The Growth Mindset Coach

Teaching is a Practice, Not a Perfection: In this chapter, we talk, in-depth, about the mindsets. You'll familiarize yourself with the definition and characteristics of the two mindsets, and read anecdotes and examples of teaching in the growth and fixed mindsets. We ask you to do some goal setting, reflection, and future thinking so you can start visualizing what your growth-oriented classroom will and will not look like and what effort and adjustments you need to make to get there.

Growth mindset strongly emphasizes process over perfection. You won't have an unassailable growth mindset or foolproof plan for cultivating growth mindset in others by the end of reading the chapter. We're still working toward those things! But here's a little secret. What's the best way to tell whether you have growth mindset? You still consider yourself a work in progress.

Objectives:

• Familiarize yourself with growth and fixed mindsets.

• Reflect on the mindsets of your former teachers.

• Set goals to incorporate growth mindset in the upcoming school year.

Everyone Can Learn! If the central thesis of growth mindset had to be summed up in three words or less it would be "Everyone can learn!" Does this mean that we all have the same potential? No. Does this mean that we're all capable of the same amount of success in any given area? No. Does this mean that if we try hard we'll ace all our schoolwork? No. When we say "Everyone can learn," we simply mean that every person has the potential to develop, grow, and achieve in any given area.

This month you have to do the hard work of convincing your students that no matter where they consider themselves to be in terms of intellect and skill, with hard work and perseverance, they can develop beyond that point. September is all about setting the tone for a growth-oriented year. We provide you with a detailed lesson plan to help teach your students to identify what growth and fixed mindsets are, and convince them that everyone has the ability to achieve.

Objectives:

• Teach your students about the mindsets.

• Establish your classroom as a growth-mindset zone.

• Create a climate of growth mindset with parents and students.

My Brain is like a Muscle that Grows! So you've taught your students the difference between growth and fixed mindsets, but they're hungry for more information. Like, exactly how is it that our brains learn and grow? This month, we talk about the science behind growth mindset. Neuroplasticity refers to the malleable nature of our brains. You'll dive deep into the world of neurons and dendrites, and give your students a detailed tour of their brains. At the end of the month, they'll understand that, like a muscle, the brain can grow and strengthen with regular practice.

Objectives:

• Teach yourself and your students about neuroplasticity.

• Test and develop brain-based teaching strategies.

I am a Valued Member of this Learning Community: This month focuses on relationship building. Tackling challenges and difficult learning tasks with a growth mindset can be scary for students. They wonder, what if I fail? Will I be judged? Will people think I'm stupid? Students have to believe that their classroom is a safe place in which they can take educational risks. We offer tips and ideas for building stronger relationships with students, parents, and colleagues, because when a strong foundation of meaningful relationships is laid, students are able to show vulnerability and open themselves to new challenges. Only then can they soar to their highest heights.

Objectives:

• Develop strategies to build relationships with students.

• Develop strategies to build relationships with parents.

• Develop strategies to build relationships with colleagues.

We Love a Challenge! A student in the growth mindset is motivated to tackle new challenges and overcome obstacles, but if you aren't offering challenging work in the classroom, mindset is largely irrelevant. In this section, we discuss the necessity of sufficiently challenging each student in your class. We also talk about the value of having high expectations for each student. Educational challenges and high expectations are both characteristics of a growth-oriented classroom.

This month, we talk about how to implement a concrete plan for growth and communicate expectations to students and colleagues that sets the tone for the year and serves as a framework for maintaining a growth mindset in the context of learning, because doing hard things is exercise for our brains.

Objectives:

• Teach students the difference between equity and equality.

• Develop strategies to challenge all students responsively and responsibly.

• Set and communicate high expectations of all students.

Feedback is a Gift - Accept It: Feedback is a critical component of developing a growth-oriented classroom. Much of Dweck's research focuses on praising children in a way that celebrates the effort they put into something, as opposed to their "natural" qualities and talents.

In January, we go in-depth on the concept of person praise (You're so smart) and process praise (You worked really hard on this), and give teachers strategies for incorporating process praise in class. Students should also be equipped with the skills to offer each other appropriate, helpful praise and critique. Teachers who offer feedback only in the form of red check marks or glittery stickers are missing an important opportunity to help students explore steps they can take to improve and make connections between effort and success. Offering specific, timely, purposeful, consistent feedback may have more impact on the growth mindsets of your students than any other practice you engage in this year.

Objectives:

• Distinguish between person praise and process praise.

• Develop strategies for giving effective feedback.

• Teach students how to use effective feedback when conferencing with peers.

