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Personal growth is returning to school and attaining a new degree. My growth is working on my Masters in Educational Technology at Lindenwood University.  Another way is networking in person and on social media, twitter chats, nursing webinars online, learning how to do zoom meetings with the school and nursing staff.
Making new guidelines and rules to stay safe in the building when we return to in-person. Many changes, new rules, it was a hectic time during the beginning of the COVID pandemic

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Teaching is different from in the past _ Educational Psychology

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In chapter 5, it is stated: The way we view change -in education, technology, and life -shapes how you will lead. To be effective leaders, we must model the behavior and attitudes we seek in our learners- be they students or educators.

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Using Data to Support Teacher and Student Growth

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Teacher Professional Growth Professional learning throughout an educator’s career is essential to achieving great public schools. Find out about crucial features and strategies to support professional learning. Share twitter facebook Professional learning is a crucial element of the work of all educators throughout their entire careers.  The education profession is grounded in a rich professional knowledge base, and education professionals must be well-versed in this knowledge base, as well.  In addition, an understanding of the theory and research behind the knowledge base is crucial to guide the thousands of decisions educators make each day.  And educators must engage in intentional practice to refine their skills and professional judgment.Medicine, law, and education are each examples of professions that require continuous professional learning throughout an entire career.  For educators, this imperative arises from multiple factors including: •Ongoing research that expands our understanding of effective practices (e.g., emerging research in such areas as trauma-informed pedagogy and social-emotional learning) •The changing landscape of issues and needs that educators must address in working with students, families, and communities (e.g., changing demographics increasing the number of English language learners)  •Changes in policies and statutes that govern the work of educators (e.g., changes in the curriculum requirements for graduation) •Educators’ evolving professional responsibilities, particularly when assignments and duties change (e.g., changing grade levels assigned to a teacher, or making a switch to online learning environments in response to a national crisis). States, districts, schools, policymakers, and unions representing educators in public schools all have a role in helping to create the positive culture in which career-long professional learning is the norm of practice for all educators. Additionally, districts and schools must build their capacity to provide educators the time, space, support, and systems that promote ongoing, job-embedded professional learning.  For that reason, school leaders are fundamental in promoting and nurturing an organizational culture of continuous learning and collaborative practice.

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Teacher Professional Growth Professional learning throughout an educator’s career is essential to achieving great public schools. Find out about crucial features and strategies to support professional learning. Share twitter facebook Professional learning is a crucial element of the work of all educators throughout their entire careers.  The education profession is grounded in a rich professional knowledge base, and education professionals must be well-versed in this knowledge base, as well.  In addition, an understanding of the theory and research behind the knowledge base is crucial to guide the thousands of decisions educators make each day.  And educators must engage in intentional practice to refine their skills and professional judgment.Medicine, law, and education are each examples of professions that require continuous professional learning throughout an entire career.  For educators, this imperative arises from multiple factors including: •Ongoing research that expands our understanding of effective practices (e.g., emerging research in such areas as trauma-informed pedagogy and social-emotional learning) •The changing landscape of issues and needs that educators must address in working with students, families, and communities (e.g., changing demographics increasing the number of English language learners)  •Changes in policies and statutes that govern the work of educators (e.g., changes in the curriculum requirements for graduation) •Educators’ evolving professional responsibilities, particularly when assignments and duties change (e.g., changing grade levels assigned to a teacher, or making a switch to online learning environments in response to a national crisis). States, districts, schools, policymakers, and unions representing educators in public schools all have a role in helping to create the positive culture in which career-long professional learning is the norm of practice for all educators. Additionally, districts and schools must build their capacity to provide educators the time, space, support, and systems that promote ongoing, job-embedded professional learning.  For that reason, school leaders are fundamental in promoting and nurturing an organizational culture of continuous learning and collaborative practice.

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The pandemic has changed education. We have gone from in-person, to complete closure, to virtual, some in-person again, but not full capacity. School had to get everyone a computer, hot spots if they did not have internet at home, parents now were helping their student to log on and complete their work. Teachers had to learn how  to teach virtually and learn new technology. It was a learning curve for everyone.
School nursing became a bigger challenge, their were more responsibilities, learn all about COVID and how to contact trace and quarantine. Had to teach how and why everyone needs to wear a mask and how to social distance to stay safe. All of this has made us change how we educate our students and staff.

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With 24 years of classroom teaching experience, Giselle Isbell, Athlos Academies director of Prepared Mind, understands the importance of growth mindset in education. In her early years of teaching, it was a fifth-grade student with a learning disability who first taught Isbell the power of a growth mindset. This student struggled greatly with fluency and comprehension, and school learning was hard, frustrating, and time-consuming for her.

"But she possessed optimism and the perseverance to complete any task," Isbell said. "She absolutely believed in her effort, and with the right resources, she made huge gains."

With hard work and a growth mindset, Isbell's student grew up to complete a master's degree and find success in a fulfilling professional career.

