Growth

Mindset
Updates
"Failure is not a permanent condition."
- Angela Lee Duckworth -
How can I help my learners develop a growth mindset?
By consistently modeling a growth mindset as much
as possible
By providing relevant examples and daily practices
By incorporating growth mindset ideas and strategies
into the fabric of routine work
By building capacity with influencers who are eager to
adopt a growth mindset
By increasing visual cues which will serve as reminders
to practice a growth mindset
What other factors need to be considered if I hope the
growth mindset has an impact?
I expect there to be substantial resistance to this concept because:
it will seem irrelevant to our current work
it will require consistent effort from all stakeholders
it require the implementation of an accountability system
it will seem like it does not address or support the primary
objective of improving student performance
For these reasons (and others) it is crucial that I myself practice a
growth mindset at every opportunity!
How will I model the growth mindset and the message of
"yet" to my learners?
By smiling at and greeting everyone with kindness
By building genuine relationships with as many stakeholders as
possible
By asking clarifying questions
By not taking negative comments and actions personally
By giving people the benefit of the doubt and by not making
assumptions
By being confident and by being myself
 Consider how the growth mindset can change
the acceptance of feedback and learner's
attitude toward cheating.
In the day-to-day busyness of administrative work, we often forget about our
primary objective. As deadlines approach, we may find that our checklist of
tasks is still incomplete and we begin to scramble for proof of our efforts. A
growth mindset can prevent this from happening because it:
Provides opportunities for communication and collaboration - give and
collect feedback, actively participate in meetings, increase positive
interactions with coworkers
Encourages us to create a plan of action to complete our responsibilities
Helps change how we think about things we are asked to do
Increases empathy and compassion towards others and ourselves
 What role does grit play?
Grit is getting started and never giving up. Grit reminds us that:
talent isn't everything
skills can always be developed
follow-through is crucial
learning is flexible
motivation is a driving force

"Grit is passion and perseverance for very

long term goals. Grit is having stamina."
- Angela Lee Duckworth -
 How can I prevent the growth mindset from
becoming a fad or being improperly implemented?

Every lesson and resource has been carefully selected to rebuild

the foundation of our present work. Growth mindset will not just
be an idea or an item on a checklist because with time and
consistency, it will transform and rejuvenate our daily practices.

Constant progress monitoring, reflection and appropriate

adjustments will further develop these primary ideas and efforts.
 The growth mindset is a good start but is it enough?
21st century technology has conditioned most of us to expect results and see the effects of
change immediately. Even though the idea of growth mindset is backed by scientific
evidence, the observable development of a growth mindset is much more subjective and
based on individual and personal effort. It will take several months to properly help learners
understand and accept the value of incorporating this practice into their daily lives. Then it
will take double that time (or more) to introduce and implement practical and tactile
strategies which reflect the growth mindset. We will need to monitor how these strategies
are influencing our work, make adjustments to our efforts and only at this point will we start
to see any change. Our primary objective is to create significant learning environments for
our K-12 students, but prior to addressing the challenges in the classroom, we need to
understand and implement a growth mindset with our adult learners without which the
latter will not truly change.
How can I move my learners toward reigniting
or adopting a learner's mindset?

By consistently modeling the tremendously positive effects of

adopting a growth mindset
By reminding learners that their focus should be on their
learning and not on someone else's
By creating a significant learning environment where lifelong
learning is practiced and celebrated regularly