Growth Mindset

Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on achievement and success—a simple idea that makes all the difference.

In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.

Click the image below to listen to a fascinating Ted Talk by Carol Dweck

Click the image below to hear a child friendly explanation of the POWER OF YET!

Sesame Street: The Power of Yet

When I hear a student say "I can't..."  I have taught them to end the statement with YET!


Here is a worksheet the children completed recently, reinforcing this idea...

The following are examples of some of the statements children wrote for
I can't ________________________yet, but I will keep trying until I can!

Bella: I can't tell time that great YET!
Christian R: I can't slam dunk like Michael Jordan YET!
Griffin:  I can't do multiplication YET!
JJ:  I can't ride a bike without training wheels YET!
Dylan:  I can't tell time to the minute YET!
Sam:  I can't tie my shoe YET!
Rilyn:  I can't canter in horseback riding YET!
Thomas:  I can't draw very good YET!
Victoria:  I can't go places by myself YET!
Jack:  I can't do a cartwheel YET!

I work very hard instilling a growth mindset with my students!
The concept goes hand in hand with the all school focus of developing GRIT:

                                                                      G - Guts

R- Resilience
I- Innovation
T- Teamwork

We watched the following video and had a class discussion about mindset:

One Thousand Steps

I have been using the following bracelets to encourage the students to persevere, learn from their mistakes, work hard to reach goals and challenge themselves.  

Ellie didn't give up and worked really hard when subtracting two digit numbers with regrouping!  She was very proud to receive this bracelet!

Interested in starting a conversation about Growth Mindset with your child? 

The following children's books all relate to the concept:

We have read the following books in class; to hear them  read aloud, click on the images.

To learn more about mindset, read Carol Dweck's book, Mindset which explains how

teaching a growth mindset creates motivation and productivity in the worlds of business, education, and sports.