you're not alone 2. Know that there is always help 3. Adjust to change 4. If you get something wrong, figure out how to fix it 5. Find a support network 6. Balance is key 7. Stay mindful 8. Proceed with kindness

This is an old NPR piece (2007) about Carol Dweck's research. QUOTE from Dweck: "If you think about a child who's coping with an especially challenging task, I don't think there's anything better in the world than that child hearing from a parent or from a teacher the words, 'You'll get there.' And that, I think, is the spirit of what this is about."

The article discusses people's reactions to failure ("we feel guilty; we try to knuckle down; or we diminish our goals") and proposes alternatives: QUOTE "We should seek adventures, and learn from our mistakes. Envision our future selves. And know when to quit."

Here are the subheadings in this very useful article which provides an overview of Dweck's growth mindset discoveries: The Opportunity of Defeat Confronting Deficiencies Proper Praise Making Up Your Mind-set A for Effort

1. start by defining what a complaint is 2. track how often you complain and what about 3. separate yourself from chronic complainers 4. turn complaints into solutions 5. use the "but-positive" technique 6. change "have to" to "get to"

In this piece +Pedro Noguera has identified what is, for me, a key difference between growth mindset and the grit narrative: the growth mindset is all about agency, while the grit narrative does not emphasize agency at all... in some ways, just the opposite (suck it up!).

Read the article for details about each piece of advice: 1. Don't Compare Yourself to Others 2. Abandon Perfectionism 3. Be Vulnerable to a Trusted Community 4. Embrace a Growth Mindset 5. Set Goals that are Within Your Control 6. Treat Your Work Like an Experiment. 7. Trust Yourself

QUOTE "Watch for a fixed-mindset reaction when you face challenges," [Dweck] urged teachers. "Watch for it when you face a setback in your teaching, or when students aren't listening or learning. Do you feel incompetent or defeated? Do you look for an excuse? "Watch what happens when you see an educator who's better than you at something you value. Do you feel envious and threatened, or do you feel eager to learn?" When criticised, teachers should "learn from the feedback" rather than feeling "defensive, angry or crushed," she said.

These two detailed posters present the notion of growth in Yoda's teaching, while Darth Vader opposes growth.

This article by Eduardo Briceño categorizes mistakes this way: STRETCH: positive mistakes that happen when we're trying to expand our abilities (high intentionality, high learning opportunity) AHA: also a positive mistake, but one that results when the mistake comes as a surprise (low intentionality, high learning opportunity) SLOPPY: there are not good mistakes; they happen when we lose focus, don't pay attention (low intentionality, low learning opportunity) HIGH-STAKES: these are negative, potentially catastrophic mistakes, without a chance to learn and redo (high intentionality, low learning opportunity)