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I really liked the video that discussed the Power of Yet/Not Yet. This image is meaningful to me because it really represents that we are all works in progress and a label does not determine your potential. I love the idea of not labeling kids. We live in a society filled with labels, not just in school. Moving away from these labels will give a sense of equality and allow children to open their minds to knowing they are acheiving great things and can achieve even greater things with work and prseverance

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Veronica Alvarez
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 Veronica Alvarez
Veronica Alvarez
The article and the videos were so interesting! I found it so shocking to hear the kids themselves say how much a label had impacted their life. As teachers, we might not think of the effect that a label can make in  a child's life! I thought it was so sad to think many students felt they couldn't ask for help because everyone thought they would know the answ

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The article and the videos were so interesting! I found it so shocking to hear the kids themselves say how much a label had impacted their life. As teachers, we might not think of the effect that a label can make in a child's life! I thought it was so sad to think many students felt they couldn't ask for help because everyone thought they would know the answer already. I really liked the idea of a growing mindset, where the result is not the satisfactory part but the effort that it takes to get to that result. It was amazing and very powerful to see that a different mindset can have such an impact in the life of students and how they approach life and problems themselves. I picked the award stickers! That is something that I would totally have in my classroom. It is a great attitude to have towards life and anything we do.

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Veronica Alvarez
Veronica Alvarez
The article and the videos were so interesting! I found it so shocking to hear the kids themselves say how much a label had impacted their life. As teachers, we might not think of the effect that a label can make in  a child's life! I thought it was so sad to think many students felt they couldn't ask for help because everyone thought they would know the answer already. I really liked the idea of a growing mindset, where the result is not the satisfactory part but the effort that it takes to get to that result. It was amazing and very powerful to see that a different mindset can have such an impact in the life of students and how they approach life and problems themselves. I picked the award stickers! That is something that I would totally have in my classroom. It is a great attitude to have towards life and anything we do. 
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crystal_boris 1m
Well said Veronica! I totally was blown away by that as well. I've never been one to believe in labels but this just reaffirmed my "why". I love the aware stickers and totally would have used them also. CB
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Kimberly Abrams
Kimberly Abrams
I found this topic fascinating and was able to see how a fixed mindset caused learning issues for some children that I had in my classroom. It was very difficult to overcome a child who already thought they couldn't do it and were told at home they couldn't do it. My favorite takeaway from the videos was the one fourth grade girl who had great insight into the losses that would happen if students were labeled and separated.  She had said that maybe the kids would have collaborated well. And also my favorite point that she mentioned was what if someone was not labeled gifted, and they could have done something amazing! So very true. How many successful people tell their story and say they did not succeed in a traditional classroom setting. We never want to stop someone from reaching their potential and we need to learn how to overcome fixed mindset and foster a growth mindset environment. I liked this graphic that had practical ways to help with that.
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Kelly Richardson
Kelly Richardson
These articles/videos have deeply struck a core with me. I deeply believe in following this growth mindset and apply it often with my programming. For example, 2 years ago when Jen Gilmore showed me an old script that Dustin had written and was approached by the leads for my first project they asked me "Can you make this?" At the the time a large part of me wanted to say "no" because I hadn't been programming all that much that particular year, but I approached it with a growth mindset saying "Yes, I can learn how to make it", and thus was given the opportunity to start the project. This obviously grew eventually to the Transcript Report and Efficiency Report. Now I am very comfortable being able to say "Yes I can learn how to do this thing" with almost anything. 
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Jim Hare
Jim Hare
I think it's easy for adults to lose sight of the value of the "not yet" mentality. It can be easy for us to settle into our habits and stick to what we're good at. We often have to push ourselves quite hard to grow into new skills and abilities. Yet, we challenge our students to do this every day. Unless we model for children that we too have many "not yets" in our lives, the idea of currently being unable to do something can come across as daunting and scary for students. I like the attached picture because it shows a fun way for students to showcase the "not yets" in their lives that exist outside the classroom as well. Many of these skills are things the students know they will learn in time, so being able to connect those with math, which a student may not initially see as something they can eventually understand, is invaluable. I would like to see the teacher add his/her "not yets" to this too to show that growth is a lifelong attitude.
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Anonymous 30m
I love how you put this in the perspective of adults. It is easy to get stuck in our ways and take less and less risks the older we get. I think we should all challenge ourselves to model this "not yet" mentality as we work with students. I also love that I can't "play hooky" yet made this list! - LG

Anonymous 17m
i completely agree with you, Jim. We have to lead by example. Many adults dont like to recognize they are wrong or that they don't fully understand something because they are afraid of the judgement that they will receive from others. More specifically, from young people, young students who they are in charge of. However, we have to show them that we are all here in a learning path, We are always growing. And we shouldnt be afraid to accept when we aren't good at something yet, instead we should work hard to achieve that which are not good at yet. TM
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Clifton
Clifton
We are a data driven society.  Despite what test results may indicate, scores on college entrance exams, or IQ tests, do not define whether or not a person can handle the rigor of college, or that of a gifted program.  What it really boils down to is hard work.  How much hard work is someone willing to give to do what it takes.  I do believe some individuals are born with natural abilities.  I've seen it.  Those abilities had to be unlocked, but many of us have heard of or known someone who learned how to play a musical instrument on their own and without any instruction.  They had to start practicing the instrument, but without any formal teaching if they learned to play that's natural gift.  Other than those special circumstances most of us have to work hard at something before we're good at it.  However, we can learn it if given the opportunity, the training, and if we have the desire to really learn it.  I often think of the students in the movie Stand and Deliver with the teacher Jaime Escalante.  His first group of students that passed the AP math exam were never expected to, and not only did they pass it once, but twice.  What most don't know about that story is all the work and effort that other teachers provided to help those students perform at high levels, and the desire the students had to learn.  It was a monumental effort, and not just one individual.  
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Cristen Phillipsen
Cristen Phillipsen
I love the concept of growth mindset! It's something I think about a lot when I'm working with students or even when I'm playing with my nephew and niece. I do notice that I have the urge to say things like, "You're so smart!" or "You're so good at [this thing they didn't put much effort into achieving]". But these types of phrases only encourage the idea that the person has some innate quality that they were born with.
I added the article, "Carol Dweck Revisits the 'Growth Mindset'." This article emphasizes that praising effort is not enough to encourage a growth mindset. For example, if a student is putting in effort, but does not have the correct strategies or tools, it's not a good idea to only say something like, "I like that you're working hard!" We need to also engage the student's thinking, in order to provide them with new learning strategies and encourage them to seek help when they need it. I think a good number of our PI phrases do this, "It is okay if you do not know! We can work together to find out." and "I understand why you think that, but let's look at this another way." come to mind. Both of these phrases redirect the student towards successful strategies.
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Jeremy Shock
Jeremy Shock
Growth mindset has always been fascinating to me. It is fascinating in large part because of the seemingly simple nature of the approach. If we can encourage students (and people) to realize that they have so much potential if they apply themselves, learn from their mistakes and don't give up, they can grow their brains and be successful in so many things. The impact of that change of mindset is so powerful. The article we read that talked about "brilliance" and the implications on gender and race bias was really interesting. Specifically the part about the language used in describing opportunities to different genders and how "brilliance language" could increase anxiety and decrease sense of belonging among women was very interesting and sad. Another big takeaway for me was the piece on being mindful of "false growth mindsets" and how simply telling a student to "try harder next time" is not enough, but we should focus on the strategy used, identify what went wrong, learn from the mistake and try a new strategy. The link below is a short article about how important a "growth mindset culture" is to the success of Microsoft under their new CEO.
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Melissa Mitchell
Melissa Mitchell
Until reading that article and watching those videos I didn't think having the gifted classroom was bad. I thought it was a great way for the kids who excel to be challenged. I never thought that by pulling them out and telling them they are going to gifted which is where the smart kids go could be so detrimental to them.  Things always came easy to me in school, until I hit a wall in College.  Then I struggled to study, struggled to teach myself, I still struggle.  Which is why I make sure kids are praised for their effort and not for their "smartness."
I loved the idea of the Power of Yet.  Babies can't walk at first but they will, and parents know that and say as much.  Why can't we use this same idea for our students who don't yet know how to multiply or divide correctly?  Why can't we tell them you aren't there yet, but you will be?    The answer is we can and we should.  I know I plan to come up with phrases that speak to the power of yet, and hopefully it will encourage kids to want to learn more!
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Love the books in that article!!