"I learned from her that with effort, practice, attentiveness, and meta-cognition you can achieve more than you think you are able," she said. "If we help students discover the value of these habits and attitudes, they will see that productive struggle is part of the learning cycle and not a reason to feel inferior or disengaged."

What is a Growth Mindset and Why Does It Matter?

Mindsets are established sets of personal beliefs and ways of thinking that influence our behavior and attitude toward ourselves and others. Believing you are either "good at math" or "bad at math" is an example of a mindset.

Carol Dweck, Stanford University professor of psychology and author of the book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success," is a leading researcher in the field of achievement and success. Dweck's research on mindset looks at growth mindset and fixed mindset and the impact of both on achievement and success.

Growth mindset is the belief that one's intelligence can be grown or developed with persistence, effort, and a focus on learning. Individuals with a growth mindset believe they are capable of learning nearly anything if they work hard and accept failures and challenges as opportunities to grow.

"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," Dweck wrote.

Alternatively, fixed mindset is the belief that a person has a predetermined amount of intelligence, skills, or talents.

"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," Dweck wrote.

So why is a growth mindset so important in learning?

A Growth Mindset and Student Success

Whether a student has a growth or fixed mindset has a direct impact on how he or she faces academic challenges.

A student with a growth mindset will accept challenges and persevere in order to succeed. This student will face learning and challenges with an "I have not mastered this ' yet '" attitude.

A child with a fixed mindset may not engage with the process of learning, believing that any challenges they face are due to a lack of natural talent, skill, or intelligence. They will approach learning and challenges with an "I'm not good at this" attitude.

In her book, "Mathematical Mindsets," Jo Boaler writes, "Yes, we have differences in our brains and cognitive processes, but it is important to recognize that people who accomplish much demonstrate tenacity and discipline. Their learning is a result of their hard work, not simply because of natural talent. Students with a fixed mindset think that if a task is too hard it must mean they do not have the natural talent to succeed. We must help students realize that errors, misconceptions, and questions, if analyzed constructively, help us deepen our knowledge and understanding."

The Educator's Role in Growth Mindset

When educators approach teaching and learning with a growth mindset, they enable their students to grow and become deeper learners. Teachers who have a growth mindset believe in the potential of each and every one of their students. They help each student grow as a learner by understanding that with effort and perseverance, all students can succeed.

Isbell pulls an example of the power of growth mindset in teaching from how many educators approach math teaching.

"In math, we traditionally provide students a strategy to solve a problem with no awareness or recognition of their own intuitive strategies for solving the problem," Isbell said. "When we do this, we unknowingly tell the student, 'your ideas do not really matter, just do it the way the teacher is telling you how to do it.'"

Approaching math teaching with a growth mindset, Isbell instead encouraged her students to find their own strategies to solve a problem. By beginning each of her math lessons with an open-ended problem, Isbell's students were given the opportunity to take risks, face the challenges of failure or frustration, and overcome by realizing failure opens doors to new opportunities and deeper learning.

"Yes, some strategies were more efficient than others, but everyone could be successful," Isbell said. "As teachers, we have to think about what we are asking students to do, and then thoughtfully consider what we can do to help them find an entry point to the task."

Speaking to Students: The Words We Say and How They Support, or Inhibit, Student Learning

When fostering a growth mindset in students, it's important that educators acknowledge the process and effort a student is making rather than only acknowledging outcome and achievement. Dweck refers to this as "praising the process."

Some specific words and phrases that support a fixed mindset include: "You're so smart"; "Wrong answer"; and "You're a natural at this." Some words and phrases that support a growth mindset include: "You haven't been able to solve this problem yet. "; "Great use of several strategies to solve that problem."; and "Mistakes help you learn."

When teachers praise students for intelligence alone, students often respond by not taking chances in their learning, limiting their growth. On the other hand, when students take pride in their effort and hard work over outcomes, they are more willing to make mistakes, accept challenges, and grow as learners.

"As an educator, I asked a lot of questions when students were struggling: 'What is the challenge? What can you do? How will you solve it? What resources do you need? Who can help you?' We have to help students develop strategies to help themselves," Isbell said. "Yes, it takes time and patience to help a student process a situation. Yet, you come to understand that you are not just teaching a content area, you are teaching someone to be a learner and problem solver for life - a Prepared Mind!"

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Growth Mindset and Student Achievement and Success

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With 24 years of classroom teaching experience, Giselle Isbell, Athlos Academies director of Prepared Mind, understands the importance of growth mindset in education. In her early years of teaching, it was a fifth-grade student with a learning disability who first taught Isbell the power of a growth mindset.

