"The mindset is everything. What you think you become."
Buddha.
As Dr. Harapnuik mentions in his post Reignite the learners' mindset, promoting a mindset alone will not make a great difference in students' learning. It has to be combined with a significant learning environment where students have choice, ownership, voice through authentic learning opportunities.
In his article " The Mindset" Mindset: What We Miss By Focusing on Kids' Attitudes, Alfie Kohn agrees with Harapnuik that no mindset is a magic elixir that can dissolve the toxicity of structural arrangements.
It is wrong to tell the students they can do anything without knowledge, skills, and strategies. It can cause frustration and, even worse, think they are incapable. We must set up realistic goals.
If we praise effort over progress, we are sending the wrong message. Affirming students' potential without enabling them, and blaming their mindset instead of refocusing it, is what Dr. Dweck called the false growth mindset. We cannot praise the effort alone. To achieve this, we must go through the process of hard work, focus, strategy, and perseverance.
We need to create the conditions and the context where they can acquire and apply Carol Dweck's ideas. Provide students with ample active-learning activities. Give students structured opportunities to think intentionally about the learning cycle, evaluate their knowledge and skills, plan their approach, monitor their progress, and adjust strategies as needed.
More than just talking about mindset at the beginning of the year is required. Jackie Gerstein suggests designing tools for students to reflect on their effort. These personal assessment tools can be used for numerous assignments so learners can continually assess the amount of effort given.
References
Dweck. C. (July 16, 2015). RSA ANIMATE: How To Help Every Child Fulfill Their Potential. Retrieve from https://youtu.be/-71zdXCMU6A
Dweck. C. (December 17, 2014).The power of believing that you can improve. Retrieve from https://youtu.be/_X0mgOOSpLU
Gerstein, J. (September 5, 2005).“Have a Growth Mindset” the New “Just Say No”. Retrieve from https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/is-have-a-growth-mindset-the-new-just-say-no/
Harapnuik, D. (April 5, 2019).How to Grow a Growth Mindset - http://www.harapnuik.org/?p=7955
Harapnuik, D. (February 9, 2021). Reignite the Learner's Mindset - https://prezi.com/view/WNrNvvkVm9HnRi9jnsAj/
Kohn, A.(August 16, 2015).The “Mindset” Mindset: What We Miss By Focusing on Kids’ Attitudes. Retrieve from http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/mindset/
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