I agree about the gifted programs. I remember being *devestated* that I wasn't chosen for the gifted program and that my best friend was! I used to be so jealous at the *special treatment* she got in school, but also found it fascinating when she didn't know something that was so *simple* to me.

I did see some down side to this later as I student taught. In particular, there was a young man in *gifted* program and he was having difficulty in what we thought should be an *easy* topic for him. The teacher said something to the effect that he was being lazy today or wasn't trying because he was *gifted,*  which didn't sound right to me, but this woman was a well-seasoned verteran in the classroom (and grading my semester) so I didn't have enough bravery to say, "just because he is *gifted* doesn't mean he knows everything!"

Nancy
Nancy
"Not yet" is so liberating for teachers and students! It relieves the pressure of getting a "grade" for school work. I first learned about the concept of "Not Yet" in a TedX talk given by the founder of Khan Academy (Sal Khan), about teaching for mastery, and it just clicked right then for me! I think that it would be a wise decision for schools to consider a continuum of achievement for mastery of concepts rather than the old-school system of assigning grades. This type of change would have the potential to enable students to more readily see the results of hard work and persistence when they achieve their moment of academic growth; moving from "Not Yet" to "Got it Now!"...definitely a cause for celebration! 
 

 
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Jamie
Jamie
We have very important jobs and tasks to accomplish being live teacher coaches! We can be powerful puzzle pieces in helping the students realize that some sort of math brilliance is not required to be capable of successful math-related subjects.  He or she can accomplishing amazing things with effort! A way to build that bridge of YET is by praising wisely... meaning praising for effort and process rather than providing us with correct answers.
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Anonymous 1h
I agree with you, Jamie, using the right words at the right time is so powerful in encouraging our students to work to their full potential! Well said!

Anonymous 24m
I like how you mentioned not just praising, but praising wisely. I plan to be much more mindful of the praise I give while in pz. I also appreciate in your picture how the words teacher and coaching go together. I like to think of myself more of a math coach most days! - LG
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Kay
Kay
I've always explained to my students that mistakes help your brain grow and that I had no doubt they could learn to do whatever the task or concept at hand was. But what really struck me was how detrimental the 'gifted' label is - to students both with and without that label. One of the girls in the 'Rethinking Giftedness' video did a great job in articulating how the idea of being 'gifted' prevents people from helping each other and learning from each other. The whole topic really got my wheels turning and helps me do some needed re-calibration. It's not that I bought in to the whole 'gifted' thing; I think it's completely archaic. But the article and video really showed me how detrimental it is and how I need to make sure that I'm not supporting that mindset in any way.

One more thing that struck me was the age that females start viewing males as 'better' at math. Monday's article says it happens around age 6, but it's unknown why. Well, age 6 is when kids typically start first grade. So, the idea is so indoctrinated in our society that manages to come through and girls learn right away in school the fallacy that 'boys are smarter'.
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Hester Southerland
Hester Southerland
This is my favorite because my granddaughter has autism and she struggles to learn.  However, she loves to dress in Super hero costumes and we consistently  emphasize that her brain is growing as she struggles to learn new concepts
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Anonymous 15m
Thank you for sharing this, Hester. IIt is definitely important to emphasize that we all are capable of learning regardless of what other people see as our "limitations." TM
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Melissa Cox
Melissa Cox
These resources had me thinking a lot about how children are raised, what they hear, what they see, etc. and how all these experiences can shape minds at such an early age. We need to be mindful of words we use, how and what we praise, bias tendencies, how and what we teach, and even the message we convey as we look up to specific role-models. I like how the article said to praise effort rather than intelligence, but to explicitly frame it as a way of building ability. This goes hand-in-hand with Carol’s ‘not yet’ philosophy that contributes to equality within all classrooms. Abilities are capable of growth, and a growth mindset can thrive with suitable effort, strategies, and appropriate instructional guidance. 
Below: I like this image because I think it would be such a cool classroom decoration for motivation! :)
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Heather Chilleo
Heather Chilleo
I love the idea of “Not yet.” You may not know this yet, but you can learn it. Or you may not have mastered this yet, but you can work hard to master it in the future. This is so motivating and encouraging. It lets students know that if they keep working hard, they can learn anything. 
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Jeremy Shock 1h
This was one of my favorite tidbits from the growth mindset materials we saw this week. I've already started using this idea with my own kids by asking them, "Do you think you can do this?" and if they say "no," I say "Maybe not yet, but with some hard work, I think you'll learn how to do it!"
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Cassie Ulisse
Cassie Ulisse
The idea that really stood out to me was that we should praise effort rather than intelligence. When praised for intelligence, students are more likely to think that their ability is fixed and cannot be changed. When tasks become difficult, the student could believe they are no longer smart. However, when they are praised for their effort, they realize through hard work their talents can be improved and they begin to embrace challenges. Not only is this an important mindset to have in the classroom but it is an essential mindset to have in everyday life. Mistakes are proof that you are trying, and they will teach you the most important lessons in your life!

