Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset

Organization of an Exploratory Essay

Though you may find a different way to organize, your class work will show you the Banks essay and its organization can be used by you. The purpose of each paragraph is shown here:

I.              Intro giving personal context, hooking the reader

II.            Continued intro, ending with the exploratory question that is asked

III.           Summary of results and response to mindset quiz

IV.           Summary of second source

V.            Response to second source, possibly including connection to exploratory question

VI.           Summary of third source

VII.         Response to third source, possibly including connection to exploratory question and/or connection to first and/or second source(s)

VIII.        Summary of fourth source

IX.          Response to fourth source, possibly including connection to exploratory question and/or connection to first, second, and/or third source(s)

X.           Summary of fifth source

XI.          Response to fifth source, possibly including connection to exploratory question and/or connection to first, second, third and/or fourth source(s)

XII.         Conclusion tying it all together, including the final summative statement (the thesis statement)

Additional Requirements

Your rough draft and polished draft must be in MLA format, be titled, and be edited to the best of your ability. This means you will use 11- or 12-point font throughout, all your text will be double-spaced, and there will be no additional spaces after paragraphs. In addition, your headers will contain your last name and page numbers and your first page will show your name, the class’s name, your instructor’s name, and the date.

Your reference page must include a bibliographic citation for every source that was used. These sources are already provided by your instructor and you, as a class, will create them.

Title your essay creatively, using the belief in some innovative way. Example of a good title: “Failing to Succeed; Succeeding to Fail.” Example of a title that needs work: “Project 3.”

Name your file well, using this convention: [Your Name] Project 3 [Some or All of Your Title] [yyyymmdd]. Example of a good file name: Oscar Mayer Project 3 Moving Beyond Hotdogs 20221105. Example of a file that needs work: Document 25.

Outside of class, you can edit your work according to your feedback, and develop a polished text that meets all of the assignment’s requirements and stands out. Proofread it by reading it aloud in a normal tone of voice. Use the errors (lower order concerns) that I have pointed out to you in previous writings, in your draft, or that you already know as a personal focus for your proofreading.

Need help?

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·        The OWL (Online Writing Lab) (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/), produced by Purdue University, is a great resource for grammar, and for any basic information you might need for writing and editing.

·         Use the resources in the Blackboard folder.

·         Go to the Collaboration Center (CHARTS 305) for assistance from faculty. Go to the learning assistance center (https://uaptc.edu/lac) for free assistance from peer or professional tutors.

Readings for Project 3, Exploratory Essay

Below are the required readings for Project 1. You are required to read all three from Set A (in red) and at least one of Set B (in blue), and you are required to watch at least one from Set C (in green). These readings will be used in the Exploratory Essay. You must read all of Set A and they will be used in class discussions (face-to-face classes). In sets B and C, choose according to your wishes. This list, and all links, are in your Blackboard shell. Look in Module 10 for all links.

Set A: Read all three. Each will be included in your exploratory essay:

☐ “Even Geniuses Work Hard” — an article, by Carol Dweck. Find this in Composition Mix, pp. 474-480. Read it to understand how "growth mindsets" and "fixed mindsets" apply to educators and students.

☐ “You Can Grow Your Brain” — an article published in Health and Science.  Read it to understand neural plasticity.

☐ “What’s My Mindset?” — a tool. Complete this non-graded quiz to assess your mindset. Do you have more of a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? You will use the results as one of your first writing prompts.

Set B: Read at least one of the following. It will be included in your exploratory essay:

☐ “Conquering the Freshman Fear of Failure” — an article, by David Kirp. Find it in Composition Mix, pp. 471-473. Read it to understand fixed-mindsets and growth mindsets and how they affect college student success.

☐ “‘Find Your Passion' is Awful Advice” — a web article, by Olga Khazan. Read it to understand Carol Dweck's concepts of "growth mindset" and "fixed mindset" and how they interact with college students' plans for their futures.

☐ “From Fixed Mindset to Growth Mindset: The Complete Guide” — a web article, by Ness Labs writer Anne-Laure Le Cunff. This reading incorporates ideas of neuroplasticity and is excellent if one is thinking about how adults might shift from a fixed to a growth mindset.

Set C: Watch or listen to at least one of the following. It will be included in your exploratory essay:

☐ “Don't Fail Fast. Fail Mindfully” — a video, a TED Talk by Leticia Gasca. Watch it to hear about failure from an entrepreneur's perspective. CONTENT WARNING: Mature language.

☐ “The Unexpected Benefits of Celebrating Failure” — a video, a TED Talk by Astro Teller. Watch it to hear about failure from an engineer's perspective.

☐ “The Power of a Growth Mindset” — a video, a TEDx Talk by Surbhi Sachdev. Watch it to hear TEDx speaker, Surbhi Sachdev, discuss how to change a mindset and move past comfort zones.

☐ “After Watching This, Your Brain Will Not Be the Same” — a video, a TEDx Talk by Lara Boyd. Watch it to hear TEDx speaker, Lara Boyd, discuss neural plasticity and growth mindsets.

☐ “Risk-taking, Mistake-making, and Lifelong Learning” — a video, a TEDx Talk by Kathleen Ciez-Volz. Watch it to hear TEDx speaker, Kathleen Ciez-Volz, connect mistakes and failures as necessary for success.

☐ “The Super Mario Effect - Tricking Your Brain into Learning More” — a video, a TEDx Talk by Mark Rober. Watch it to hear TEDx speaker, Mark Rober, talk about "learning from, and not focusing on, the failures" in life--and how it is key to learning throughout your life. He uses games' combinations of risk and reward as a way of framing real-life challenges.

☐ “How to Change Your Mind” — a podcast episode, audio with transcript, from Freakanomics Radio, by Stephen Dubner. Listen to hear about the problems of changing one’s mind and how we can improve our abilities to change our minds.

☐ ☐ ☐ + ☐ + ☐ = Minimum requirements for Project 1.

Also Recommended: “The Mindset Works” — a website. Read at least this first webpage on the science to understand the basics of fixed-mindsets and growth mindsets. Here is a graphic by Nigel Holmes that compares the two mindsets:

Figure 1. Nigel Holmes' comparison of fixed and growth mindsets. Source: Mindset Works. www.mindsetworks.com/science/Impact