Growth Mindset

The focus of our Leadership learning this week was 'growth mindset'. As flipped preparation we were asked to look for a quote to possibly use in our Leadership #1 assessment. 

The quote that I have selected is from the guru of growth mindset herself, Carol Dewek. Derek researched the impact of growth/fixed mindset on the achievement of student across socio-economic levels. She found hat having a growth mindset has a positive impact on learning, that impact is a more important indicator of academic success for students from lower income families.  

Dewek (2015) writes, "Our research shows that, at every socioeconomic level, those who hold more of a growth mindset consistently outperform those who do not—even after holding constant a panoply of socioeconomic and attitudinal factors. The relationship between mindset and achievement holds true across all of Chile’s schools and across all levels of family income." 

Dewek (2015) goes on to write that, "The observation that mindset is a more important predictor of success for low-income students than for their high-income peers is novel, although it is consistent with prior research, which has found that a fixed mindset is more debilitating (and a growth mindset is more protective) when individuals must overcome significant barriers to succeed (13, 14)."

In class this week we watched the video, 'The Backwards Brain Bicycle' - it was amazes me how kids learn and make new connections in their brains so much faster than us adults...

The quote that stood out to me when watching this video was...

"Truth is truth, no matter how you look at it!"

Our Leadership #1 assessment is asking us to analyse the leadership of a change initiative we have lead or been a part of in the past.

Our mindset,  will have an impact on the change initiative we are leading or taking part in.
I don't think, anyone walks around with a 'growth mindset' 100% of the time. When seeing the world with the glasses of a growth mindset, it is so important that see still see that 'truth is truth, no matter how you look at it'. It is definitely a choice and a lifelong journey that we have to take to become our best selves. Interestingly, Carol Dewek has recently completed a piece of research based around the impact of teachers having a 'false growth mindset'.

Claro, S. , Dewek, C., & Panunesku, D. (2015). Growth mindset tempers the effects on poverty on academic achievement. Retrieved from: http://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/113/31/8664.full.pdf