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Teaching Students How—and When—to Change Their MindsLearning involves accepting uncertainty and evolving your thinking. Here’s how teachers can help students cultivate those skills.By Sarah GonserMarch 4, 2021Three high school students work together in their school libraryAllison Shelley for the Alliance for Excellent EducationThe process of learning often requires a willingness to consider new and sometimes conflicting information—and then use that information to update an opinion or form a new one. In the classroom, that’s a skill educators can model, and provide students with opportunities to practice, writes Katherine Burd for Education Week.“The skill of changing one’s mind … benefit[s] learners, workplaces, and society as a whole,” writes Burd, who teaches English at The Chapin School, an independent K-12 school in New York City. “Developing and articulating an informed opinion, then considering new information seriously enough to change that opinion can stimulate new creativity in adult workplaces. This same process is also vital to democracy, where we must always be ready to change the way that we view issues as we learn more about them,” she concludes, touching upon a quality that’s been in short supply recently.For students to learn these increasingly important (and rare) skills, schools must communicate the idea that they value students’ ability to practice flexible thinking and to accommodate uncertainty—but that mindset can be difficult to track through traditional assessment practices. “Though the process of learning requires a student to change her mind, our classrooms still mostly assess a student based on her ability to demonstrate a single concrete view,” writes Burd. While there are clearly facts that are beyond dispute and are unchangeable, when schools “mostly value student work that demonstrates certainty alone, then we reinforce the dangerous, unproductive idea that certainty is what matters.”There are ways that educators can incorporate practices that nudge students toward developing and changing their opinions, Burd says. We took a few ideas from her original article and a few from our Edutopia archives; practices designed to cultivate in students the ability to stretch their thinking and incorporate new perspectives and knowledge.Change classroom discussions: When educators set up “well-structured classroom discussions which teach and assess students’ ability to consider one another’s perspectives,” it can help shift the focus from “argumentation to idea evolution,” writes Burd.At Highlander Charter School, classroom discussions about controversial topics form a regular part of the curriculum and students are expected to research, consider, and discuss issues from different perspectives. “Our students come with these very firm ideas and beliefs about certain topics, because it’s the only perspective they’ve known. So I really like to push the envelope with them,” says Soljane Martinez, a civics and social justice teacher at Highlander. “It’s a really important skill for you to have, looking at things from the point of view of someone who has a different opinion. It’s not a wrong versus right. It’s a ‘well, you know what? Let me take a step over to your side’.”In Martinez’s 12th grade civics class, students gather in small groups, read through online resources on a topic such as LGBTQ rights, or who is to blame for poverty, then get into discussions during which they take opposing views and practice discussing sensitive topics respectfully and listening to opposing viewpoints with an open mind.Highlight evolving thinking: Tasks that help students reflect on and describe their thinking process can help them build the skills to develop—and adjust—their viewpoint. “Templates for thinking about one’s own thinking already exist: structured process-writing assignments, problem sets and lab reports that ask students to submit, alongside final drafts, logic maps and thinking narratives that flag moments of idea development,” writes Burd.She also recommends remediation projects, “which ask students to translate core understandings of course material to new media forms,” and encourage students to consider concepts from new perspectives.Model hidden thinking and self-talk: When educator Stephanie Toro models how to solve a problem for students in her STEM classes, “I talk about every aspect of what I am doing out loud. In fact, I over-talk, providing reasoning for every step,” writes Toro, who is an assistant professor at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. “I will even include moments of vulnerability and model the fact that I don’t always know what to do, but I will discuss my options and my decision process.”As her students observe Toro work through a problem, she likes to intentionally make mistakes and then demonstrate how to check her work to correct errors. That modeling helps students understand that thinking can evolve, that even adults need to work through ideas, perhaps absorb new information, rethink their steps, to arrive at new solutions. “It’s essential that we explicitly show students this internal dialogue to model problem-solving,” Toro writes.Abandon your own certainty: For kids to learn the value of keeping a flexible mindset, adults in all spheres of students’ lives need to model it themselves. “We—not just educators, but also school leaders, politicians, parents, and citizens—need to abandon our own desires to present certainty in our opinions and start revealing just how often we, too, change,” Burd writes. “Many students believe that their teachers should show absolute mastery of and certainty about material. When a teacher admits to a deficit in knowledge or understanding, though, she opens up space for students to explore and understand on their own.”

