1. Dweck offers two key terms, Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset. Explain these two concepts. Use a Dweck quote for each part of your explanation. 

– Dweck’s definition of Growth Mindset is a way of perceiving what it means to learn, and in some cases to unlearn, a form of learning that makes students less apt to do well. A Growth Mindset is using the “power of not yet” to teach students that failing, difficulty, or challenges don’t have to have inherently negative consequences.  

– Fixed Mindset is explained by Dweck as being “gripped in the tyranny of now”. Students with a fixed mindset look upon challenges and failure as if there is something lacking or that they must be dumb. With this mindset, studies show students lack resilience and perseverance that can affect them all the way through their lives and into careers. Fixed  Mindsets can also be analyzed as a symptom of instant gratification when it comes to learning and challenges, both academically and personally. Putting immense importance on the success of “now” instead of “not yet” can transcend into a need of validation for every assignment, problem, or goal. Life is not about instant gratification, over-reliance on this can become a toxic cycle when faced with problems that will appear in everyone’s life at one point or another. Fixed Mindsets do not help with learning to cope and overcome problems in a healthy and rewarding manner. 

  1. Dweck names at least two ways to stimulate a Growth Mindset or to be building a “bridge to yet”. What are they? Do these seem reasonable? Does something about them bother you? Why? 

–  One way Dweck explains Growth Mindset stimulation is to “praise wisely, not praising intelligence or talent”. This implies that the dependency on doing well to get praise and approval results in a Fixed Mindset and lack of confidence in students. Instead, praising the process of learning, not just the end result, will strengthen students’ ability to learn meaningfully and in an in-depth way without solely focusing on the end result of an A+. This creates an environment where intellectual curiosity can be maintained and perseverance skills can be achieved. 

– The second way that Dweck said Growth Mindsets can be stimulated is for students to be “rewarded for effort, strategy, and progress”. Instead of the usual reward of a correct answer, students who played a certain math game were rewarded for the time spent problem-solving and using their own resources to achieve a certain goal. This method of reward helps students expand their knowledge while also learning to look within themselves and problem solve. 

– I  think that these methods are a great way to help teach real-life solutions as well as in academics. Something I disagree with, or maybe don’t know her full beliefs on this aspect, is that sometimes there is a need for the gratification of correct answers. In my classes in high school, more so the AP’s, we were taught to question everything and form our own opinions and understanding. This made me enjoy the process of learning but I also took pride in knowing that my hard work was achieving something. I think a good balance of Growth Mindset while also wanting to be the most successful you can be, which might be illustrated by grades or feedback, is where I would stand. 

  1. Intelligence. Dweck’s ideas may suggest a notion of intelligence or smarts that is different from what many think about when considering intelligence. How do you see her model of intelligence? 

– I see Dweck’s idea of intelligence and smarts to be partly determined by the environment students are in and that it can grow and strengthen when changes to that environment occur. Some models of intelligence tend to go along the lines that either you have it or you don’t, that there is a limit to what an individual can achieve. While that might be true in some form or another when looking at it in a scientific way such as genetics, I think that there is a tremendous amount of growth that can occur regardless of one’s capabilities. No one person is the same and that can transcend into the perception of intelligence as well. One person’s A can showcase their achievements at their personal highest level, yet, for another being able to problem solve through a difficult test that before would intimidate to the point of incompletion is an amazing achievement. Dweck’s model is full of teaching that “every time they push out of their comfort zone to learn something new and difficult, the neurons in their brain can form new, stronger connections, and over time, they can get smarter”. This idea is not strictly tied to the end result of something, it is through the process of using skills and finding solutions even in spite of failures. 

4. Write about a Fixed Mindset moment in your own learning history. Explain how that moment worked out for you. 

– A moment in my own learning history where I had a Fixed Mindset was in my Freshman year of high school with Algebra I. As an 8th grader, I took a placement test to indicate which level of Algebra I to take the following fall. My result was that I would do best in the non-honors level, however, I thought that meant I was not smart enough to be in the honors and that it would place me into that group in high school. I have always excelled in school, yet math, in general, takes extra effort in comparison to my other classes. I decided to really study and take the test again, I just barely made it but I signed up for the honors class. About two weeks into the class I was already struggling to keep up. The lessons my teacher was giving skipped over the foundations and basics of the course and went straight into the “out of the box” lessons, as he called them. Instead of switching to the lower level of the class, I continued to struggle through a whole year. I got tutoring once a week but I still felt as if I had to prove that I was smart and that I should be aligned with the rigor of my other subjects. That class ended up being my only B in high school and one of the lowest points in my self-esteem in the classroom. I never wanted to answer a question or go to the board since I was afraid of being wrong. The next year I took Algebra II non-honors and felt so much better, got better grades, and most importantly I fully comprehended the lessons. As I continued to become more confident in my math skills I decided to take Geometry honors my Junior year and because I changed my mindset about math and continued to get tutoring to stay strong in the course I was able to do very well in the class.