Recently, I have been exploring the idea of a "growth mindset" versus a "fixed mindset." In case you haven't read Dr. Carol Dweck's research, here is my short version of the difference:
A person with a fixed mindset believes their abilities, intelligence, and talents are fixed. People with this mindset say, "I'm just not good at math; never have been, never will be." A fixed mindset will use challenges and obstacles as an excuse to quit trying because they are afraid of failure or being perceived as "dumb."
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe that abilities and talents can be developed through effort, hard work, and persistence. Rather than being fearful, people with a growth mindset, see failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. People who seek challenges and maneuver around obstacles are said to have a growth mindset.
As I studied these types of mindsets, I started hearing my students use fixed mindset phrases on a daily basis. I started seeing the correlation between their fixed mindset towards school (and specifically math) and their poor effort in the classroom. I heard my students say, "Mr. Coffey, I just don't get it. I give up. I'm just not good at math." Unfortunately, someone put these thoughts in my students' brains (either directly or indirectly). My students are picking up this fixed mindset from parents, friends, the media, and dare I say, teachers. I decided that I can no longer allow this fixed mindset in my classroom, and I am making a commitment to helping my students develop a growth mindset.
The task sounds daunting, maybe even impossible. That is because you are reading this with a fixed mindset. Stop it! Towards the end of this school year I helped my students rephrase their fixed mindset phrases. Instead of saying, "I don't get this," I stopped them and made them repeat, "I don't get this yet." Instead of saying, "I don't like math," I made them rephrase to "I haven't liked math yet." I would have thought that my students would brush off my little added word, but I could honestly see a difference in their attitude when I forced them to rephrase their fixed mindset phrases. It's like I magically tricked their brain with one little word. If you don't believe me, I challenge you to try it. Next time you hear a fixed mindset phrase, ask the person to repeat the phrase with the word "yet" added to the end. Watch the change in their facial expression when they allow themselves room for growth. You can literally see the change in their face.
I'm not saying I drastically changed the lives of all my students by adding three letters to their statements; some students are stuck deeper in the fixed mindset rut. They are going to need more discussion, more examples of successful people with growth mindsets, and proof that they can grow taller than the obstacles their minds have created. But, I did see a change, and that was with minimal effort.
The great thing about a growth mindset is it spills over the classroom walls. A growth mindset can change, "my mom and I don't get along," to "my mom and I aren't getting along right now." It can change, "we are poor," to "we don't have much money at the moment." And, those little changes can open a lot of doors while offering some much needed hope.
As I sit in my empty classroom, and contemplate the good and the bad of this past school year, I believe I can make next school year more successful by addressing mindset early and often. My students need to know that "Neither success nor failure is ever final." You can be on the highest high, but that doesn't mean you can stop growing because we've all witnessed top dogs fall to the bottom. You may be at the lowest low, but that doesn't mean you should stop growing because we've all seen the underdog end up on top! For me, it's about giving students permission to make mistakes. It's about giving students permission to fall down. But most importantly it's about giving my students permission to knock down walls and push themselves to grow.
