Growth Mindset
What students believe about how we learn
What is Growth vs. Fixed Mindset
Having a growth mindset means that you believe you can grow your intelligence. That with work, practice, and failures, you can improve in something. One of the key ideas of having a growth mindset is seeing failure as a learning opportunity!
Having a fixed mindset means that you believe intelligence is fixed, and cannot be improved by work or practice. A person with a fixed mindset believes one is born at a set level of intelligence and cannot change this.
Classroom Results
Students completed a three question survey to tell them what kind of mindset they have. To take the survey, click the link below!
http://survey.perts.net/take/toi?public_key=1c8e33e24
From the results of this survey, we saw that 53% of us have a growth mindset, 46% are intermediate, and 2% have a fixed mindset.
Growth Mindset Classroom Activity
To further explore of our mindset affects us and our learning. Students came up with a scenario encountering failure they have experienced before and depicted how a person with a fixed mindset would react, and how a person with a growth mindset would react.
See some of our examples in the gallery!
Student Reflections
In a google form, students were asked several questions about growth mindset. Some of their responses are shown below!
Do you consider yourself to have a Growth Mindset or a Fixed Mindset? Why?
- A growth mindset because I believe that you can become more intelligent as you fail and learn new things.
- I believe that i have a growth mindset because of no matter what goes wrong i always make the best of it and learn from my mistakes either it be my businesses or what the cases may be.
- I often find myself in a fixed mindset, I see people that are better at something than me and just assume that they were born smarter
- I have both because in certain situations i want to just give up and well it is what it is, but in others i would think shake it off and try again don't let this one error phase you.
- I consider myself a growth mindset. I think if I apply myself I can do anything.
Do you think people can change their mindsets? Explain.
- Yes but you have to be willing to learn new things. If you're okay with how you are now then you won't want to learn anything else.
- I think when people are provided factual evidence they can changing their mindset if they are willing to be open minded, especially if you are giving them a more positive mindset than they previously had.
- Yes i believe you can but you have to try to and give effort.
- Yes, if they are given the tools to help their mind grow
- Yes, I think people can change their mindsets. As you get older you usually start seeing things differently and maybe you will realize that it is better if you can look at this with a positive view.
Do you have a friend with a fixed mindset? How is your attitude different when you are around him or her?
- yes it is very annoying as the believe there are no changes that can ever be made towards things.
- I do have a friend with fixed mindset, and I try to encourage them to keep trying
- Yes, I do. It makes me sad to hear her because she doesn't make an effort to improve because she doesn't think she can and so she doesn't try or push herself to achieve anything.
- Yes I do they have a very poor attitude. they have the" It is what it is" attitude.
- yes, I want to push myself in learning more than i do when I am around someone with a fixed mindset.
What mindset do you think your parents have / grew up with?
- A growth mindset because they always want me to improve
- fixed definitely fixed
- My Grandmother has a fixed mindset and is very competitive and my Grandpa has a growth mindset and thinks it is okay to fail if you are getting better
- They had to learn how to survive on their own when there was no one there for them so I know my parents had a Growth mindset.
- Growth because they tell me to have this growth mindset and you can get through anything but you have to give effort
Have your parents/ friends/ teachers ever said anything that would encourage a fixed mindset or encourage a growth mindset? What?
- My mother usually will say something encouraging a growth mindset if I am complaining about a bad grade or something like that.
- Not really, the people that we know now a days are like super mean.
- They usually give me advice on how i can improve and i take that advice and use it
- A lot of teachers and adults in my life have the mindset of "try harder next time" and "learn from your mistakes".
- Growth mindset because teachers give you time to retake tests and to study and get better.
Do you wish your parents/teachers knew any of the things related to growth mindset that we discussed today? How might that change some of your interactions?
- yes because they would try to push me
- No because they probably already expect me to always get better
- I wish some of my friends did so that they think more positive
- I think my parents and a lot of my teachers have a growth mindset. I do wish one of my friends had a growth mindset though. If she had a growth mindset it would change our interactions for the better.
- they would probably give us more time to get better at something and they would give us extra chances.
What is one thing you would tell your parent/teacher about growth mindset/ how to react to failure?
- Failure just shows how much a person can grow.
- my parents wouldn't get so mad at me for not getting a good grade
- don't take it so hard realize what you did wrong and better them from next time
- To always look at the positive side and move on with your life.
- That even if you fail at something that means you are getting smarter and making more neurons
- I wish that adults in my life would be a little more patient and less dramatic when I don't achieve things to the standard they want me to/think I should be achieving.