Chapter 1: The Mindsets
Take the short questionnaire at the end of this chapter or visit here: Test Your Mindset to take the short quiz.
Comment below on the following things:
- What mindset are you?
- Why do you think you have the mindset that you do?
- Can you think of a time when you faced an important opportunity or challenge and had a fixed mindset? Describe your thoughts and the challenge. How can you take that same opportunity or challenge and switch into a growth mindset?
Also, make at least one comment to a colleague on how they could switch to a growth mindset in regards to the challenge or opportunity they described.
Prior to reading the first chapter I would have to say I truly believed I was a mix of both fixed mindset and growth mindset depending on the situation/topic. After reading the chapter and taking the quiz I fall into the growth mindset. I believe my mindset was created through my interactions from birth. My relatives and parents always encouraged me to do my best and when I have had setbacks I have always been hard on myself. They would say " you will get them next time kiddo" and to this day I still remember my grandpa they're telling me that when I had tried out for a dance team in early adolescence. I do recall however my first student teaching experience I felt overwhelmed and unprepared for what I was walking into. I was much older than most of my classmates (took a few years off to have a child) and at the end of the day I hadn't scored as high as I had wanted or expected to on lesson planning development. I found myself placing blame on the professor for not making the guidelines/expectations clearer, and for not properly preparing me for all the new technology gadgets that were now in classrooms (i.e. A smart board what was that??) I put blame on classmates for not showing me the ropes. After all, they were younger and they knew these devices were in classrooms and had experience working with them in classes prior to starting their student teaching. It was very challenging for me to adjust. Looking back now if I were to take that same opportunity and switch it into a growth mindset I would tell myself that although technology in the classroom was a challenge for me I had control over learning how to operate the SmartBoard for example. I could be open to my professors suggestions at that time instead of shutting her as well as other potential colleagues out and placing blame where there was no need.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your own suggestions for changing to a growth mindset. If you put more time into learning the technology in your classroom and took control, you would be better off for maintaining a positive attitude. :-)
DeleteI agree. I think that on the surface a fixed mind set seems like the easy way out. After all, what's easier than giving up? Persistence can be difficult, but nothing worth having comes easy.
DeleteThanks for sharing Shannon, I can definitely relate! I think we are always hardest on ourselves!! If we could all have an open mind all the time imagine what the world would be like :)
DeleteI find it funny that the way that the book is written, it makes it hard to admit that we may have fixed mindset thinking. The book speaks so negatively about fixed mindset so maybe its my fixed mindset causing me to want to proclaim I'm growth mindset. :)
DeleteAfter taking the quiz, I fell into the Growth Mindset. I think I fell into this since I am an educator and a huge part of this job is seeing potential in our students and encouraging them to grow and learn. An educator with a fixed mindset sounds like an oxymoron! I think I also fall into this mindset due to my experiences growing up as a competitive figure skater. Often, I was the last one to get off the ice as the zamboni was ready to enter the rink. I was a hard worker and I wanted to land my double axel more than anything! My persistence paid off and eventually I mastered the challenging jump because I believed that I could do it. I don't think that I have always had a Growth Mindset, but I believe that my experiences have shaped me to have one today. A time when I had a fixed mindset was a challenging time a few years ago when I lost my job. I was angry about losing something that I had worked so hard to attain, and I swore that I was leaving teaching. I knew I wasn't supposed to take it personally, but I had a hard time not internalizing the layoff. I was fixed in my mindset that I was leaving the profession and I'd find a different career. After browsing the papers and applying for many different jobs, I only was called for teaching interviews and I accepted the fact that I should be in the classroom and eventually things will work themselves out. They did. :-)
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that being an educator puts us into the growth mindset. The thought that everything will work out is sometimes hard to see at the time, I like that things worked out for you.
DeleteI'm glad it worked out for you too Kim. Hopefully you never have to go through that again.
