Having a Growth Mindset

It was a big day in BEDUC423 yesterday.  We did our micro-teaching unit on bullying (which I think went reasonably well) and at the end of class got our first glimpse (gulp!) of the new TPA that we will need to pass in order to be certified next spring.  Most meaningful to me however was our discussion of our reading from Carol Dweck's Mindset.  The introductory anagram activity really drove home the point about how we can actually teach/learn helplessness which in turn can lead to a habit of giving up when the going gets tough and continuing to give up even when conditions improve.  Dweck refers to this condition as having a "fixed mindset".  With a fixed mindset, risk and effort can lead to failure -- an 'Eeyore' point of view (remembering Jean's reading of Winnie-the-Pooh yesterday), pessimistic at its heart.  On the other hand a "growth mindset" focuses on the means more than the ends.  Success is found within the effort and the risk-taking rather than as a result of it -- more of a 'Tigger' or 'Roo' perspective although there really isn't a good Pooh comparison  for this one.  Instead of the fixed mindset focus on limitations, the growth mindset allows one to see opportunity for growth in every challenge.  I was most encouraged to learn that by choosing our words and modeling actions carefully that we can actually teach children who are stuck in the fixed mindset to learn to have a growth mindset!   On a personal note, I will strive to keep a growth mindset myself as I face the challenges I encounter in this program (with respect to the TPA in particular!).