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Anonymous 1m
Cassie - I love what you have to say and couldn't agree more. Even with my own daughter, I find myself praising her efforts and not her intelligence. This idea of growth mindset has really been something I'm constantly thinking about as I choose my words when talking with students and my own children. I also love love love this image! It really shows the steps students may take as they evolve from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. If I were in a classroom, I would most definitely have this hanging on my wall for my students. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and this wonderful image! -Heather
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Crystal Boris
Crystal Boris
Thesew type of activities make me so happy! Learning or relearning about things I know helps my mind to grow and it becomes inspiring. It's so awesome to have seen these videos because it helps to bring back thoughts we as teachers may or may not have thought of recently. I'm not one to place labels on people and have never believed in the term gifted. Everyone has gifts and curriculum should be designed around the student not vise versa. This really helps us with a better focus on our word choice and our use of labels on students. It also helps us to think about a shift in our focus which is what both videos explained so well. Our focus should be placed on what the students is doing well not on praising the big words or the correct answer but praising the grit! Praising the perseverance. This is important as teachers, educatators, and also as parents. I've often told my daughter - you get out there and you beat the boys! Seems silly now. We need to help change student's focus or their mind set from negative to positive and that is why I love this image I am including here. I'd like to copy this quotation and use it over and over -  
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cassie_ulisse 1m
I really like how you mentioned that curriculum should be designed around the students. Individualized instruction is essential to ensure that each student is receiving the appropriate support tailored around their background knowledge. I love that when students work through lessons on Imagine that they are designed around the students needs!
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Michele Irwin
Michele Irwin 
I found it interesting in the video, the students' feelings about being labeled as gifted. This puts a lot of pressure on students because they feel they should never need help. Then you look at the students that aren't labeled as gifted and that makes a student feel like they should give up because they are just never going to be successful in anything. I thought this picture was a good reference to look at when I am in pz with students. It could be comments I could make in pz if a student has a negative thought on their growth mindset in math. 
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Kim Stanek
Kim Stanek
The idea that interested me is: "How can I change if I am stuck in a fixed mindset?" The definition of fixed versus growth mindsets is clear, what is not clear is how do we find ourselves more prone to take on one type instead of the other. So students need to be exposed to this growth mindset as young as possible for them to accept it as a normal part of everyone's life. "Choosing to be positive" is something repeated in all the videos I had watched. That is a very difficult idea. I think that we have to reprogram our brains to change in that way. I found some exercises that could help (such as finding the positives instead of being stuck in the negative - which studies have shown that "negative" has a more powerful influence on the brain than "positive" does.)
I loved the Tedx talk given (that I am sharing- and forgive the title, but there are some solid ideas here!) on how you can take some control over the things you wish to change in your life, and in turn changing our mindsets with success!
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Jeremy Shock 1h
Solid points here, Kim! I am pretty confident that I experienced more "fixed mindset" than "growth mindset" approaches in my education as a kid, and even somewhat into my college career. I'm all about the growth mindset approach, but like you, see that it can be a difficult shift to make for many depending on their prior experience and current environment and influences. Resources like the TedTalk you shared are inspiring and useful in helping make that shift to growth mindset living.
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Michelle Amigh
Michelle Amigh
All growing up throughout my school years there were students labeled as "gifted"   This gave the idea that they were the bright ones and the others called themselves "dumb".  I like how  it was said that here is no special gift necessary to learn math in school.  Success in school math is attainable for every students given the right  training and beliefs about ability.  I love the idea of "not yet" being used.
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jen_gilmore 2h
I love this picture! I went to a very small school with no gifted program. I feel like that helped to keep every student open-minded but looking back, I wanted a gifted program at the time. I wanted to be challenged more instead of lumped together with students who needed more time to work in one of my classes. I guess there are two sides to the coin. Glad it worked out the way it did. JenG
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Tino Mireles
Tino Mireles
 There were many points that resonated with me from the videos and article. For example, "to live in places that create growth, to live in places filled with yet."  It is important to remind students that one can really do anything if one works hard. We need to change the way we've been conditioned to think about what intelligence means. People have come to believe that the amount of time that it takes someone to complete a task determines how smart that person is. I do believe that the length of time one takes to complete a task can help you determine the level of understanding one has in a given area however we cannot use that to determine how intelligent a person is. 
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Laura Gardiner
Laura Gardiner
All of these videos make me want to be a student of this generation. I do think we need to rethink giftedness and the labels we advertently or inadvertently put on each other. I hope to continue to praise the process, not the answers; focusing my praise on such things as effort, improvement, strategies, focus and perseverance.  The first video made me wonder about our proactive intervention and if we might be underestimating a student's own math ability by offering unsolicited aid.
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Jen Gilmore
Jen Gilmore
 I enjoyed the videos back to back as I got to kind of contrast their ideaology. Carol Dweck and Jo Boaler have been great leaders in this movement. Dweck has great detail about feedback and questions directly to students/children to promote a growth mindset. Boaler has really great applicable information for administrators and teachers from a program point of view to have a system (or school or class) that promotes a growth mindset. The tasks given to students need to be of high cognitive demand and worth struggling with in order to grow. 
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Caren Glowa
Caren Glowa
I never thought about unknowingly telling kids that a specific group is better than another in the way we phrase a statement ("you {to a girl} did better than the boys on the math test"). Definitely something to keep in mind!
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I cringe a little when I see this gender point brought up. Perhaps it is my luck to have been raised after the explosion of the feminist movement, or in a small rural school that had 5 boys in a class of 25-30 lol).  I aways knew I was smart and my friends were smarter lol, and in my experiences (in my life and with what I was exposed to in schools), I felt that women have had to work far harder and smarter than the *boys.* So, in honesty, I would almost have a bias in the opposite direction, and my opinion of males' work ethics and intellegence would almost be lower than for females! But, I can see that there are parts of our country where males are still put to a higher standard or viewed in a different way, and that is why these types of training are valuable; we get to examine the data/statistics and the views/attitudes that our students might be exposed to in order to better serve ALL students.

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I found this topic fascinating and was able to see how a fixed mindset caused learning issues for some children that I had in my classroom. It was very difficult to overcome a child who already thought they couldn't do it and were told at home they couldn't do it. My favorite takeaway from the videos was the one fourth grade girl who had great insight into the losses that would happen if students were labeled and separated. She had said that maybe the kids would have collaborated well. And also my favorite point that she mentioned was what if someone was not labeled gifted, and they could have done something amazing! So very true. How many successful people tell their story and say they did not succeed in a traditional classroom setting. We never want to stop someone from reaching their potential and we need to learn how to overcome fixed mindset and foster a growth mindset environment. I liked this graphic that had practical ways to help with that.

# data[].attributes.body
These articles/videos have deeply struck a core with me. I deeply believe in following this growth mindset and apply it often with my programming. For example, 2 years ago when Jen Gilmore showed me an old script that Dustin had written and was approached by the leads for my first project they asked me "Can you make this?" At the the time a large part of me wanted to say "no" because I hadn't been programming all that much that particular year, but I approached it with a growth mindset saying "Yes, I can learn how to make it", and thus was given the opportunity to start the project. This obviously grew eventually to the Transcript Report and Efficiency Report. Now I am very comfortable being able to say "Yes I can learn how to do this thing" with almost anything.

