Mrs.Devi Venugopal

Educational Psychologist
Indonesia -22

Nice to greet you all again; we will be continuing the discussion of the mindset topic. Many people believe that being open and flexible is a growth mindset, but many traps of false mindsets exist. We will dig into the common misunderstandings of the mindset this week. In the first step, we need to distinguish clearly what is a growth mindset and what is not?

Second Step, how to achieve it?

Third Step, how to pass it on to others?

Misunderstanding #1

  • Many people take what they like about themselves and call it a “growth mindset.”
  • They can bask in their beautiful qualities, but they may never do the hard work of cultivating their abilities or the abilities of their children or students.

Misunderstanding #2

  • Many people believe that a growth mindset is only about effort, especially praising effort.
  • It is better to praise the process children engage in, their hard work, strategies, focus, and perseverance to foster a growth mindset.
  • The children learn that their process brings about progress and learning and that their knowledge does not just magically flow from some innate ability.
  • Process includes just more than effort.
  • We want children to understand the importance of trying new strategies when the one they’re using isn’t working.
  • We don’t want them to try harder with the same ineffective strategies.
  • We want them to ask for help or input from others when it’s needed.
  • Effort praise should not be used as a consolation prize when kids are not learning.
  • If the student has tried hard and made little or no progress, we can appreciate their effort, but we should never be content with action that is not yielding further benefits.
  • We need to figure out why that effort is not effective and guide kids toward other strategies and resources that can help them resume learning
  • We indeed praise the process but tie it to the outcome, that is, to children’s learning, progress, or achievements.
  • Inquire about the child’s process, and just showing interest in it goes a long way

Misunderstanding #3

  • A growth mindset equals telling kids that they can do anything.
  • The children’s full potential is not manifested by just telling “You can do anything!”
  • It happens by helping them gain the skills and find the resources to progress toward their goals.
  • Otherwise, it’s an empty reassurance.
  • We cannot blame the students that they have a fixed mindset.
  • As educators, we must take seriously the responsibility to create growth mindset friendly environments – where kids feel safe from judgement and know that we are dedicated to collaborating with them on their learning.
  • We are in the business of helping kids thrive, not finding reasons why they can’t.

How to get the growth mindset?

  • You move toward the growth mindset by taking a journey.
  • In truth, we’re all a mixture of the two mindsets.
  • There’s no point denying it.
  • Our task then becomes to understand what triggers our fixed mindset.
  • What are the events or situations that take us to a place where we feel our

(or other people’s ) are abilities fixed?

  • What are the events or situations that take us to a place of judgment rather than to a place of development?
  • What happens when our fixed mindset persona shows up – the character who warns us to avoid challenges and beats us up when we fail at something?
  • How do you feel when that persona takes over and how it affects us and others around us?
  • How to persuade the fixed mindset persona to get on board with the goals that spring from our growth mindset?
  • Step 1 – Embrace the mixed mindset
  • Step 2 – Identify the triggers which manifest the fixed mindset
  • Step 3 – Name the Fixed Mindset Persona
  • Step 4 – Educate the fixed mindset persona and take it on the journey towards true growth mindset. When you step out of your comfort zone, be ready to meet and greet it when it comes to stop.
  • Thank it for the input but tell it why you want to take this Step and ask it to come along with you: “Look, I know this may not work out, but I’d like to take a stab at it. Can I count on you to bear with me?”
  • When you hit a setback, the chances are excellent; it’s going to show up again. Don’t suppress it or ban it.
  • Just let it do its thing. Let it do the song and the dance; when it settles down a bit, talk to it about how you plan to learn from the setback and go forward: “Yes, yes, it’s possible that I’m not so good at this(yet), but I think I have an idea of what to do next. Let’s try it.”
  • Remember, your fixed mindset persona was born to protect you and keep you safe. But it has developed some limited ways of doing it.

In the following article, we will learn how to educate our fixed mindset and take it along in the growth path.