Growth Mindset: Beyond School

Something that I think is so fascinating about the growth mindset to learning, and learning in general, is that it is so much deeper than what we face in the classroom and in our academic lives. The biggest place in my life that I can think of, other than school, where I have applied such a mindset is when I lead a 7th grade girls small group on Wednesday nights at my church. Obviously, 13 year old girls can be difficult and so can leading them. Because of that simple fact, they don't always understand what you are telling them the first time around, which can be incredibly frustrating. However, the growth mindset is something that has allowed me to consider other possibilities to reach the girls and has proved to be beneficial in the long run.

My own personal photo of my sweet small group

that I enjoy leading every Wednesday night 

here in Norman.

So you might be thinking, how can a church mindset apply in school? I think the answer is quite simple? Just like I had to think outside of the box and stretch my options in leading a small group, it is quite possible to do the same thing in a classroom setting. Instead of getting frustrated when I can't think of what to write for a paper or how to do an assignment for one of my education classes, I think a great mindset to have is that of "not yet" but that it will come. In other words, just because I don't understand it yet or I don't have any ideas yet, doesn't mean that I won't later. Using such a mindset in my school and academic life will also greatly limit the amount of unnecessary stress that I sometimes feel like I am under.

Growth Mindset Learning

Carol Dweck's concept of the growth mindset is something that I had heard of before in one of my courses required for a degree in education. Due to the nature of being a teacher and entering the classroom in this position, this is something that seems vital to me and my specific career path. In my own experiences, I see it implemented in several different ways. Growing up, I was always an A+ student, but even so, I absolutely hated being told that I had missed the mark on something and not being able to prove myself once more. To put it simply, I was a perfectionist. To me, this idea of a growth mindset would cross great lengths to resolve similar issues with other children from a teachers perspective.

A simple infographic addressing the ways in which 

a growth mindset might enhance learning. Source: Flikr

Another way that I have seen something like this emerge is in a class that I am currently enrolled in, even though I have only attended one session thus far. I am enrolled in a special education course that all majors have to take in my college and I think this approach would be specifically useful there. Due to the nature of diversity of students, especially those that study with exceptionalities, I think utilizing this growth mindset of "not yet" instead of a permanent "no" would provide a lot of room to work with these students, and many others for that fact, to enable them to reach their full potential.