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The dangers and myths of growth mindset; why fixed mindset is both morally wrong and scientifically inaccurate; how the brain changes as you develop skills; why you should NOT just celebrate mistakes; and 5 steps of how you can build a culture of growth mindset in your classroom or workplace.
Authors cited:
MIT physicist Max Tegmark, Oxford Lab for Quantum Computing Physicist David Deutsch, Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck, Stanford Neuroscience Researcher Robert Sapolsky
Summary:
The term growth mindset was coined by Carol Dweck, and reflects the belief that intelligence, talent, potential are things that can be developed over time, with the right processes, strategies, reflection, and effort.
The growth mindset is in contrast to a fixed mindset, the belief that we are born only with fixed amounts of intelligence and that this cant be changed or developed over time, no matter what we do.
Topics covered:
– What is a growth mindset?
– Experience builds brain architecture.
– Serve and Return dynamic.
– Genes are not the only destiny that we have, nurturing is what really shapes us.
– What is a mindset? Beliefs are not reality: they’re just thoughts we’ve repeated enough times that they blur our perception of reality.
– Myelination is part of how we develop beliefs AND skills. Our brain isn’t ‘deciding’ what we should learn or not learn – it’s just responding to what is happening over and over again in our environment. (there’s no ‘good or bad’ according the brain: it’s all about signals that are busy, frequent, consistent and probable).
– Importance of acknowledging and understanding that mistakes are a necessary ingredient to acquiring a new skills.
– Struggle, effort, and mistakes are not signs of weakness. They’re an important part of success and developing new skills.
– Self-regulation and co-regulation.
– 5 steps to start building a culture of growth mindset in your classroom or workplace.
Links:
Self-Transcendent Purpose – overview from University of Texas
David Deutsch, Beginning of Infinity
Dr. Lara Boyd Ted Talk: Your brain will not be the same after watching this
Re-imagining Critical Race Theory in Education, Ebony McGee & David Stovall
University of Chicago Consortium for School Research: Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners
Stephen Porges Polyvagal Theory
