There are many examples in life as to why habits are hard to break. Your mind is a powerful structure that allows things to be prevented or accepted. Beliefs and behaviors come into action when it comes to the difference between a fixed mindset compared to a growth mindset. A fixed mindset has the power to praise the outcome, whether it be negative or positive result. A growth mindset is the “praise of the process.” I believe in the benefit of having a growth mindset. If you believe you have one mindset over the other, keep reading, because I may be able to convince you otherwise.
Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford University, backs up my beliefs with the research behind it to show how a growth mindset can really change one’s thinking and be beneficial for us all. “When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world (the world of fixed traits) success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other (the world of changing qualities) it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.” In her article, ‘Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’, she makes a point that I have been debating myself about the schooling system most of all, and what type of mindset I have in an educational way. “In order to make them feel good in the moment: “Great effort! You tried your best!” It’s good that the students tried, but it’s not good that they’re not learning. The growth-mindset approach helps children feel good in the short and long terms, by helping them thrive on challenges and setbacks on their way to learning. When they’re stuck, teachers can appreciate their work so far, but add: “Let’s talk about what you’ve tried, and what you can try next.” What she means, is to try and motivate students to learn, instead of caring about grades. To have a grade say, “not yet” instead of “you failed.” It gives students the opportunity to succeed and to see the future of a passing and successful outcome of what they were trying to achieve, rather than having the same outcome if that student passed or failed, and not do anything about it. It is what it is, is what a fixed mindset would possibly say. “The education system is flawed!” says, Alfie Kohn. An American author and lecturer in the areas of education, parenting, and human behavior. Carol Dweck also goes on to say, the quote that I most agree with in her studies, “Cheat vs Study” So many times in my high school years, would most of my teachers, just give us credit for doing the work. Not looking over it, going over it, just having an assignment due. Of course to save ourselves from the work because we knew the teacher wasn’t going to check it anyway, we would copy all of our work off each other. Our test scores would be bad, but that only made the teacher want to put a curve on the test so we all would pass. However, that only lead us to cheating more. I can’t remember a damn thing I learned in that class, and I’m very regretful that I didn’t take the time to learn the subject instead of cheating my way through. I did that for most of my classes throughout high school. Why put out the work when you can get the same, or even better grade, getting to the same goal as you would studying? I had struggles learning with my I.E.P. involved, so why make my life more difficult? Was it my interest level? My drive for school? I just figured my mentality was a fixed mindset student. That's how the system is flawed. You can’t judge someone’s intelligence by the grades that they get. They could be earned by cheating or studying (the Cheat vs. Study method.) The process of a growth should be the key goal for every teacher to make with a student. Finding a way to encourage students to do it themselves, the drive to achieve greatness by themselves and for themselves. I’m gonna ask you a series of 7 questions. If you say yes to any one of these questions, you are more than likely, have a growth mindset: Are you accepting and embracing challenges? Are you seeing mistakes as learning opportunities? Are you seeking and listening to feedback? Are you persevering with difficult tasks? Are you practicing and using strategies to improve? Are you asking questions to drive learning forward? Are you taking risks and trying new things? If you say yes to all or most of those questions, you have a growth mindset mentality. Most fixed mindset people believe in Individuals who adopt a fixed mindset rarely excel at anything. Because they believe their intelligence and abilities are what they are, they invest their energy in looking smart instead of learning and developing. In a fixed mindset, if you try something you’ve never done before, say ice skating, you’ll likely give up after falling a few times. This “failure” will feel humiliating and you’ll probably avoid ice skating for the rest of your life. You’ll make an excuse like, “Ice skating just isn’t my thing.” If you believe someone is just a “natural born dancer” or that you “just can’t dance,” you’re holding a fixed mindset. With a fixed mindset, you avoid new challenges like the plague because you’re afraid of being judged. As such, when obstacles arise, you tend to give up quickly. (Scott Jeffery) If you don’t have a growth mindset, I hope this has opened your eyes as to how much improvement is being made in everyday life, and hopefully, has made you, the reader, see the difference your life view changes as a growth mindset, living in this world and the impact it really has.
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Melanie
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