Mindset
Parents and Students,
The following task is entirely optional, but I think it is worth your time as you continue to grow in life and education. These work best if the parent(s) and student work through them together, but they can be referenced individually. The videos have been split into multiple sessions to allow for time to reflect on what you have learned. However, you may proceed through them however you would like. I think you would find this the most valuable if you completed this before school starts on September 5th, but it's great to refer to it at any time.
- This session will talk a lot about having a "growth mindset" vs. a "fixed mindset". Here's the definition of those from Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University and the author of the book Mindset (a great book for you to read if you're interested, both parents and students):
- In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.
- In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
- The latest brain research tells us a lot about how humans learn and, it turns out, that we learn the most when we make mistakes. This is obviously not how many students view it, "Hey, Mom and Dad, I had a great day at school because I made lots of mistakes!" But your brain actually grows more when you make mistakes, and this is especially true if you focus on learning from those mistakes.
- I want you to fail. No, really, I do. Because I don't view failure as a bad thing, but as a natural and essential part of the learning process. (And, by the way, so do neuroscientists.)
- One of the problems I think we have in schools is that we train students to fear failure, to avoid it at all costs. Now, to be clear, I'm not suggesting you go out and fail all your classes. But I am suggesting that you should take some risks in your learning. That instead of avoiding things that are hard (because you might fail), you challenge yourself to step up and take on things that are difficult.
- In case you want to learn more here are some additional resources.
I would like to thank Karl Fisch for providing the template for these lessons, and Jo Boaler for providing the fantastic instruction which inspired these lessons.
Be The Slime Mold!
Be The Slime Mold!