Growth Mindset: Learning from Other Students

Quote 1:

R.U.N.

I've always like the word run. When we get negative feedback, let's take it in stride. We accomplished something that received feedback. We have the potential to make it better, to do better.
R-Rejoice
U-Under
N-Negativity

I don't handle negative feedback well, so this will be one to keep in mind going forward,

Quote 2:

YOU WILL BE OKAY

My mantra is something my mom always tells me when I'm freaking out or stressed over schoolwork. When she says "You will be okay," there is a sense of "you will be okay because you better have put in the effort for this test/essay/whatever and so you will do okay because you put the work in, right?" It  emphasizes the process - the process of studying/writing a paper/listening and paying attention.

This is a big issue for me. When I put in so much effort, only to have a grade come back not as high as it needed to be.

via Flickr

Growth Mindset: Kitty Cats

Challenge: Explore the random Growth Mindset Cats

I'm actually VERY allergic to cats, so these kittens will have to do. Here are three of my favorites:

Look at this cute little bean :) (Source)

This cat has no shame at all (Source)

SO CUTE!!! AHHH!!! (Source)

These are in no particular order of preference. I just found two super cute kitties. For the second photo, I related to the "What Have I done..." look on the cats face a little too much.

Growth Mindset: Focusing on "Yet"

Challenge: Explore Growth Mindset Beyond School

This semester I have applied a Growth Mindset best to being on my sorority's social committee. There were a lot of events planned last minute and the only way to keep from going crazy was to stay hopeful and take things one step at a time. With finals week approaching, and my list of homework growing, the "I haven't done it YET" mindset will hopefully help to keep me somewhat sane.

Source: Growth Mindset and Feedback Cats

Growth Mindset

Like with my freshman year Intro to Psychology class, watching the videos on Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset was very much a string of 'ah-ha' moments that made me think "oh, so that's what's wrong with me". Growth mindset is a view on teaching, and really life in general, that tells kids to focus on the word 'yet'. Rather than telling kids they failed a class, one Chicago high school would award the grade of 'Not Yet'. As someone who went through the entirety of their secondary education on the 'excellerated' track (one step above honors), I wonder how my life might've been different had the emphasis been put on learning rather than standardized test scores. By Dweck's accounts, children's love for learning would be better nurtured by this method of instruction. I was fortunate enough to have a father that, looking back now, followed that ideology very closely when it came to life skills. Mistakes were okay, as long as I learned from them. This encouraging outlook definitely influenced my continuing curiosity in the real world. I have held many jobs, even more certifications, and to this day stick to the motto "I'll try anything once. Sometimes even twice just to be sure (within reason)". Unfortunately, street smarts and book smarts are not the same thing and I didn't have quite the same experience in the classroom. I was constantly praised over a grade, rather than my effort or actual ability. As Dweck said in her 'Make Challenge the New Comfort Zone' video, "We tell kids they should feel good when things were easy for them and they got everything right; that's a cause for celebration Not in my book. In my book it means you're not learning as much as you could. If it was easy, you probably already knew how to do it." This statement is very much the case in most public schools. As a result, I have yet to develop necessary study habits to survive college. My grades were always good enough, so there was no reason to examine the process, or even know how to. I hope in the coming years- as I get out of my GenEds and into the classes that apply to my field- that I can rediscover my passion for learning that I know still lingers somewhere deep inside and make my college career about the challenge rather than just checking a box.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset
Source: Flickr