MindSwitch Mondays Issue #10 Zoom in & Zoom out to Switch From Fixed to Growth Mindset,
Real growth comes from believing success is about learning.
Hi everyone,
Happy Monday and greetings from El Salvador, the first country to accept Bitcoin as a legal tender.
Here’s what I want to share this week:
You have probably heard of Growth vs Fixed Mindsets.
This is how Dr. Carol Dweck explains fixed and growth mindsets.
Having a growth mindset means failure is about not being able to stretch yourself to learn something new; not reaching for the things you value.
Having a fixed mindset means that failure is about having a setback. Losing a tournament, getting a bad grade, or losing your job.
Believing in developing yourself versus validating yourself.
How often do we look at our outcomes and define ourselves at a single point in time?
ZOOM IN
If we zoom into one situation in life, like a soccer game where you were not able to score a goal.
Would this one game define what type of soccer player you are?
If you believe it does define you as a soccer player, you have a fixed mindset on this. If you believe this game is one of the many pieces that define you as a soccer player, you have a growth mindset.
Can you think of a situation you had recently? Let it be with your kids, or with a coworker, or in your job. Think of one situation that has been on your mind.
Can you draw a conclusion about yourself from this situation?
My guess is you were able to say a thing or two about yourself by looking at this situation.
ZOOM OUT
We tend to define ourselves in terms of the situations we live through. But who you are as a person, parent, or professional is shaped by the collection of decisions you make, not by one single decision.
If we zoom out of the soccer game mentioned above where you didn’t score one goal and view your performance in the many games you had during the season, we can probably draw different conclusions.
We can pluck these events into a graph and measure our performance over time.
The good news is that you are not a “fixed mindset” or “growth mindset” person.
You can find yourself having a fixed mindset for some situations and a growth mindset for others.
You have a choice.
Mindsets are just beliefs.
The quality of soccer players is defined by their outcome in the many games they play, not only in a single game.
The same is true for our lives.
Real growth comes from believing success is about learning.
Turning failure into growth opportunities.
Zoom in and Zoom out into Kid’s learning.
We can also take a look at education by zooming in and zooming out.
When we draw conclusions on a student based on one test score, we are zooming in to one moment. Students also draw conclusions about themselves. Getting a bad test score in a chemistry exam about chemical reactions does not mean that students are bad at chemistry. This just means they haven't mastered it “yet!”
I’ve noticed that as I remove labels, praise effort over the outcome, teach my kids about the brain is a muscle that can be developed, and model a growth mindset, my kids feel free and are able to move forward in their learning.
The MindSwitch
If you have the option to believe you can improve (growth mindset), and your beliefs influence your decisions.
Do you want to promote growth or create roadblocks in your life?
Thanks for reading!
I have been so excited to read all the interesting ideas you all shared with me last week.
Remember to hit the reply button with any comments!
Cheers!
Alexandra
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