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Teaching Students How—and When—to Change Their MindsLearning involves accepting uncertainty and evolving your thinking. Here’s how teachers can help students cultivate those skills.By Sarah GonserMarch 4, 2021Three high school students work together in their school libraryAllison Shelley for the Alliance for Excellent EducationThe process of learning often requires a willingness to consider new and sometimes conflicting information—and then use that information to update an opinion or form a new one. In the classroom, that’s a skill educators can model, and provide students with opportunities to practice, writes Katherine Burd for Education Week.“The skill of changing one’s mind … benefit[s] learners, workplaces, and society as a whole,” writes Burd, who teaches English at The Chapin School, an independent K-12 school in New York City. “Developing and articulating an informed opinion, then considering new information seriously enough to change that opinion can stimulate new creativity in adult workplaces. This same process is also vital to democracy, where we must always be ready to change the way that we view issues as we learn more about them,” she concludes, touching upon a quality that’s been in short supply recently.For students to learn these increasingly important (and rare) skills, schools must communicate the idea that they value students’ ability to practice flexible thinking and to accommodate uncertainty—but that mindset can be difficult to track through traditional assessment practices. “Though the process of learning requires a student to change her mind, our classrooms still mostly assess a student based on her ability to demonstrate a single concrete view,” writes Burd. While there are clearly facts that are beyond dispute and are unchangeable, when schools “mostly value student work that demonstrates certainty alone, then we reinforce the dangerous, unproductive idea that certainty is what matters.”There are ways that educators can incorporate practices that nudge students toward developing and changing their opinions, Burd says. We took a few ideas from her original article and a few from our Edutopia archives; practices designed to cultivate in students the ability to stretch their thinking and incorporate new perspectives and knowledge.Change classroom discussions: When educators set up “well-structured classroom discussions which teach and assess students’ ability to consider one another’s perspectives,” it can help shift the focus from “argumentation to idea evolution,” writes Burd.At Highlander Charter School, classroom discussions about controversial topics form a regular part of the curriculum and students are expected to research, consider, and discuss issues from different perspectives. “Our students come with these very firm ideas and beliefs about certain topics, because it’s the only perspective they’ve known. So I really like to push the envelope with them,” says Soljane Martinez, a civics and social justice teacher at Highlander. “It’s a really important skill for you to have, looking at things from the point of view of someone who has a different opinion. It’s not a wrong versus right. It’s a ‘well, you know what? Let me take a step over to your side’.”In Martinez’s 12th grade civics class, students gather in small groups, read through online resources on a topic such as LGBTQ rights, or who is to blame for poverty, then get into discussions during which they take opposing views and practice discussing sensitive topics respectfully and listening to opposing viewpoints with an open mind.Highlight evolving thinking: Tasks that help students reflect on and describe their thinking process can help them build the skills to develop—and adjust—their viewpoint. “Templates for thinking about one’s own thinking already exist: structured process-writing assignments, problem sets and lab reports that ask students to submit, alongside final drafts, logic maps and thinking narratives that flag moments of idea development,” writes Burd.She also recommends remediation projects, “which ask students to translate core understandings of course material to new media forms,” and encourage students to consider concepts from new perspectives.Model hidden thinking and self-talk: When educator Stephanie Toro models how to solve a problem for students in her STEM classes, “I talk about every aspect of what I am doing out loud. In fact, I over-talk, providing reasoning for every step,” writes Toro, who is an assistant professor at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. “I will even include moments of vulnerability and model the fact that I don’t always know what to do, but I will discuss my options and my decision process.”As her students observe Toro work through a problem, she likes to intentionally make mistakes and then demonstrate how to check her work to correct errors. That modeling helps students understand that thinking can evolve, that even adults need to work through ideas, perhaps absorb new information, rethink their steps, to arrive at new solutions. “It’s essential that we explicitly show students this internal dialogue to model problem-solving,” Toro writes.Abandon your own certainty: For kids to learn the value of keeping a flexible mindset, adults in all spheres of students’ lives need to model it themselves. “We—not just educators, but also school leaders, politicians, parents, and citizens—need to abandon our own desires to present certainty in our opinions and start revealing just how often we, too, change,” Burd writes. “Many students believe that their teachers should show absolute mastery of and certainty about material. When a teacher admits to a deficit in knowledge or understanding, though, she opens up space for students to explore and understand on their own.”

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Fostering a growth mindset in students is a priority for most educators, but sometimes teachers themselves operate with a fixed mindset.

Stanford University professor of psychology Carol Dweck, author of the very popular Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, made these terms part of our pedagogical vocabulary. Growth Mindset is the belief that one's abilities, qualities, and intelligence can be developed, while a fixed mindset believes that intelligence and one's qualities are unchangeable.

Who can't think of some stalwart teachers and administrators who refuse to change, are stuck in their practice, or reject new ideas? Just as we teach our students to continuously improve, grow, learn, and change, so must we as educators. Here are seven practices for you - and your colleagues - to create a schoolwide growth mindset this school year.

Practice #1: Never stop growing
"Undertake something that is difficult, it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." - Ronald E. Osborn
No matter how old you are and no matter how good you are at your job, it's important to never stop growing and learning. Even the best teachers are constantly on the hunt for new ideas, new methods, and new ways of thinking to best serve their students. Sure, it might be easier to rest on one's laurels - and those already-finished lesson plans - but just as we encourage students to always push their learning further, teachers must be continuous learners. In fact, it's human nature to learn.

"What on earth would make someone a non-learner?" asks Dweck. "Everyone is born with an intense drive to learn. Infants stretch their skills daily. Not just ordinary skills, but the most difficult tasks of a lifetime, like learning to walk and talk. They never decide it's too hard or not worth the effort. Babies don't worry about making mistakes or humiliating themselves. They walk, they fall, they get up." This year, show your students and coworkers that you are a lifelong learner. Study something along with your students. Try a new classroom technique. Read up on the latest research and stay hungry for knowledge.

