In the last year, in my studies, I have heard and implicitly learned a little about growth mindset and fixed mindset. Though I have a general understanding of what it means to have a growth mindset, I wasn’t sure I could explicitly explain this concept and apply it.
I had listened to an audio-book entitled The Champion’s Mind which truly helped me dial in a positive attitude about my life and passion for exercising my mind and body. Using mantras and positive self-talk has truly helped me to live a happier and more fulfilling life.
Many times I have heard people around me engage in negative self-talk…aloud! I started noticing some of my students in my practicum classroom and other individuals I worked with in different settings use negative statements such as “I suck”, “I’ve never been good at this”, “I won’t be able to do it”, “I don’t think I can do this”, “This is too difficult”.
In high school I suffered a very challenging depression. I often engaged in the above self-talk, even worst. I surfaced this depression when I found The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Which taught me that I was in control of my life and my experiences. I could create my happiness.
Researching and learning about growth mindset is much like the concepts explored in The Secret, The Champion’s Mind and another one of my favourite’s; The Power. However, Carol Dweck and Sylvia Duckworth’s work appears to make these abstract mindsets more concrete. This is a perfect tool to help students recognize their potential and that they can achieve many things if they utilize a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset.
