Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

I found the video podcast about having a growth versus a fixed mindset to be very interesting. It was an interview given by a professor of psychology, Carol Dweck, about some research they conducted at Stanford University. They found that individuals have two ways of looking at learning: fixed of growth. With a fixed mindset, individuals generally only want to participate in things they are already familiar with in an effort to look intelligent and avoid looking 'stupid'. With a growth mindset, individuals look at new experiences as a way to exercise their mind, make it stronger, and continue to advance their intelligence beyond its current state.

Dweck and researcher conducted a two different workshops with a class. One half of the class just took a workshop that taught study skills while the other took a workshop that focused on study skills as well as learning about the growth mindset. The researchers found that the students taking the study skills workshop really got no benefits because they had to motivation. However, the other workshop which also discussed the growth mindset really influenced the kids performance. Their classroom teacher were able to tell who was taking which workshop just based on changes in the classroom.

This research study is very important because, as a classroom teacher, it is vital we focus on helping students achieve a growth mindset. Students are not always going to know how to do everything (if they did they would have no need for us). However, we must encourage them to go outside of their comfort zone and not be afraid of realizing they don't know how to do something. This is the way we learn and improve the way we think and how we react to different problems. Making mistakes is not a bad thing as long as we learn from those mistakes and keep testing until we get it right. We must help our students understand this concept. It can be difficult, especially in a school setting, to find you don't understand something, especially if others around you do. This could cause students to avoid these particular areas in an effort to not feel inferior. As teachers, we must combat the idea that lack of knowledge does not mean stupidity. We must make them understand that finding out what you don't know and making an effort to learn is what education is all about.