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Assignment #4 Grow Your Mindset (Chapter 7)

Melody Cáceres de Matos

Brigham Young University - Idaho

Parenting FAM 220

Instructor Lori McAnelly

May 22, 2021

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Assignment #4 Grow Your Mindset (Chapter 7)

Introduction

A growth mindset seeks to learn during challenges, where effort and hard work are more

important than innate talent. This type of mindset is related to reaching our eternal

potential, hence the need to develop it in us, because by doing so we can help our

children to do the same. For this paper, I selected the two sections in which I need to

improve in my process of achieving a growth mindset.

Praising Style

How do you praise others? Usually, when a child does something nice at home or

school, I verbally reinforcement it. As for adults, I also praise them verbally, although not

as often as children.

My typical style of praise, as previously explained, they are verbal praise rather

than physical rewards. In my compliments I use phrases such as “I congratulate you on

that A, you are very intelligent”, “congratulations, you are behaving very well at school”,

“how special you are, thank you for helping me”. "Very Good, I congratulate you for

your effort". With adults, I use phrases like "don't worry, you're doing very well."

I realized that although the effort is a quality that I have learned to praise in the

children, I have been overlooking the strategies and choices that they used. In the order of

doing things with a growth mindset, Dweck (2012) points out “to teach their children to

love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning” (p.271).

For it, the strategy that I plan to use is to show my interest in learning during challenges.

Be an example in terms of enjoying the effort, and not being afraid of mistakes. At the

same time invite the children and my family to do the same,

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Responding to Mistakes

When a child messed up, I think my immediate tendency is to teach him to do the

right thing, show him, or give him examples, but certainly, my focus is on correcting the

mistake. For example, if the boy or girl fights at school, I ask him "Why did you do it?" I

explain that it is wrong and I give him ideas about what to do so as not to fight.

If it is a skill that the child is trying to develop, I have sometimes told him that it

is a skill that he will be able to do when he is a little older. Now I think this is more like

the style of a fixed mindset.

About different thoughts and responses to future "mess-ups" and taking the same

example of the child who fights at school, I would think more about how to help him by

remembering the different temperaments and the parenting styles, and I would focus

more on listening to him, getting to know him, and helping him to face challenges with a

growth mindset. One of the reasons this is more effective is because this process will help

change your mindset and thus change your behavior.

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References

Dr. Carol Dweck (2012). Mindset : How you can fulfil your potential. ProQuest Ebook

Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com