DeleteI'm also glad to hear that you didn't give up On teaching. It is so easy to question things when they don't go as planned. It's also very easy to overlook opportunities that are presented to you (job postings, call backs,etc) to validate that you had chosen the right profession and you were given a challenge that you overcame and you were presented a better opportunity to further your growth as an individual
DeleteThanks guys! It feels great to be back! :-)
DeleteWell, as im sure you know i can DEFINITELY relate to this Kim! I would have to pick the same situation and thinking with a growth mindset was near impossible. But boy was it a GREAT learning experience and now when i look back at it all if i would have kept an open mind i think i could have caused myself a lot less stress! This all made you much stronger!! Congrats on being back!!
DeleteI took the quiz and was actually surprised by the results, stating I have a growth mindset. I feel like I mostly have a growth mindset, but I know I exhibit the fixed mindset as well. As a special education teacher I feel I need the growth mindset to truly help my students achieve success. In my personal life I tend to fall in the fixed mindset (for myself). However, for my children I am definitely trying to nurture the growth mindset (some days better than others). I tend to be positive and optimistic, but if I am overwhelmed with stress from work and family I can become very pessimistic and follow the fixed mindset. I was recently asked to be on the board for my daughter’s competition dance team. I told those who “voted” me in that there was no way I could do that. In the fixed mindset my thought was I didn’t have the ability to “run” things or “lead” people. It made me nervous and I didn’t want to let people down. However, with reservations I agreed to do it. I had to almost switch to the growth mindset and try to get past my reservations and do the best I could. I continue to hold this position and have accepted that through trial and error and a lot of understanding and support of others, this is a job I am actually pretty good at and am glad that I took on the challenge.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post I can relate on having a fixed mindsets when it comes to yourself. I tend to fall in a "comfortable state" of mind and I worry more about letting others down then myself. I try to avoid situations that can challenge me at times. I can only imagine the tug of war you had within yourself for taking on a role that was outside your comfort zone!! But you
DeleteDid it and perhaps when other opportunities present themselves you can reflect on this moment and it will ease your hesitations.
Yay! Great for you Tracy! So glad you stepped out of your comfort zone and it turned out to be a great experience. I think we all have moments where we think we cant take on another thing but when we do, we always make it work!!
DeleteI relate to your comment that it comes more naturally to foster a growth mindset in others, weather as an educator or a parent, than to maintain that mindset for myself. Sometimes we are hardest on ourselves and it takes encouragement from others to step out of our comfort zone.
DeleteI agreed with 0 of the Fixed Mindset statements and 7 of Growth Mindset Statements, so the quiz results indicate that i mostly possess a growth mindset. I think that in my case my mindset has been influenced by my background and experiences growing up. Looking back at my childhood now, I realize that there were many obstacles that i faced that my own children do not. As a kid, not knowing any better, I just kind of found ways to get past them. My parents couldn’t afford to help me very much, so if I wanted something I had to set a goal, and find a means to that end. I think that that helped me to to develop a mindset whereby I look for ways to overcome obstacles.
ReplyDeleteOne of my greatest challenges in recent memory came this past spring when I was confronted with the prospect of being a pseudo-single dad to my 3 daughters. My wife has been battling an illness, and that basically left the parenting role exclusively to me this past summer. Originally I was paralyzed with a fixed mindset. It kept telling me what I couldn’t do for my girls (i.e. do their hair, shop for their back to school clothes, shuffle them back and forth to camps, take them on our family vacations alone, etc.; while at the same time caring for the house). Switching to a growth mindset, I was able to learn how to do some things, accept help for others, and prioritize and eliminate what was less important. In the end I think my daughters and I have become closer for it.
Having two parents with three children is hard enough, but doing so many things on your own is difficult. I'm glad it brought you closer to your daughters.
DeleteI can't image having to deal with so much. Often when we have such challenges in life it can really effect the way we think. Bravo to you for rising above and allowing yourself to grow. Trina DiVincenzo
DeleteMike: thanks for sharing!! I give you so much credit and so glad the rewards you experienced through this. You never know how strong you can be until you have to do it!!! I do know from experience though, there is no better relationship that a Daddy and his daughters ;)
DeleteAfter taking the quiz I would say most of the time I have a growth mindset. As teachers we are taught to reflect on our teaching. After a lesson I think about what went well and how I can improve the lesson. Sometimes that thought process happens in minutes because the next class is coming in the door. Just a tweak can make a difference. It's also important to take personal responsibility and not blame others for things/situations that don't go our way. A challenge for me when I had a fixed mindset was last spring with using Google classroom. I just didn't want to try it because I was comfortable with what I've been doing. This year I have already used it and posted a homework assignment tonight. As with anything, the more you use it the better you get!