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I think it's easy for adults to lose sight of the value of the "not yet" mentality. It can be easy for us to settle into our habits and stick to what we're good at. We often have to push ourselves quite hard to grow into new skills and abilities. Yet, we challenge our students to do this every day. Unless we model for children that we too have many "not yets" in our lives, the idea of currently being unable to do something can come across as daunting and scary for students. I like the attached picture because it shows a fun way for students to showcase the "not yets" in their lives that exist outside the classroom as well. Many of these skills are things the students know they will learn in time, so being able to connect those with math, which a student may not initially see as something they can eventually understand, is invaluable. I would like to see the teacher add his/her "not yets" to this too to show that growth is a lifelong attitude.

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We are a data driven society. Despite what test results may indicate, scores on college entrance exams, or IQ tests, do not define whether or not a person can handle the rigor of college, or that of a gifted program. What it really boils down to is hard work. How much hard work is someone willing to give to do what it takes. I do believe some individuals are born with natural abilities. I've seen it. Those abilities had to be unlocked, but many of us have heard of or known someone who learned how to play a musical instrument on their own and without any instruction. They had to start practicing the instrument, but without any formal teaching if they learned to play that's natural gift. Other than those special circumstances most of us have to work hard at something before we're good at it. However, we can learn it if given the opportunity, the training, and if we have the desire to really learn it. I often think of the students in the movie Stand and Deliver with the teacher Jaime Escalante. His first group of students that passed the AP math exam were never expected to, and not only did they pass it once, but twice. What most don't know about that story is all the work and effort that other teachers provided to help those students perform at high levels, and the desire the students had to learn. It was a monumental effort, and not just one individual.

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7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Self Improvement by Stephen Covey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get this book: http://amzn.to/2jgxuwM The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, written by Stephen Covey, is a great book on self development and personal improvement. In this video, you will get a complete understanding of all the habits, including examples for each step.

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I love the concept of growth mindset! It's something I think about a lot when I'm working with students or even when I'm playing with my nephew and niece. I do notice that I have the urge to say things like, "You're so smart!" or "You're so good at [this thing they didn't put much effort into achieving]". But these types of phrases only encourage the idea that the person has some innate quality that they were born with.
I added the article, "Carol Dweck Revisits the 'Growth Mindset'." This article emphasizes that praising effort is not enough to encourage a growth mindset. For example, if a student is putting in effort, but does not have the correct strategies or tools, it's not a good idea to only say something like, "I like that you're working hard!" We need to also engage the student's thinking, in order to provide them with new learning strategies and encourage them to seek help when they need it. I think a good number of our PI phrases do this, "It is okay if you do not know! We can work together to find out." and "I understand why you think that, but let's look at this another way." come to mind. Both of these phrases redirect the student towards successful strategies.

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For many years, I secretly worked on my research. I say "secretly" because, once upon a time, researchers simply published their research in professional journals-and there it stayed.

However, my colleagues and I learned things we thought people needed to know. We found that students' mindsets-how they perceive their abilities-played a key role in their motivation and achievement, and we found that if we changed students' mindsets, we could boost their achievement. More precisely, students who believed their intelligence could be developed (a growth mindset) outperformed those who believed their intelligence was fixed (a fixed mindset). And when students learned through a structured program that they could "grow their brains" and increase their intellectual abilities, they did better. Finally, we found that having children focus on the process that leads to learning (like hard work or trying new strategies) could foster a growth mindset and its benefits.

So a few years back, I published my book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success to share these discoveries with educators. And many educators have applied the mindset principles in spectacular ways with tremendously gratifying results.

This is wonderful, and the good word continues to spread. But as we've watched the growth mindset become more popular, we've become much wiser about how to implement it. This learning-the common pitfalls, the misunderstandings, and what to do about them-is what I'd like to share with you, so that we can maximize the benefits for our students.

A growth mindset isn't just about effort. Perhaps the most common misconception is simply equating the growth mindset with effort. Certainly, effort is key for students' achievement, but it's not the only thing. Students need to try new strategies and seek input from others when they're stuck. They need this repertoire of approaches-not just sheer effort-to learn and improve.

We also need to remember that effort is a means to an end to the goal of learning and improving. Too often nowadays, praise is given to students who are putting forth effort, but not learning, in order to make them feel good in the moment: "Great effort! You tried your best!" It's good that the students tried, but it's not good that they're not learning. The growth-mindset approach helps children feel good in the short and long terms, by helping them thrive on challenges and setbacks on their way to learning. When they're stuck, teachers can appreciate their work so far, but add: "Let's talk about what you've tried, and what you can try next."

Recently, someone asked what keeps me up at night. It's the fear that the mindset concepts, which grew up to counter the failed self-esteem movement, will be used to perpetuate that movement. In other words, if you want to make students feel good, even if they're not learning, just praise their effort! Want to hide learning gaps from them? Just tell them, "Everyone is smart!" The growth mindset was intended to help close achievement gaps, not hide them. It is about telling the truth about a student's current achievement and then, together, doing something about it, helping him or her become smarter.

I also fear that the mindset work is sometimes used to justify why some students aren't learning: "Oh, he has a fixed mindset." We used to blame the child's environment or ability.

Must it always come back to finding a reason why some children just can't learn, as opposed to finding a way to help them learn? Teachers who understand the growth mindset do everything in their power to unlock that learning.

A few years ago, my colleague in Australia, Susan Mackie, detected an outbreak of what she called "false growth mindset." She was seeing educators who claimed to have a growth mindset, but whose words and actions didn't reflect it. At first, I was skeptical. But before long, I saw it, too, and I understood why.

In many quarters, a growth mindset had become the right thing to have, the right way to think. It was as though educators were faced with a choice: Are you an enlightened person who fosters students' well-being? Or are you an unenlightened person, with a fixed mindset, who undermines them? So, of course, many claimed the growth-mindset identity. But the path to a growth mindset is a journey, not a proclamation.

Let's look at what happens when teachers, or parents, claim a growth mindset, but don't follow through. In recent research, Kathy Liu Sun found that there were many math teachers who endorsed a growth mindset and even said the words "growth mindset" in their middle school math classes, but did not follow through in their classroom practices. In these cases, their students tended to endorse more of a fixed mindset about their math ability. My advisee and research collaborator Kyla Haimovitz and I are finding many parents who endorse a growth mindset, but react to their children's mistakes as though they are problematic or harmful, rather than helpful. In these cases, their children develop more of a fixed mindset about their intelligence.

How can we help educators adopt a deeper, true growth mindset, one that will show in their classroom practices? You may be surprised by my answer: Let's legitimize the fixed mindset. Let's acknowledge that (1) we're all a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets, (2) we will probably always be, and (3) if we want to move closer to a growth mindset in our thoughts and practices, we need to stay in touch with our fixed-mindset thoughts and deeds.

If we "ban" the fixed mindset, we will surely create false growth-mindsets. (By the way, I also fear that if we use mindset measures for accountability, we will create false growth mindsets on an unprecedented scale.) But if we watch carefully for our fixed-mindset triggers, we can begin the true journey to a growth mindset.
What are your triggers?
Watch for a fixed-mindset reaction when you face challenges. Do you feel overly anxious, or does a voice in your head warn you away? Watch for it when you face a setback in your teaching, or when students aren't listening or learning. Do you feel incompetent or defeated? Do you look for an excuse? Watch to see whether criticism brings out your fixed mindset. Do you become defensive, angry, or crushed instead of interested in learning from the feedback? Watch what happens when you see an educator who's better than you at something you value. Do you feel envious and threatened, or do you feel eager to learn? Accept those thoughts and feelings and work with and through them. And keep working with and through them.

