Mindset: Growth vs. Fixed
“I failed yet another math quiz. I’m so dumb.”, “I did not do so great on that last math quiz, I’m going to need to make sure I ask more questions next time.” Both are quotes that cover the same scenario of failing a quiz, but are approached in different manners. This is the difference between a fixed and growth mindset.
In a fixed mindset a person believes they have fixed characteristics such as intelligence. In a growth mindset, a person believes that by working on these characteristics they can be changed. Read more about these definitions here.
If I had a quarter for every time I heard “I’m just not good at math” from a student I would be rich. As a middle school math teacher I see this all of the time, before even diving into any math topics these works undoubtedly spew out of a student’s mouth. And thus why I work so hard all school year long to help students see their potential.
At the beginning of the year I spend time talking about goal setting and what steps need to be taken to get to those goals. I share my professional goal of continuing my education and personal goals such as becoming a better runner with my students. I also show them the steps I must take in order to accomplish my goals. Through this process I explain that I do not want to become a better runner because I think I’m a bad one now, but because I want to continue to push myself. Just as I explain that it’s not that I think I’m a bad teacher now, but that I want to learn more about my job so that I can be a better teacher as education changes.
Throughout the year students write personal math goals for each unit, along with steps they are going to take. We reevaluate every couple of weeks to allow the students to check in with their progress. During this time I also teach students about the language of having a growth mindset, and how to rephrase their thoughts to show this. Overall I think it has a big impact on students who need the self-confidence boost, and the ones who need to know that they are capable. John Spencer talks more about the affirmation piece of growth mindset here.
I personally believe that I have a growth mindset, and I think that many teachers do too. Most educators strive to learn new methods, strategies, and stay on top of the latest research trends within our field. Why do we invest so much time into these things? For our students.
However, I also believe there are many teachers that have a fixed mindset when it comes to their practice. This can be seen in negative attitudes, beliefs that nothing will change with students, and the lack of drive to change their ways. As someone with growth mindset I will have the first hand in the air when our instructional coach asks for volunteers to try out a new strategy. But there are a lot of teachers who are resistant to change because they believe that it will not make a difference.
As frustrating as it may be, I believe that the world of education carries both types of mindsets. How do we combat this? I find the teachers that share the same mindset as me and surround myself with them.