Practice #2: Experiment and innovate
"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs
Many schools are teaching students to be young innovators, makers, and design-thinkers in order to succeed in an evolving global economy. Therefore, shouldn't teachers be innovators too? There is no one perfect method for teaching, so educators should experiment and innovate to provide dynamic, authentic, and effective instruction. Innovation isn't just about technology. It can be about the processes and systems within a classroom, new student project ideas, programming adjustments, interdisciplinary work - the options are truly endless. It's easy to fall back on what's familiar, but that might not be what works best for today's modern students - or the exact students in front of you. Don't just follow the herd. Lead the charge and stay open to what's possible.
For more on this, check out: Get Hands-On in Professional Development - Maker-Style.
Practice #3: Ask questions
"Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, 'What else could this mean?'" ― Shannon L. Alder
Spend time with any toddler or kindergartner and you'll lose track of how many questions they ask in a day. Somewhere along the line, children lose that peak level of curiosity and wonder, coming to believe that one should only ask questions if they don't understand.

In recent years, classrooms across the nation have started integrating inquiry-based learning - posing problems, questions or scenarios and encouraging students to explore topics through deep questioning. Yet as adults, we may not apply the principles of inquiry to our own work or life.

What if teachers approached school-based problems and ideas through an inquiry lens? Imagine how much deeper we could dive and how much more creative our ideas would be. Learning a new technique or philosophy in PD? Use inquiry techniques and guide teachers to become questioners again. The more we question, the more we learn and grow.
"Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." ― George Bernard Shaw
Practice #4: Be flexible
"Good, bad or indifferent, if you are not investing in new technology, you are going to be left behind." - Philip Green
The push for teaching students 21st-century skills includes the call for learners to be adaptable and flexible collaborators. In schools, there's no room for obstinate thinkers - in the classroom or in the faculty room. Great things can be achieved when we let go of or stretch our rules, expectations, or boundaries, and include outside perspectives. In order to keep growing as teachers, we must be willing to adapt our practice to the needs and best interests of our students and find a way to include the input and contributions of our colleagues.

Practice #5: Learn new technology

On June 29, 2007, the first iPhone was released, changing our world forever. In just 11 years, technology has sprinted forward at breakneck speed. Laptops and devices fill our classrooms and seemingly everyone has a veritable computer in their hand in the form of a smartphone. Where will we be in another 11 years? What do students of the digital age need in order to be prepared for that future world? If we refuse to stay current with technology, we won't serve them well.

Can you think of a teacher who barely uses email or who says things like "I'm not good with technology?" It's true that there's so much to learn. It seems like it's all constantly shifting, but here's the reality: Educators don't have to be experts on all things technology - but we do have to keep up.

We teach kids new things all the time, so why can't we learn something new too? Just think how students feel when they're overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or feeling saturated during a lesson. Technology isn't slowing down and it's not going away, so we must continue to embrace a growth mindset - even if it's challenging - and continuously learn how to use, create, and integrate technology. If all else fails, ask the kids!

Practice #6: Truly listen

" When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." ― Ernest Hemingway
Read more about this: How To Transform the Leadership Office From a Complaint Department to a Solution Zone
Imagine a typical school staff meeting. A teacher is speaking about an idea and maybe you've tuned out or you're busy thinking about your response - or you're watching the clock and counting the minutes until lunch. How often to do you really, deeply listen to the contributions of others and take time to seriously consider what they've said before offering a response? Chances are, not very often.
"Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful." - Margaret J. Wheatley
We expect students to listen all day long, but how often do we do the same? When we slow down and authentically listen, we not only open our minds to new ideas but create a community of colleagues who feel heard and understood. The next time someone is speaking to you, try this: Do not interject. Do not consider a response. Don't let your eyes or mind wander. Just look and listen. The more we listen and collaborate with one another, the more we grow together.

Practice #7: Reflect, reflect, reflect
Jennifer Gunn spent 10 years in newspaper and magazine publishing before moving to public education. She is a curriculum designer, a teaching coach, and high school educator in New York City. She is also co-founder of the annual EDxEDNYC Education Conference for teacher-led innovation and regularly presents at conferences on the topics of adolescent literacy, leadership, and education innovation.
In order to continue to grow and improve, we must consistently take time to evaluate our work and analyze how we're doing. The school year is so busy and self-reflection is hard to prioritize. One solution is to build reflection activities into professional development or into teacher meetings to maintain a consistent and meaningful routine.

The brain can adapt and change - no matter how much you are set in your ways or glued to your habits. Hello, neuroplasticity! When you regularly examine your strengths, weaknesses, triumphs, failures, and goals, you have to continuously adjust, which ensures that you're on track with success in sight.

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Tags: Mid-Career Teacher, New Teacher, Professional Development, Professional Leadership, Toolkit: Professional Growth, Veteran Teacher, Work-Life Balance

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How to Build a Growth Mindset for Teachers | Resilient Educator

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Fostering a growth mindset in students is a priority for most educators, but sometimes teachers themselves operate with a fixed mindset. Stanford University professor of psychology Carol Dweck, author of the very popular Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, made these terms part of our pedagogical vocabulary.