My colleagues and I are taking a growth-mindset stance toward our message to educators. Maybe we originally put too much emphasis on sheer effort. Maybe we made the development of a growth mindset sound too easy. Maybe we talked too much about people having one mindset or the other, rather than portraying people as mixtures. We are on a growth-mindset journey, too.

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Carol Dweck Revisits the 'Growth Mindset' (Opinion)

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Carol Dweck, who parsed the difference between a "fixed" and a "growth" mindset, clarifies her theories of intelligence.

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Growth mindset has always been fascinating to me. It is fascinating in large part because of the seemingly simple nature of the approach. If we can encourage students (and people) to realize that they have so much potential if they apply themselves, learn from their mistakes and don't give up, they can grow their brains and be successful in so many things. The impact of that change of mindset is so powerful. The article we read that talked about "brilliance" and the implications on gender and race bias was really interesting. Specifically the part about the language used in describing opportunities to different genders and how "brilliance language" could increase anxiety and decrease sense of belonging among women was very interesting and sad. Another big takeaway for me was the piece on being mindful of "false growth mindsets" and how simply telling a student to "try harder next time" is not enough, but we should focus on the strategy used, identify what went wrong, learn from the mistake and try a new strategy. The link below is a short article about how important a "growth mindset culture" is to the success of Microsoft under their new CEO.

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Four years ago Satya Nadella took the helm at Microsoft. Under his leadership, the value of the company has tripled. it could be the first company worth a trillion dollars. The story of the culture and strategy refresh is told in a new book titled Hit Refresh . Satya's co-authors were Greg Shaw and Jill Tracie Nichols. Both worked with the last three CEOs at Microsoft and have a great perspective on the ups and downs of the company.

In a recent conversation ( listen to the podcast), Greg and Jill discuss the importance of the cultural refresh at Microsoft--one inspired by Stanford professor Carol Dweck's research on growth mindset . Like Angela Duckworth at Penn, Dweck discovered that human capability is not fixed at birth but malleable based on effort.

With this key insight, Nadella made lifelong learning a priority at Microsoft--it's even highlighted on employee badges.The focus shifted from " Know it all to learn it all."

Nadella puts out a video every month on what he's learned. "He's very thoughtful about how he reinforces key cultural elements," said Jill.

In the new Microsoft culture, they talk about meeting the unmet, often unarticulated, needs of customers. Greg insists that this goes beyond just listening and involves a lot of active empathy.

When Nadella took over, Microsoft had big high margin business, but the world was shifting and a tech shift is easier than a business model shift. The company had framed success around particular products but Satya realized that going forward success would not be made by moving from hit to hit to hit, it would be about the batting average--and that's a function of learning and culture.

Inspired in part by his special needs son, Nadella made accessibility a product priority. A set of integrated tools in Office 365, OneNote, and the Edge browser make it easy for struggling readers and their teachers to adjust size, spacing, and colors, to add voice and auto-scrolling with a ruler. Last month they added a visual dictionary.

Like Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Satya is a technology optimist, he thinks it can boost productivity, increase inclusion, and solve problems.

But technology is also going to produce massive displacements. "That's the big question facing mankind right now," said Greg. "We're transitioning to new industrial age, the next big transition is data everywhere where cognitive services and robots will do things faster and better than some humans."

Hit Refresh is optimistic about ways that tech will augment humans, grow the number of mid-tech jobs, and lead to social surplus.
The Writing Backstory
Greg Shaw ( ) grew up a reader in rural Oklahoma, " Reading was my constant companion." He started writing for his high school newspaper. His idol was Lou Grant, the tough news editor on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Greg would type out the first few dozen words from the regional newspaper to imprint the practices of good writers.

He graduated from Broken Arrow High and studied journalism at Northeastern State . Son of a wheat farmer in cotton country, Greg was the first in his family to graduate from college.

He edited the Cherokee newspaper before serving as a speechwriter in the Reagan administration. Greg managed public relations at Microsoft in the 90s. We worked together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the 2000s where he led local grantmaking and helped shape the foundation's early childhood initiative.

Greg and I worked on Bill Gates' speech to the February 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools. That speech helped me appreciate Bill's advocacy platform. "Bill learned through his speeches, they were always an exercise in learning the content. He had a great sense of what he wanted to communicate and how to use his platform," said Shaw.

Jill Tracie Nichols ( @JillTracie) grew up in New Jersey. When bothered by a roller rink incident, Jill's mother urged her to write a letter to the owner. It taught her that carefully expressed opinion mattered. After attending tiny Houghton College she worked in HR and change management in telecom and tech before leading communications for Steve Ballmer. After a quick four day transition, Jill became Satya Nadella's chief of staff.

Initially disappointed in Ballmer's retirement, Jill recalled that Steve said if he didn't change, the company never would. (She's on his left elbow in the featured image.)

"A lot goes into good writing that's not writing," said Greg. Of the research process, he said the key is "being as open and inquisitive as you can be, going as deep as you can within a deadline, and organizing and adding structure what you've learned."

"Writing is hard," said Shaw, "but the thing in which I take my greatest pleasure. I hate puzzles, but get pleasure out of writing in the same way that some people love problem solving."

Jill took early inspiration from the Annie Dillard classic The Writing Life where Dillard urged, "Write as if you were dying," and "assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients."

Greg writes alone devoting four to six hours a day, seven days a week. Jill is happiest collaborating, brainstorming and bouncing ideas off collaborators. With different styles, it's important to be clear about who's got what role.

On editing, Jill said the key is to make sure every paragraph counts by asking, "What are we trying to achieve with this passage?"

On learning to write, Greg appreciates watching his own kids. "My daughter had a teacher that encouraged brave writing, she said don't let rules and structures get in the way, go for it. Don't second guess, pour it out and let it go, then go back and refine and edit." Shaw added, "Everyone is a writer, everyone is an author."

Echoing Annie Dillard, Jill said, "Don't let facts get in the way of the truth, start and let it fly, get characters on the page, find out where can this go." She finds that honest journaling is a great way to bring more voice into nonfiction writing.

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Hit Refresh: How A Growth Mindset Culture Tripled Microsoft's Value

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Four years ago Satya Nadella took the helm at Microsoft. Under his leadership, the value of the company has tripled. it could be the first company worth a trillion dollars. The story of the culture and strategy refresh is told in a new book titled Hit Refresh .

