With a Fixed Mindset, it is believed that our talents and intelligence are part of who we are and that working hard to further develop may not be worth the effort. In a Growth Mindset, it is believed that talents and intelligence can be developed through effort and practice. Finally, with an Innovator’s Mindset, it is believed that talents and intelligence can be developed and actually lead to better ideas.

I have always been interested in what role the mindsets play in how we teach individuals. Dweck (2006) noted the importance that different mindsets have in teaching learners, whether they are children, students, or athletes. Every word and action sends a message to a learner and defines the learner’s mindset on how they view their abilities, talents, and intelligence. In the sketchnote above, teachers with a Fixed Mindset may praise a students’ talent by saying “you are great at this”. Although this sounds like a good thing to say, it may cause the student to think that their talents are good enough and that they do not have to work any further to develop. A student learning from a fixed mindset teacher may be happy with their accomplishment of putting together a small puzzle and not challenge themselves any further. A teacher in a Growth Mindset will praise effort and encourage the student to challenge themselves and move onto to more difficult variations of the puzzle. However, a teacher in the Innovator’s Mindset will not only encourage the student to develop talents but also empower the student to be curious and find a better way to solve problems. As depicted in the sketchnote, the student is empowered to use technology to create a program that will solve complex puzzles.

References

Couros, G. (2015). The innovator’s mindset. Dave Burgess Consulting. Inc.

Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballantine Books.