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I want to take issue with one of the more common Growth Mindset infographics: "Change your words. Change your Mindset." You can find it in various forms on social media and in many classrooms. The problem is, it gets the message we want to send to students back-to-front.

Firstly, like many Growth Mindset memes, there's a kernel of truth to the infographic. Students with a Fixed Mindset do tend to engage in self-talk along the lines of "I can't," "I give up," and, "This is too hard." And students with a Growth Mindset tend to engage in self-talk along the lines of "I can't yet," "I'll find another way," and, "This may take some time and effort."

But beyond that, this infographic isn't useful. It may even do more harm than good. Let me explain.
It treats the symptoms, not the cause
This infographic describes the symptoms of a Fixed or Growth Mindset, not the actual Mindset. The Mindset is comprised of underlying beliefs. It's those beliefs that cause students to say, "I can't" or "I can't yet."

Asking someone to change his or her words simply masks the underlying Mindset. It doesn't address their beliefs about their abilities. It's akin to taking an aspirin when you've got the flu. Your fever might go away, but you've still got the flu that caused your fever. Left untreated, the flu will get worse.
But then ...
When teachers ask students to change their words, it's like they're asking them to pretend they have a Growth Mindset. Teachers may feel they are seeing a Growth Mindset in their students, but it's not real. It doesn't last.

What happens after "not yet"? Without some sort of teacher intervention, it's unlikely the student will achieve much growth. As I've written about before, "I can't do it yet" too often becomes " I still can't do it yet!"

As I show in the table below, changing your words is a short-term fix that can lead to a long-term problem, as illustrated in the "But then ..." column.
Schlimmbesserung
All this underscores an even bigger problem: Schlimmbeserung - the German word that means to make things worse while trying to make them better. Our efforts to help students develop a Growth Mindset can backfire, resulting in the development of a more Fixed Mindset.

How does a student respond when the promise of "not yet" remains unfulfilled? They are likely to have their previous beliefs of "I can't" reinforced. They develop a sense of learnt helplessness that acts as a negative Mindset Mover, reinforcing their fixed beliefs about their abilities.

It's like the aspirin wears off and the fever comes back even stronger!
Between the Fixed and Growth Mindset is teacher action
Changing students' words to change their mindset gets the order wrong. We need to change students' beliefs about their abilities before they can change their words. We must treat the cause, not the symptoms.

For students to move from a Fixed Mindset to a more Growth Mindset, there must be teacher action that shows children how to grow. It's not enough to simply tell students to repeat the mantra, "Mistakes help me learn." We must show students how mistakes help them learn so they can correct them.

Similarly, telling students, "This may take some time," isn't helpful unless we tell them how their time needs to be spent.

When the student makes a Fixed Mindset statement ("I'm not good at this" or "This is too hard"), the teacher must create a positive Mindset Mover. A Band-Aid response of, "Don't say that," won't work in the long run. The teacher's response needs to show the student how to achieve growth.

The graphic below suggests more helpful, positive Mindset Movers teachers can use in response to the Fixed Mindset phrases we may hear from students. There are obviously many more.

When teachers intervene and show students how to achieve growth, and when students develop Learning Agility, the resulting changes in their abilities act as positive Mindset Movers. These create a more growth-oriented Mindset.

And when that happens, we begin to see authentic changes in students' self-talk. Only when we treat the cause will the symptoms change in a meaningful way.

It's not about "change their words, change their Mindset." It's about how we, as teachers, change our words so that we can change students' Mindsets.

James Anderson is a speaker, author and educator who is passionate about helping fellow educators develop students as better learners. James' work combines Growth Mindset with Habits of Mind and Practice to create Learning Agility. He puts the growth back into Growth Mindset. And through creating and describing the Mindset Continuum, he provides the cornerstone for effective Growth Mindset interventions.

James is a Certified Speaking Professional and speaks regularly at conferences around the world. He has published several books including Succeeding with Habits of Mind, The Agile Learner, The Mindset Continuum and The Learning Landscape.

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Change your Mindset, THEN change your words! - James Anderson

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I want to take issue with one of the more common Growth Mindset infographics: "Change your words. Change your Mindset." You can find it in various forms on social media and in many classrooms. The problem is, it gets the message we want to send to students back-to-front.

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6 Tips to Help Students Develop a Growth Mindset in the Classroom | Lexia Learning

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Don’t have time to read? Listen Now » Between two students, one with the motivation to persevere after a mistake and one...

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Of the many challenges educators face, one of the most formidable-and least obvious-is student mindset. Teaching students to comprehend, absorb, and apply new material and concepts is challenging under any circumstances. The undertaking is much greater, however, when students doubt their ability to learn.

Can simply believing you have the ability to learn increase your ability to learn? According to growth mindset researchers, the answer is yes.

A more detailed look at mindset theory, as well as some of the ways that teachers can foster growth mindset in the classroom, illustrates mindset development's importance in education.

What Is Growth Mindset?

One theory of intelligence holds that people can be categorized according to their implicit beliefs about ability. People with a fixed mindset believe that abilities are innate, while people with a growth mindset believe that they can acquire abilities through effort and study.