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Until reading that article and watching those videos I didn't think having the gifted classroom was bad. I thought it was a great way for the kids who excel to be challenged. I never thought that by pulling them out and telling them they are going to gifted which is where the smart kids go could be so detrimental to them.  Things always came easy to me in school, until I hit a wall in College.  Then I struggled to study, struggled to teach myself, I still struggle.  Which is why I make sure kids are praised for their effort and not for their "smartness."
I loved the idea of the Power of Yet.  Babies can't walk at first but they will, and parents know that and say as much.  Why can't we use this same idea for our students who don't yet know how to multiply or divide correctly?  Why can't we tell them you aren't there yet, but you will be?    The answer is we can and we should.  I know I plan to come up with phrases that speak to the power of yet, and hopefully it will encourage kids to want to learn more!

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Did you know that you can actually help your kids get smarter?

Today's scientific brain research shows that by teaching kids about something called "Growth Mindset" - you can help them become better learners, become more persistent, and more intelligent and resilient overall!

This post breaks it all down for you. You'll find 10 easy tips to teach your child to have a growth mindset and you'll be well on your way to helping your child be the best person they can be!

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post. See my disclosure for more details.
The Parenting Scenario

I first became interested in learning about growth mindset when my 5 year old son Onetime started resisting practising piano.

Me: It's time to practise your piano.

Onetime: (groans) I'm tired Mama.

Me: Your teacher expects you to practise everyday so you get better honey.

Onetime: Ughhh...can we do it later?

Me: (starting to groan inside too...) We need to do it now so we don't run out of time before bedtime.

Every night it would be the same conversation...over and over...groan after groan.

I really need to figure this out, I thought, if he's going to continue to take and enjoy music lessons - something I really value.

After wondering if learning about growth mindset might help, we had a little chat about how every time Onetime plays his piano scales, the neurons in his brain are growing more and more connections together.

Holding my hands towards each other and wiggling my fingers to show how the neurons reach for each other and connect up, I could see his eyes light up.

Once the connections are there, the scales and songs get much easier to play because the messages to your hands from your brain move faster and easier, I explained.

Although I'd like to say that Onetime began gleefully practising after our chat, I can't. But he did give the scales a second go for the day and noticed himself that the second time was better than the first.

Next piano class, I even overheard him telling his piano teacher all about how neurons start to grow more connections the more he practises!

My son has a fixed mindset about a lot of things, and I figure it's going to be a bit of a trek to help him develop a growth mindset. But knowing what I know about the power of mindsets, and their correlation with later success in life and happiness, I figure it's worth my time to learn as much as I can about how to help him develop a positive mindset.

My Growth Mindset Research

In order to help my son, I started reading as much as I could about mindsets, and looking for resources to help teach him. And I found a goldmine of good stuff!

It's taken me a while to gather these up for this post and my list continues to grow. I've done my best to distill the research out there into 10 simple guidelines to help guide kids to have a growth mindset.

For each tip, you'll find strategies to teach it, as well as picture books and other resources that help reinforce the concept.

But before I share these 10 tips with you, you might want to take a few minutes to learn a bit about what having a growth mindset means and how it benefits children and parents.

Today's post is the final in a mini-series of three posts. Although the posts can be read in any order, you might find that you understand more if you start from the beginning with: Growth Mindset for Parents 101 and then check out the Growth Mindset Self-Assessment.

Already up to speed on growth mindset? Read on!

10 Ways to Help Your Child Develop a Growth Mindset

1. Teach your child about the brain and how it learns

According to Dr. Dan Siegel, M.D. author of The Whole-Brain Child , kids start to develop a growth mindset just from learning about how their brain works and grows.

Once kids understand that the brain actually physically grows connections as they practise and learn new skills and concepts, they get excited about the learning process and feel less worried about making mistakes.

The more you use your brain the more brain you'll have to use! ~ Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: Stretch It, Shape It by JoAnn Deak

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain explains in kid-friendly language what the brain is and how it works. It explains how connections between neurons strengthen the more we practise a skill and it helps kids understand how effort and persistence boost their intelligence! It has fun illustrations and will lead to lots of interesting discussions about growth mindset.
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
A Walk in the Rain with a Brain by Edward M. Hallowell - a kid-friendly tour of how the brain works and grows

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind |

The Whole-Brain Child Workbook: Practical Exercises, Worksheets and Activities to Nurture Developing Minds by Dan Siegel

2. Teach your child about the different mindsets

If you want your kids to develop a growth mindset, self-awareness is a great place to start! I know I need to work on this myself.

You can start by teaching them to recognize the two different mindsets by reading them books or by watching a video.

After a few lessons at school about the basic differences between the two mindsets, all of my Kindies (4 and 5 year olds) could differentiate between examples of the two mindsets when discussing story characters.

I regularly hear my junior students (grade 4-6) point out fixed mindsets in each other, and my intermediate students (grades 7 and 8) can apply the terms to accurately describe the thinking and policies of Donald Trump!Ha!

Making A Splash - Growth Mindset for Kids by Carol E. Reiley

Making a Splash is a fun book that shows the differences in mindsets between two siblings learning to swim. This book has everything you need to explain growth mindset to your child.

It emphasizes effort and persistence in achieving success, and explains why some people have to work harder than others at certain skills. It even has a detailed section for parents that explains growth mindset and gives all kinds of suggestions for discussion with your child.
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck - Learn all about the two mindsets and how they impact the way we approach relationships, work and life!

3. Model growth mindset thinking

One of the best ways we can encourage our children to have a growth mindset is to work on developing one ourselves. After all, as developmental psychologists have known for a long time, kids learn much of their behaviour and attitudes from watching how we react to our challenges.

The easiest way to do this is to let your kids overhear you thinking aloud positive phrases when you make mistakes or find something difficult

Instead of... "I'm not very good at this." or "This is too hard."

Say... "This is really hard for me. I guess I better keep practising."

Although it may feel a little awkward at first, the more you do it, the more natural it becomes and sounds.

This thinking aloud strategy is commonly used by teachers when modelling how to think while reading and you should notice eventually that your children will start to use these phrases themselves.

I Knew You Could: A Book for All the Stops in Your Life by Craig Dorfman

I'm in love with this modern sequel to The Little Engine That Could. I've given this book as a gift to students graduating from highschool and university as well as read it to my school-aged students.

It documents the little engine's travels through the difficult and challenging journey of life. He meets obstacles with a positive attitude and learns that his attitude often determines how things turn out.
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka - This is such an encouraging book for any child struggling with learning to ride a bicycle, or any other skill.

4. Discuss negative and positive self-talk

Talk to your kids about their "inner voice" and how it sometimes tells them things that aren't always helpful. Teach them to challenge those negative inner statements with more positive alternatives.

Sylvia Duckworth, my favourite sketch-noter, and a fellow Canadian, created this fantastic sketch-note which should give you some ideas of where to start.

Visit Sylvia's website!

Bubble Gum Brain by Julia Cook
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
This hilarious book likens having a growth mindset to having a brain made of bubble gum that grows and constantly learns and stretches. It tells the funny story of two boys trying to learn how to ride a unicycle. The one boy has bubble gum brain and the other has "brick brain" - or a fixed mindset.

The book shows the different kinds of self-talk that kids with both mindsets tend to have and it teaches how having a growth mindset encourages perseverance and success.

