BMS Counselors' Corner
March 2017 Newletter
Creating a Growth Mindset
This month's newsletter is going to focus on mindset. Students (and adults) have a choice in how they view learning and their interactions in the world. It's never too late to move from a fixed to a growth mindset. Your school counselors are here to help if this is a goal you have for yourself! Having a growth mindset can help you achieve great things in life, once you realize that success does not simply get handed to you on a platter. Success requires hard work, dedication, and yes, sometimes failure first. It is important to figure out how to learn from mistakes/failures and turn them into successes instead of giving up at the first road block. Let's learn a little more about mindset and them explore how others have turned failure into success:
There are two kinds of mindsets: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. People with fixed mindset consider past experiences as just part of life, an example of who they are as a person, or a result of their environment. These individuals do not plan how to do things, such as avoiding a problem from repeating again or improving from mistakes. For them, a poor grade means they are not smart and do not have the capability to get a higher grade.
Someone with a fixed mindset would consider an achievement to be related to an inherited trait or as the direct result of their environment. For example, they would assume that getting a lead role in a play means they were born with a personality that makes them good at acting.
A person with growth mindset thinks differently. Such people see their past performance as indicative of past effort and/or training. Getting a poor grade would cause someone with a growth mindset to wonder what went wrong and what they can do differently to get a better grade in the future. These individuals would then look for a solution, such as meeting with the teacher to develop a better approach towards note taking and studying.
People with growth mindsets see achievement as the result of their hard work and consistency. Optimism reflects in their thought process. Growth mindset is based on the belief that basic qualities can be cultivated through effort. Keep reading to discover more...
What Can I Say to Myself?
Below are some great videos about developing a growth mindset!
Growth Mindset Journal Activities
Growth Mindset Journal Entry
- Define Growth Mindset.
- Give examples of famous people who had this trait.
- How can you/do you use a growth mindset to achieve success in your life.
Growth Mindset Journal Entry: Assignment Reflection
2. What do you need to work on for the next assessment?
3. What steps will you take to achieve your goal? Give specific details.
Growth Mindset Journal Entry: Class Reflection
2. What are some things you need to work on in ELA for the next quarter?
3. How do you plan to achieve your goals for improvement? Give specific details.
The Importance of Failure
Click the link below to access these resources.
Sarah Little and Jane Moses
Email: sblittle@gaston.k12.nc.us
Website: http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/domain/200
Location: 110 North Central Avenue, Belmont, NC, United States
Phone: 704-836-9611
Facebook: http://facebook.com/belmontmiddle
Twitter: @belmontmiddle