Growth Mindset

Many educators are familiar with Carol Dweck's work with the Growth Mindset. According to Dweck's research, people tend to perceive learning and academic work from the fixed mindset or the growth mindset.

• Those with the fixed mindset perceive intelligence as a "natural" part of one's personality, and either one has it or they don't. Individuals with this mindset see tests as a measure of intelligence and are likely to be disappointed with poor performance. These individuals will not perceive work or study as something that will affect their performance.
• Those with the growth mindset tend to perceive learning as something that results from work and effort. An individual with the growth mindset will react to poor performance as motivation for learning.

In a recent NPR story, the reporters described how the growth mindset is used as a model for teaching and learning at a middle school for gifted students in New York city. The story is worth a listen as a reminder of what the Growth Mindest is and how it can change how we interact with students (and ourselves) and help them develop a skill that will last them a lifetime.