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

This classic story has been around for generations because of its timeless message that a positive attitude and effort is more important to your success than your talents.

You'll be joining your child chanting "I think I can, I think I can!" by the end of this one.

My Day Is Ruined!: A Story Teaching Flexible Thinking by Bryan Smith

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack

5. Recognize effort over success

Instead of focusing your attention on the times when your child is successful, recognize the times when they are putting effort into what they are doing.

After all, no one can control whether they are successful or not. All they can do is try.

So if you recognize your child's efforts, win or lose, they will come to understand that what is important is their effort.

This kind of recognition promotes an internal sense of self-efficacy.

In other words, your child will come to believe that her successes are due to her level of effort (which she can control), rather than an innate level of talent or skill (that she can't control).

Additionally, recognizing effort is not just helpful for kids who struggle. It is also helpful for kids who achieve success easily because it pushes them to continue challenging themselves.

Sometimes You Win-Sometimes You Learn for Kids by John C. Maxwell

When Wendy and Wade lose their Woggleball game, their grandfather helps them realize that important lessons are learned from losses. The kids learn about setting goals for improvement, and the importance of persistence and effort in success.
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
A great book to start conversations about the importance of failures.

Winning takes effort, this much you will see. What you learn from your loss can bring victory!

6. Teach them the power of "YET"

I can't tie my shoes.

I can't ride a bike.

I can't read.

Have you heard these words, or something similar?

It can be heartbreaking to hear your child say these things. And it's almost guaranteed that they are feeling frustrated, sad and hopeless when they say them.

Why not next time you hear such a phrase, add on the word "YET" to the end of their sentence. And point it out to the child.

Just feel the difference...

I can't tie my shoes YET.

I can't ride a bike YET.

I can't read YET.

It's more hopeful, more optimistic, and so much more encouraging.

Teach your child to add the magical power of YET to their thoughts and words!

When Pigs Fly by Valerie Coulman

An adorable story about a cow named Ralph who wants his Dad to buy him a bicycle. The father cow tells him that he'll buy Ralph a bicycle when pigs fly. From there on, Ralph endeavors to find a way to help pigs fly.
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
Along the way, he models the power of YET and shows that with a little creative thinking, and a lot of persistence, any obstacle can be overcome!

This book can be difficult to find in print, but there is a great little video of it here you can watch.

A fun Power of "YET" poster from Creative Access.

Another free Yet poster from Danielle Murphy.

7. Help them set goals

Helping your child set goals for himself, and then guiding him through the process of achieving those goals, helps boost his ability to see himself as capable of continual improvement and learning.

According to Carol Dweck, it's important that when we set goals we come up with a specific plan to improve.

Have you heard of a S.M.A.R.T. goal? Basically, this is an acronym for helping to set meaningful goals. All goals should have all of the following components.

S = Specific - Who? What? Where? When will I work on this?

M= Measurable - How will we know if we succeed?

A = Achievable - Is this realistic? Can this be done? Do I have only 1 or 2 goals to focus on?

R = Relevant - How will this help me? Can I see the benefits of achieving this goal?

T = Timely - When do I want to be able to do this by?

To do some goal-setting with your child, start by having your child brainstorm and record all the things they do well, and then brainstorm things they want to get better at.

You can then help your child come up with a plan for achieving their goals, ensuring that it is achievable by breaking it down into manageable steps.

When your child has decided on their goal, why not invite them to record it on this free g oal-setting printable created by the Crazy for First Grade blog.

Someday by Eileen Spinelli
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
A beautiful book about a young girl and her dreams for the future. From discovering dinosaur bones to travelling the world to competing in the Olympics, this book will inspire kids to think big and to imagine endless possibilities for themselves.

Someday provides a great place to start talking with your child about his or her dreams and what they can start doing now to move towards those goals!

Today I Will: A Year of Quotes, Notes, and Promises to Myself by Eileen and Jerry Spinelli

How to Teach Kids Perseverance and Goal-Setting - fantastic article at Parents.com

8. Celebrate mistakes and struggles

Allow your kids to fail and make mistakes.

But, isn't that hard to do? And why would you want to do that if you can help them succeed?

Because making mistakes is how we learn.

Instead of teaching our kids to fear mistakes, why not teach them to celebrate mistakes?

At the end of the school day, ask about what was difficult today, or what they worked hard on.

At dinnertime, ask each person at the table to share a mistake they made today and what they learned from it.

After a failure, talk about what they would do differently next time to improve.

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
Rosie wants to be an engineer. She loves designing and building new inventions, but becomes scared of making mistakes when one of her inventions is made fun of. When supportive Great Aunt Rose visits, Rosie learns that mistakes are a part of learning and should be celebrated for what they teach!

I love how Great Aunt Rose cheers Rosie on by saying, "Your brilliant first flop was a raging success. C'mon let's get busy and on to the next."

Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be by Charlotte Foltz Jones

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg

It's Okay to Make Mistakes by Todd Parr

Watch this video on celebrating mistakes with kids by Positive Parenting Solutions.

Read about this parenting technique that supports kids when they're struggling.

9. Avoid labeling your child and others

Whether it's a good label (You are so smart!) or a negative one (Don't be such a lazy bones!), when we label our kids, we are placing them in a figurative box that outlines how they are supposed to be.

Instead of motivating kids, both positive and negative labels communicate a fixed mindset.

If we want our kids to understand that they can continually grow, change and improve, we want them to believe that regardless of their innate talents, their success depends on the amount of effort and time they put in.

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
Beatrice is an amazing kid. Every year she wins the local talent show and she always manages to do everything right. Everyone in town calls her "The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes." Until one day she does, and Beatrice learns that it's much more fun to live a life full of imperfection.

This story teaches the reader that it's okay to make mistakes, and the importance of not taking yourself too seriously.

Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery by Judy Arnall

Read about Self-Esteem and the dangers of labelling children, both good and bad.

10. Model growth mindset behaviour

Let your kids see you...

Persisting with difficult tasks

Trying to learn something new

Taking on challenges with enthusiasm

Making mistakes and persisting

Meeting failures with renewed effort to succeed

Sky Pig by Jan. L. Coates
Other Helpful Books and Resources:
In this adorable story, a pig who really wants to fly tries making all kinds of inventions to get him into the sky. One after one, his inventions fail but he never gives up and in the end, his persistence pays off.

It's perfect for talking about persistence, and the importance of having a positive attitude towards failure. I also love the gorgeous illustrations which are a mix of plasticine and paper collage elements!

What Do You Do With a Problem? by Kobi Yamada

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett

Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds

Ryan The Spy and: The Inventor's Secret: A Growth Mindset Series by Jason Rago

That's it for my tips and recommendations to help a child develop a growth mindset. If you have any other ideas - I would truly love to hear them. Leave me a comment below!

Find even more ideas and resources on my Growth Mindset Parenting Pinterest board!

Keep on growing!

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10 Ways to Teach Kids to Have a Growth Mindset - One Time Through

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Did you know that you can actually help your kids get smarter? Today's scientific brain research shows that by teaching kids about something called "Growth Mindset" - you can help them become better learners, become more persistent, and more intelligent and resilient overall! This post breaks it all down for you.

