One three-letter word holds so much power for all types of learners in every field, the word YET.
According to Stanford University psychologist, Carol Dweck, there are two types of mindsets people can have, a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. A “growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies, and help from others.” On the other hand, a fixed mindset is “believing that your qualities are carved in stone.” People who have a fixed mindset believe that you are either smart or not (Dweck, 2006).
Having a growth mindset is essential and vital for success, especially in a school setting. Students that have a growth mindset believe that they can develop their abilities through hard work and dedication. Having this type of mindset creates a desire to learn while embracing challenges and persevering when setbacks arise (Jeffrey, 2020). It is important that we as educators also believe and develop a growth mindset in order to teach and model to students that failures can be a gift. If we could apply a growth mindset in young children in elementary, students may become resilient when they fail or challenge themselves when a different situation is presented to them. Students need their role models to lead by examples of how they handle setbacks and conquer challenges. Students must also be taught real-world connections to growth mindset.
Dweck's video reminds me, I must sustain a growth mindset even in the most difficult times. I attended a virtual training a couple of days ago and when asked to participate in an activity all of a sudden I reverted back to a fixed mindset. I was fearful of making mistakes. Why? If I had internalized a growth mindset earlier on in life, I might have seen that activity as a challenge as a learning opportunity. I must embrace challenges and step outside of my fixed mindset to untap my potential.
Dweck (2014) mentions The Tyranny of Now and how we must shift away from the emphasis on grades and more on progress. "But if you give the grade NOT YET, you understand you're on a learning curve. It gives you a path into the future" (Dweck, 2014). As my group and I move towards piloting blended learning, this is what we want students to know, they might not be there YET, but they are on a path to progress and success at their level and at their pace.
Brienco (2012) speaks about beliefs, success, and adversity. A fixed mindset does not teach students how to cope. A growth mindset is critical if we are going to change our abilities and those of others. We can all learn the key to success if we build each other up with the Power of Yet.
According to Brienco (2012), says our brain is malleable, it reminded me of a Class Dojo video I used in the past with Growth Mindset lessons. The message is, the brain is a mu
scle and we have to learn to grow it. Students who view this video suddenly feel it is possible to learn something that has been challenging, it just takes time.
Our students need to learn to fail forward and to reflect to make modifications in their learning. The word “yet” is not only powerful for our students, but also for our staff. As adults we must also make sure we walk the walk by saying this to ourselves when feeling discouraged or incapable.
References:
Alumni, S. (2014). Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ
TEDx Talks. (2012). The Power of belief -- mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc
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