"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds

This podcast was about the difference between "Fixed" and "Growth" mindsets. Dr. Carol Dwech explains that a "fixed mindset" is when students believe that their basic intelligence is just a fixed trait. This means the students are concerned about how they chose their activities on whether they will look smart or not during it. The "growth mindset" is simply the teaching of the brain as a muscle. The "growth mindset" is a muscle that increases intelligible skills.

Dr. Dwech taught the growth mindset by developing an 8 session workshop. Half of the workshop was taught study skills and a growth mindset and the other half got all study skills. The study skills did not work because the students did not have motivation to put the skills into practice. But the first group was able to learn they could increase their intellectual skill, and learned their brain is like a muscle that it gets stronger with use. The students with just study skills had declining grades with the first group with both study skills and growth mindset had increasingly good grades.

The growth mindset was tested by race car drivers. Dr. Dwech says the difference between the winners and losers was simply how they handled defeat. The "growth mindset" allowed drivers to stay in their zone and the drivers admitted their mistakes and then were able to overcome them. This allowed "growth".

I believe the "growth mindset" should be applied in the classroom because I think it helps students learn from their mistakes. The race car driver example was a great example by Dr. Dwech. Teachers should use the "growth mindset" to help their students increase intelligence to optimal performance.