Chapter 8: Changing Mindsets
Watch the following clip on the power of belief that helps to summarize all that we have read: Click Here.
After you have finished the book, for your last post, please share why you think Mindsets are so important for educators and share one final reflection about what you have read in this chapter that is worth noting.
After you have finished the book, for your last post, please share why you think Mindsets are so important for educators and share one final reflection about what you have read in this chapter that is worth noting.
I believe mind sets are important to educators for a variety of reasons. For one, being open minded to change and being in tune with what you are feeling can set the tone of your day as well as the tone of your class. Praising students for effort is beneficial and can build a great teacher-student relationship. By being aware of both mindsets you can catch a glimpse into your students and their beliefs about themselves. You have now learned ideas on how to bring about change in those students with a fixed mindset. What I found interesting and key to point out in this chapter is that those with a fixed mindset found refuge and contentment in their way of thinking. It isn't easy for them to conform. They may feel like they are losing their individuality or edge over others. But encouraging the growth mindset is not going to make them lose themselves but gain more insight into who you are as a person. What changes you can make, what you could do to get s different outcome that you would be happy with. The opportunities are endless when you have s growth mindset!
ReplyDeleteMindsets are of extreme importance to educators since it is our job to get kids to believe in themselves. If kids don't think they can learn or are smart, they will shut down and our effectiveness as educators is minimal. If we can stress a growth mindset to students, they will have a better chance of flourishing.
ReplyDeleteOne idea I found important in chapter 8 was how adolescence is a time when kids are turned off from school and are facing the biggest challenges in their young lives. This is a strong reminder that it's more imperative than ever to stress and teach a growth mindset so these kids don't shut down at an impressionable time in their lives. If we as educators model and preach the growth mindset, there is a better chance these adolescent student can ride out the tough days of growing up and can stay on track in school. If they believe they can learn and expand their mind, that tough math or chemistry class won't get the best of them.
I agree Kim, especially in Middle School!!!
DeleteAs long as I’ve been an educator I’ve always gotten the question “so what do you teach?” The correct answer to that question for all of us is that we teach kids. A large number of our students spend more time with us than they do with their own parents. Because of that teaching and modeling life skills often has a more lasting impact than any of our subject matter does. Mindsets are not just important for learning in school. They can affect the way that we think about everything. A growth mindset can help a person face an illness, deal with loss, overcome disappointment, and improve relationships. It instills the belief that growth can follow anything. Very Zen. Cultivating a growth mindset could be the single most important thing we ever do to help students achieve success. In Dweck’s own words, “Mindset change is not about picking up a few pointers here and there. It’s about seeing things in a new way. When people – couples, coaches and athletes, managers and workers, parents and children, teachers and students – change to a growth mindset, they change from a judge-and-be-judged framework to a learn-and-help-learn framework. Their commitment is to growth, and growth takes plenty of time, effort and mutual support.”
ReplyDeleteWow Mike! Thank you so very much for your powerful comments and what a perfect way to sum it up!!!
DeleteAfter teachers read this book i think it would be just as important for students to be able to do the same in the upper grade levels!
Wow Mike! Thank you so very much for your powerful comments and what a perfect way to sum it up!!!
DeleteAfter teachers read this book i think it would be just as important for students to be able to do the same in the upper grade levels!
A growth mindset is so important because it is very hard to educate a room full or even just a few students with fixed mindsets. If you have someone that avoids challenges, gives up easy, runs from criticism and feels threatened by success then you will not see progress, you will not see positive results and a fixed mindset becomes even more embedded the further a person digs in to failure.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't impossible to help someone find that growth mindset but it isn't usually easy because people become comfortable with their fixed outlook. They almost rely on it to escape failure, they use it as a blame tool if they tell you right off the bat "I am not good at math," or "I do not work well in groups." This is just their way of saying if I fail now you know why... Not if I do not succeed the first time I will figure out a way to get there... Which is the mindset that needs to be for a student AND an educator to be successful.
Mindsets are very important to everyone involved in the educational process. As teachers we are the front line because of the amount of time we spend with our students on a daily basis. The thought that we have the ability, directly or indirectly, to possibly change a student's mindset is both challenging and scary at the same time. How often have I said the wrong thing or used the wrong words that have helped a student stay in a fixed mindset or foster the mindset??? This book has made me very aware of word choice. I'm always careful in my word choice and using positive reinforcement but now I will add growth mindset vocabulary in my classroom. Also it is a huge challenge to have students develop a growth mindset as seniors in high school. If kids have been turned off from school for awhile you have to help them find the "value" in learning and help them foster the thinking that they have the power and ability to make changes if their lives.