Carol Dweck, a psychologist, developed the fixed versus growth mindset theory. The Stanford University professor's pioneering research, as well as her 2006 book, Mindset:The New Psychology of Success, popularized the concept of fixed and growth mindsets.

To gain a better understanding of what growth mindset is, compare the differences between fixed and growth mindset outlooks and behaviors.

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

Fixed and growth mindsets profoundly affect the way that individuals respond to failure. People with a fixed mindset view failure as a result of their lack of ability, while people with a growth mindset see the opportunity to expand their abilities and to work harder and smarter.

The fixed mindset vs. growth mindset dichotomy can also be expressed in terms of goals. People with a fixed mindset wish to appear intelligent because they believe that failing to do so reveals a weakness. People with a growth mindset are much less apprehensive about how their intelligence is perceived because they believe that knowledge and ability can be improved through effort. These outlooks produce almost diametric goals related to learning: a person with a fixed mindset wants to avoid appearing unintelligent; a person with a growth mindset wants to overcome challenges.

While the basic concept of fixed mindset vs. growth mindset is simple, mindset designations are much more nuanced in reality. An important factor of the mindsets is that they can be different in different domains. For example, a person may have a growth mindset in athletic or artistic endeavors but have a fixed mindset in academic endeavors.

Furthermore, mindsets aren't absolute, immovable states. The fixed or growth mindset exists on a spectrum, and even those positions can vary. A person may have a predominant growth mindset in one area-math, for example-but an especially challenging problem may trigger a response that's more consistent with a fixed mindset.

Dweck has described the growth mindset theory as a response to the self-esteem movement, which held that lavishing students with praise builds confidence that leads to improved achievement.

Mindset researchers propose a different approach. Instead of giving students general praise or praising outcomes-an ineffective practice in Dweck's view-teachers should focus on praising students' efforts and the steps they take to overcome challenges and make progress. By doing so they reinforce the simple but powerful idea that ability can be improved.

Benefits of a Growth Mindset in Education

Dweck's early research demonstrated multiple potential benefits to encouraging a growth mindset in education. One of her studies showed that praising students' efforts rather than their intelligence made them more likely to pursue more difficult challenges. Another study demonstrated the influence of simple mindset interventions. Her research showed that students who were taught about developing intelligence went on to perform better in school and exhibit more motivation in the classroom.

Growth mindset has been widely embraced inside and outside of education. (Growth mindset has become a popular topic in the business world, for example.) However, the concept isn't without its critics. Skeptics point out that few researchers have been able to replicate Dweck's results, and much of the corroborating research that's been done has been done by Dweck and her colleagues. Still, mindset research continues to advance, and evidence of the benefits of a growth mindset in education continues to mount.

How to Foster a Growth Mindset in Students

Learning how to foster a growth mindset in students requires time and practice. The approach requires consistent instruction that reinforces and demonstrates the idea that students can improve their ability. At the most basic level, mindset techniques involve shifting emphasis away from outcomes and toward efforts and process. Rather than praising an accomplishment, the instructor praises the efforts and learning steps that led to the positive outcome.

Looking at examples of how instruction and language can be altered to encourage a growth mindset illustrates how teachers can change the way that students perceive the learning process:

Fixed mindset statement: "It's OK if you're having trouble. Maybe algebra isn't one of your strengths."

Growth mindset statement: "When you learn how to do a new kind of problem, it develops your math brain."

Another example stresses the importance of encouraging students to work through problems:

Fixed mindset statement: "Great effort. You tried as hard as you could."

Growth mindset statement: "The goal isn't to get it right immediately. The goal is to improve your understanding step by step. What can you try next?"

Teaching students to be encouraged when they experience difficulty can also reinforce growth mindset:

Fixed mindset statement: "Don't worry, you'll get it if you keep trying."

Growth mindset statement: "That feeling you're experiencing of algebra being hard is the feeling of your brain developing."

A growth mindset approach still demands optimal performance from a student-simply rewarding efforts isn't effective, and, in fact, it can be harmful if the student's efforts are ultimately fruitless.

Part of growth mindset instruction is teaching students to ask for help and to use any resources that can assist them. Just as students are still responsible for learning the material, teachers are still responsible for giving them the tools they need to learn.

10 Strategies for Fostering a Growth Mindset in the Classroom

Helping students develop a growth mindset requires deliberate effort from teachers, but many of the methods can be easily integrated in their existing practices. The following strategies and tips can help educators foster a growth mindset in the classroom:

1. Normalize struggle. Struggle is part of the learning process, and emphasizing and reinforcing that idea helps students react positively when they feel challenged.

2. Encourage engagement with challenges. Portray challenges as fun and exciting, and easy tasks as boring.

3. Embrace the word "yet". If someone makes the statement "I'm not a math person," adding a simple qualifier will signal that a process exists for gaining ability. "You're not a math person yet."

4. Tout the value of hard tasks to the brain. Promote the idea that brains are malleable "muscles" that can be developed. Research on brain plasticity supports the idea of neural growth, and mindset research has shown that believing the brain can grow has a demonstrative effect on behavior and achievement.