ReplyDeleteGreat Maureen!! Glad its gotten better. I have found many people have this mindset when it comes to technology and/or change and over time it always gets better! Practice makes perfect!!
DeleteI agreed with 8 of the growth mindset questions and 0 fixed. I have a growth mindset even though I do believe at times I can be fixed. I think I am this way because nothing has ever come easy to me. The growth mindset has allowed me the opportunity to look at things in a different way. Anytime a fixed mindset has been an obstacle is typically when I am faced with a situation in which I have to take a risk. Many times I will talk myself out of it by thinking I won't succeed or it will be too hard or that I just can't do it. I would like very much to work on that. I do always tell my students to take risks in life because as you get older it definitely becomes harder. Trina DiVincenzo
ReplyDeleteIts always much easier said then done!! I find myself giving advice that i dont even take myself sometimes and its usually because i dont think im strong enough and can do it. That is a fixed mindset and i am working on it too!
DeleteI fell into the growth mindset category. It is pretty cool to me how allowing your mind to open up to possibilities and positive thinking can open up the world. Every single thing we do is directly connected to perspective. Why limit ourselves? Go big or go home. Pull up your bootstraps and keep on climbing... never, never, never give up. As teachers, growth in our students, on any level is a reward. For me, teaching kids to open up their minds to possibilities and to turn away from excuses and go for it... that is more important to me than straight A's, or even straight B's. :)
ReplyDeleteI fell in the mostly growth mindset category- agreeing with 6 growth mindset questions and 2 fixed mindset questions. As many have already said, I think working as an educator lends itself to the growth mindset. Although I do spend some of my time as a speech-language pathologist assessing children using standardized tests (in order to assign a fixed score to their memory, processing, comprehension skills), the majority of my time though is spent providing therapy which is designed to strength neural pathways or create new pathways in order for the brian to process/retain/produce verbal information more efficiently. We can literally change the way our brains (or our students' brains) work. IQ scores can fluctuate somewhat based on interventions given to students early on in their development. I've seen it happen.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal life, an example of a fixed mindset that comes to my mind is past relationships. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache if I had been able to apply a growth mindset and understood that they weren't "failed" relationships but learning experiences that prepared me for my relationship with my now husband. It's much easier to see that now looking back!
According to the quiz I almost a 50/50 split between fixed and growth mindset... I have always felt that people can practice so much but there is a ceiling to hit or a very minor growth after that not significant enough to become a superstar. Unless you have a natural talent or a natural intelligence you cannot become significantly "great" at something.
ReplyDeleteI was a swimmer all my life, I practiced hard and long throughout most of my career as a swimmer. I felt I practiced the same and even harder than my other teammates. I got better and better and better until I was about 13 years of age and that was my ceiling. I lifted weights, practiced more, lost weight (I probably could have lost more ha ha) but I only got just a little better if not at all until my career as a swimmer ended my 2nd year or college.
I have been faced with many situations in life where my fixed mind set has shown and others where my growth was there but it always depended on my attitude towards that situation. I later knew I could have thought with my growth mindset once I gave myself time to think about it a bit more.
After taking the quiz I agreed with 1 of the Fixed Mindset statements and of 7 of the Growth Mindset statements. I found myself to be mostly of the Growth mindset because of all the influences and experiences I had growing up. My family was always encouraging my siblings and I to do our best, and to continue to try even though we may have failed. My greatest challenges when facing a situation (fixed mindset) has been when I have been in a risk mode. As much as I enjoy the challenge at times, I have to be real, even talking myself out of it. But, I usually come around and realize that I can do this, and I just have to continue pushing through. I need to do it regardless… just do it scared! Or just do it hurt!! Or just do it…just don’t give up!
ReplyDelete