ReplyDeleteThere are several things in this chapter that are worth noting but the one I found the most interesting is the mindset and willpower. The whole Nathan passage made me laugh. I definitely think you need a growth mindset to lose weight but it may not be that easy........
Mindset is so important for educators for a variety of reasons. Teachers set the tone for the student’s day, which ultimately leads to their response to learning. The students can see/feel the teacher “loving” their work by being excited, focusing on positive and constructive feedback, truly caring about them. Having a growth mindset encourages the students through their failures. They are honest and have a plan to help the students have success. When students feel like you are being “real” with them they trust you and that’s when the work can be done. It is our job to get students to love learning by using all of the tools in our “toolbox”. Having a growth mindset is another tool!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this book I realize I have a growth mindset as an educator. I wouldn’t have looked at that way but how I run my classroom and how I deal with my students is pretty growth mindset. What stood out to me most in this chapter was the part on changing your child’s mindset. The story of the family having a growth mindset type of conversation at the dinner table about their children’s day at school really hit home with me. I’ve already started asking similar questions with my three children. It definitely changes the tone of the conversation!
I believe mindsets are very important for educators not only because they teach kids, but because they influence kids in so many ways. I have heard countless times feedback from students and parents about teachers who have made a significant difference. In every circumstance the reason extended beyond the information learned in class. It was about the way the teacher treated the students and allowed them to develop an understanding about themselves and the world in which we live. They have turned kids who once thought they were “bad” at science into college science majors. This is because they had a teacher who allowed them to grow as an individual and helped them see the possibilities. It is not an easy task, but it happens and when it does it is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe point in the last chapter I felt made an impression was when Carol states “people with a growth mindset are constantly monitoring what’s going on” she also says “they’re sensitive to positive and negative information, but they’re in attuned to its implications for learning and constructive action”. That is what I want. I would love to be able to take information and situations and not look at them in a way that affects the way I feel but rather affect the way I think and do. To me this is the biggest obstacle to overcome when trying to become a more growth mindset person. Trina DiVincenzo
When teachers and students have a growth mindset, opposed to a fixed mindset, there is a belief and understanding that intelligence can be developed. When students focus on improvement instead of worrying about how smart they are, they will then work hard to learn more, therefore becoming smarter. Since the students’ focus is on doing and learning, they do not have to be very concerned about success or achievements. When both teachers have a growth mindset it is much easier to enjoy teaching and learning can come more natural.
ReplyDeleteMindsets are important for educators to understand, so they can help students to reach their fullest potential. Identifying a student's mindset can lead to better understanding of how to encourage them to grow. Fostering a flexible mindset in students gives them tools that go far beyond the subject that you teach. Understanding mindsets can also give us insight into working with parents, colleagues and administrators. Seeing the opportunities to learn and grow that are around us keeps us motivated in this ever changing field of education.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, I particularly liked the concept that growth mindset doesn't just mean thinking about opportunities but actually acting upon them. Creating a clear and specific plan of the when, where and how. Visualizing the specific steps to make it happen. I think this is something in particular that we can help our students to develop in order to foster a flexible mindset. Work through the problem solving process and the steps to setting a plan in motion.
I believe that we have become a little soft in how we regard the power of the brain. There are so many awe inspired stories, real world examples of how overcoming difficulties, pushing ourselves to lengths we've never been before, believing in success and always pressing forward can be directly connected to our ability and intelligence. This quote struck me, "When we directly try to build grit and persistence, it is not nearly as effective as addressing the mindset that underlies them". As educators, this is not a belief system that we can "fake" or "pretend to agree with". It has to be a true part of who we are. It is not enough to simply say "I believe in the growth mindset" as educators. We can't just give lip service if we intend to be effective teachers. We have to live it, demonstrate it, speak it, act it, say it, show it, want it... just as much for ourselves as we want it for our students. Wouldn't we be frauds if we tried to pass off believing in the growth mindset without the substance to back it up. Our students watch us like hawks. They learn from us at every moment that we have with them: our interactions with our co-workers, the way we handle frustration, the way we respond to failure within our own circumstances... the list goes on. It is a great responsibility- and with a real, true, passion to develop and enhance the growth mindset- it is one of the greatest responsibilities we can hold.
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