5. Demonstrate mistakes and celebrate corrections. Mistakes should be viewed as learning opportunities. Teachers can model this outlook in reactions to their own mistakes and steps they take to correct a mistake.

6. Set goals. Having students set incremental, achievable goals demonstrates the attainability of growth and progress.

7. Develop cooperative exercises. Working together to solve problems emphasizes process and reinforces the importance of getting help and finding solutions. It also deemphasizes individual outcomes.

8. Provide challenges. Part of developing a growth mindset is teaching students to overcome obstacles. A particularly hard math problem or complex writing assignment that stretches their abilities can provide opportunities for growth and further instruction that emphasizes problem-solving.

9. Avoid praising intelligence. This may seem counterintuitive, but praise for "being smart" reinforces the idea that intelligence is a fixed trait. This can be demotivating for the students being praised ("I'm smart; I don't have to try harder"), as well as for those who don't not receive the praise ("That student is smart; I'm not").

10. Don't oversimplify. "You can do anything!" may feel like harmless encouragement, but if students aren't put in a position to overcome challenges, they'll conclude that such statements are empty, and the educator will lose credibility.

How to Foster a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Administrators

Extending the concept of growth mindset theory to teachers and administrators is critical. Research suggests that growth mindset approaches are more effective in supportive environments. However, individuals interested in promoting growth mindset initiatives can encounter resistance. Cultural changes in any institution or system are difficult, but understanding those challenges is the first step to finding common ground and moving forward.

Overcoming Challenges

Changing the instructional practices and policies that teachers and administrators have established can be difficult for many reasons:

Teachers and administrators who have invested time and effort in their current methods of instruction and classroom culture may resist change, particularly if their methods have been successful.

Teachers and administrators who are routinely asked to make changes or adopt new teaching methods may feel skeptical about a new method's benefits.

Teachers and administrators commonly work under tight time constraints that make it difficult to learn new methods or implement new policies.

Teachers and administrators may have fixed mindsets themselves and discount the mindset theory's validity.

Efforts to overcome resistance to growth mindset initiatives should focus on the demonstrated benefits to students. A shared goal of helping students can ease the challenges of culture change.

Five Tips for Creating a Growth Mindset Teaching Culture

Working together to reframe their shared challenges and goals can help both teachers and administrators develop growth mindsets and culture:

1. Value the process over the result. Valuing the process over the result can be difficult in a results-driven environment, but teachers and administrators who value the growth mindset and its long-term benefits are more likely to stay the course.

2. View challenges as opportunities. Students aren't the only ones facing challenges; teachers and administrators can benefit just as much from an outlook that celebrates the process.

3. Experiment with different teaching methods and learning strategies. Helping students build the skills they need to improve is a key element of the growth mindset approach. Teachers and administrators who embrace a growth mindset shouldn't be afraid to experiment.

4. Celebrate growth. Finding teaching strategies that reach students and help them learn should be celebrated with the students, as well as with other teachers and administrators. This reinforces the emphasis on effort and process. It also provides opportunities to share valuable learnings.

5. Communicate about your growth mindset. Sharing successes and failures among teachers and administrators helps to establish a culture that values challenges and a growth mindset.

Providing Tools for a Lifetime of Learning

A growth mindset's defining characteristic-the belief that intelligence is malleable-provides a powerful formula for improving student outcomes. Students who believe that they can get smarter and that effort makes them smarter will put in the effort that leads to higher achievement.

The understanding that they can always learn new skills and overcome challenges through hard work is a lesson students can carry well beyond their school years. As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, many of the learning challenges that students will face can't be foreseen. By helping them develop a mindset that doesn't shrink from challenges and teaching them learning methods that can be applied to any subject or obstacle, educators prepare students for increasingly dynamic work environments and an increasingly complex world.

Educators interested in how education and learning can be life changing should explore American University's School of Education degree programs, including its Online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Online Master of Education (MEd) in Education Policy and Leadership. Preparing teachers and policy makers to transform the education system to benefit all learners is a core principle of American University's School of Education.

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How to Foster a Growth Mindset in the Classroom | American University

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Embracing a growth mindset can help students learn more and overcome challenges. Explore strategies for fostering a growth mindset in the classroom.

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Through out our text we have learned the technology is a tool, not how we learn. Examples: Long distance phone calls were costly before cell phones, Skype, Google Hangouts.  Now students can communicate all over the world and they can publish their work for all to see on You Tube. You tube has is an online library to learn from

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Through out our text we have learned the technology is a tool, not how we learn. Examples: Long distance phone calls were costly before cell phones, Skype, Google Hangouts.  Now students can communicate all over the world and they can publish their work for all to see on You Tube. You tube has is an online library to learn from

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Technology has changed they way we communicate and learn

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Technology has changed they way we communicate and learn

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"Change is inevitable, Growth is optional" J. Maxwell

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"Change is inevitable, Growth is optional" J. Maxwell