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"Not yet" is so liberating for teachers and students! It relieves the pressure of getting a "grade" for school work. I first learned about the concept of "Not Yet" in a TedX talk given by the founder of Khan Academy (Sal Khan), about teaching for mastery, and it just clicked right then for me! I think that it would be a wise decision for schools to consider a continuum of achievement for mastery of concepts rather than the old-school system of assigning grades. This type of change would have the potential to enable students to more readily see the results of hard work and persistence when they achieve their moment of academic growth; moving from "Not Yet" to "Got it Now!"...definitely a cause for celebration!

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We have very important jobs and tasks to accomplish being live teacher coaches! We can be powerful puzzle pieces in helping the students realize that some sort of math brilliance is not required to be capable of successful math-related subjects.  He or she can accomplishing amazing things with effort! A way to build that bridge of YET is by praising wisely... meaning praising for effort and process rather than providing us with correct answers.

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I've always explained to my students that mistakes help your brain grow and that I had no doubt they could learn to do whatever the task or concept at hand was. But what really struck me was how detrimental the 'gifted' label is - to students both with and without that label. One of the girls in the 'Rethinking Giftedness' video did a great job in articulating how the idea of being 'gifted' prevents people from helping each other and learning from each other. The whole topic really got my wheels turning and helps me do some needed re-calibration. It's not that I bought in to the whole 'gifted' thing; I think it's completely archaic. But the article and video really showed me how detrimental it is and how I need to make sure that I'm not supporting that mindset in any way.

One more thing that struck me was the age that females start viewing males as 'better' at math. Monday's article says it happens around age 6, but it's unknown why. Well, age 6 is when kids typically start first grade. So, the idea is so indoctrinated in our society that manages to come through and girls learn right away in school the fallacy that 'boys are smarter'.

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This is my favorite because my granddaughter has autism and she struggles to learn. However, she loves to dress in Super hero costumes and we consistently emphasize that her brain is growing as she struggles to learn new concepts

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These resources had me thinking a lot about how children are raised, what they hear, what they see, etc. and how all these experiences can shape minds at such an early age. We need to be mindful of words we use, how and what we praise, bias tendencies, how and what we teach, and even the message we convey as we look up to specific role-models. I like how the article said to praise effort rather than intelligence, but to explicitly frame it as a way of building ability. This goes hand-in-hand with Carol’s ‘not yet’ philosophy that contributes to equality within all classrooms. Abilities are capable of growth, and a growth mindset can thrive with suitable effort, strategies, and appropriate instructional guidance.
Below: I like this image because I think it would be such a cool classroom decoration for motivation! :)

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I love the idea of “Not yet.” You may not know this yet, but you can learn it. Or you may not have mastered this yet, but you can work hard to master it in the future. This is so motivating and encouraging. It lets students know that if they keep working hard, they can learn anything.

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The idea that really stood out to me was that we should praise effort rather than intelligence. When praised for intelligence, students are more likely to think that their ability is fixed and cannot be changed. When tasks become difficult, the student could believe they are no longer smart. However, when they are praised for their effort, they realize through hard work their talents can be improved and they begin to embrace challenges. Not only is this an important mindset to have in the classroom but it is an essential mindset to have in everyday life. Mistakes are proof that you are trying, and they will teach you the most important lessons in your life!

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Thesew type of activities make me so happy! Learning or relearning about things I know helps my mind to grow and it becomes inspiring. It's so awesome to have seen these videos because it helps to bring back thoughts we as teachers may or may not have thought of recently. I'm not one to place labels on people and have never believed in the term gifted. Everyone has gifts and curriculum should be designed around the student not vise versa. This really helps us with a better focus on our word choice and our use of labels on students. It also helps us to think about a shift in our focus which is what both videos explained so well. Our focus should be placed on what the students is doing well not on praising the big words or the correct answer but praising the grit! Praising the perseverance. This is important as teachers, educatators, and also as parents. I've often told my daughter - you get out there and you beat the boys! Seems silly now. We need to help change student's focus or their mind set from negative to positive and that is why I love this image I am including here. I'd like to copy this quotation and use it over and over -

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I found it interesting in the video, the students' feelings about being labeled as gifted. This puts a lot of pressure on students because they feel they should never need help. Then you look at the students that aren't labeled as gifted and that makes a student feel like they should give up because they are just never going to be successful in anything. I thought this picture was a good reference to look at when I am in pz with students. It could be comments I could make in pz if a student has a negative thought on their growth mindset in math.

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The idea that interested me is: "How can I change if I am stuck in a fixed mindset?" The definition of fixed versus growth mindsets is clear, what is not clear is how do we find ourselves more prone to take on one type instead of the other. So students need to be exposed to this growth mindset as young as possible for them to accept it as a normal part of everyone's life. "Choosing to be positive" is something repeated in all the videos I had watched. That is a very difficult idea. I think that we have to reprogram our brains to change in that way. I found some exercises that could help (such as finding the positives instead of being stuck in the negative - which studies have shown that "negative" has a more powerful influence on the brain than "positive" does.)
I loved the Tedx talk given (that I am sharing- and forgive the title, but there are some solid ideas here!) on how you can take some control over the things you wish to change in your life, and in turn changing our mindsets with success!

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How to stop screwing yourself over | Mel Robbins | TEDxSF

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All growing up throughout my school years there were students labeled as "gifted"   This gave the idea that they were the bright ones and the others called themselves "dumb".  I like how  it was said that here is no special gift necessary to learn math in school.  Success in school math is attainable for every students given the right  training and beliefs about ability.  I love the idea of "not yet" being used.

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There were many points that resonated with me from the videos and article. For example, "to live in places that create growth, to live in places filled with yet."  It is important to remind students that one can really do anything if one works hard. We need to change the way we've been conditioned to think about what intelligence means. People have come to believe that the amount of time that it takes someone to complete a task determines how smart that person is. I do believe that the length of time one takes to complete a task can help you determine the level of understanding one has in a given area however we cannot use that to determine how intelligent a person is.

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All of these videos make me want to be a student of this generation. I do think we need to rethink giftedness and the labels we advertently or inadvertently put on each other. I hope to continue to praise the process, not the answers; focusing my praise on such things as effort, improvement, strategies, focus and perseverance. The first video made me wonder about our proactive intervention and if we might be underestimating a student's own math ability by offering unsolicited aid.

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I enjoyed the videos back to back as I got to kind of contrast their ideaology. Carol Dweck and Jo Boaler have been great leaders in this movement. Dweck has great detail about feedback and questions directly to students/children to promote a growth mindset. Boaler has really great applicable information for administrators and teachers from a program point of view to have a system (or school or class) that promotes a growth mindset. The tasks given to students need to be of high cognitive demand and worth struggling with in order to grow.

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I never thought about unknowingly telling kids that a specific group is better than another in the way we phrase a statement ("you {to a girl} did better than the boys on the math test"). Definitely something to keep in mind!