A Goal without a Plan is Just a Wish: Learning how to set goals and creating a plan for achieving them is important in a growth-oriented classroom. Without the critical component of goal setting, students won't focus on where they want to take their learning Goal setting is also important to developing the personal characteristic of grit. The idea of grit has gained popularity in educational circles recently.

In February, we look at what grit is, how you can teach your students about grit, and how to help them develop it by helping them pursue goals worthy of their passion and perseverance.

Objectives:

• Understand how the personal quality of grit influences mastery.

• Guide students to research real-world examples of grit.

• Distinguish between performance goals and learning goals.

• Help students develop performance goals and learning goals.

Mistakes are Opportunities for Learning: In March you'll make efforts to normalize mistakes in the classroom. In the growth mindset, making mistakes and overcoming obstacles in learning are just part of the path to mastery. But all too often, the fear of making mistakes keeps students from taking on challenges. We share with you ways to reframe student mistakes as valuable learning opportunities, as well as offer ideas for coaching students through setbacks. Learning shouldn't be neat; learning is messy and full of peaks and pitfalls and two steps forward and one step back. In the growth mindset, you don't just anticipate mistakes, you embrace them as an integral part of the learning process. We also discuss strategies for creating opportunities for "productive struggle" in your classroom.

Objectives:

• Learn how to coach students through mistakes.

• Develop mistake-friendly teaching strategies.

There's a Difference Between Not Knowing and Not Knowing Yet! Yet is a tiny word with a big meaning. This month, you'll learn how the power of yet can reinforce growth mindset in learning. You'll even meet some teachers who are replacing grades with "not yets." April is all about helping you formulate a plan to incorporate the power of yet in your classroom through purposeful formative and summative assessment, as well as offering twists on evaluation that emphasize mastery over letter grades. And we share ways that you can empower students to direct their own learning, provide opportunities for them to think critically to solve authentic problems, and help them practice essential skills relevant to the real world.

Objectives:

• Formulate a plan to use the principle "not yet" in your classroom.

• Distinguish between formative and summative assessments.

• Learn strategies and activities that emphasize value in the learning process.

I Got This! May has arrived, and it's time to send your students home for the summer. But how can you make sure their growth-mindset training doesn't get lost on the summer slide? This chapter is about equipping students with the tools they'll need to continue using growth mindset in their educational and personal lives after they leave your classroom. We teach you the value of self-talk and coach you through helping students develop a plan to control the fixed mindset voice that lives in their head. Finally, you'll help students establish a plan for using growth mindset over the summer to reinforce your mindset instruction.

Objectives:

• Understand how self-talk plays a role in developing growth mindset.

• Develop a growth-mindset plan to learn something new.

• Develop a growth-mindset plan to solve a problem.

I Can't Take Care of Others if I Don't Take Care of Myself: June is all about reflection, relaxation, and renewal. We walk you through guided journaling with questions and prompts to help you engage in deep reflection about your growth-mindset experience. We also talk about the value of sharpening the saw - or taking care of your personal needs - during the summer months as a way to develop healthy habits and renew your mind, body, and spirit after a year of hard work.

Objectives:

• Engage in a guided journaling reflection on your year of growth mindset.

• Create a plan to "sharpen the saw" in each of four dimensions.

A New Day is a New Opportunity to Grow: Summertime is your change to shift out of teaching mode and fully engage you learning mode. This month is packed full of growth-mindset resources you can use to further your training, as well as tips and strategies for practicing growth mindset in everyday situations. We also give you advice for developing an online personal learning network through Twitter and other social media platforms to extend your base of support and deepen your well of knowledge.

The Growth Mindset Coach is a guidebook on your journey to developing your growth mindset and fostering the growth mindsets of your students. It's important to acknowledge and fostering the growth mindsets of your students. It's important to acknowledge that this is a journey that has no end. As Dweck writes, "The path to growth mindset is a journey, not a proclamation." In other words, if someone definitively declares "I have a growth mindset," that person is lying to you. Mindset is not an either-or thing. We all have a fixed mindset and a growth mindset; it's just a matter of deciding which one to use in any given situation. Even if you become highly attuned to your growth mindset, you can rest assured that your fixed mindset will remain firmly in your head, waiting to beckon to you to join it in avoiding a challenge or wallowing in failure. Through the process described in this chapter, we hope to teach you how to engage your growth mindset and curb your fixed mindset, fortify yourself with the necessary skills and strategies to live a life devoted to learning and growing, and use our tools to foster growth mindset in your students.

Objectives:

• Learn tactics for confronting fixed mindsets and getting the most out of learning opportunities.

• Develop an online personal learning network.

• Seek out growth-mindset resources to support you on your journey.