Part A

As I started my journey in the DLL graduate program at Lamar University, I was introduced to Growth Mindset and read Carol Dweck’s work. I was blown away by the idea of fixed and growth mindset. I immediately wanted to work on instilling a growth mindset in my own children. Which was kind of difficult to think how you could change someone’s mindset. One of the first assignments was to create a growth mindset plan. I mostly focused on myself during this assignment have. I realized during the reading that I related to both mindsets. I have a fixed mindset at difficult times, and I want to change that in myself. So, I focused on my thoughts during stressful times, I learned Dweck's mentioned we have both mindsets and it's up to us to rewire our negative thoughts. Since the moment I learned about these two mindsets I realized I have the power to instill this in my third graders. I can only imagine where they will go in life if they figure out how to grow from mistakes now.

 

When implementing my innovation plan of blended learning, I intend to rely upon “yet” often and work towards a growth mindset with all participants. There will be intentional praise for processes, effort, and individual growth to help with promoting a growth mindset and assisting the participants with embracing “yet” (Dweck, 2014). When learners understand “yet” they are more likely to welcome feedback as they understand it as a process in working towards their goals. The importance of continuously growing and learning will be regularly emphasized as we are not just preparing for the now, but rather we are preparing for the future. By providing students the opportunity to work hard and achieve their passions, through a positive growth mindset, and lead by example students will achieve more than we ever thought possible. I’m trying to get my students to catch themselves when they start negative talk and use the word "yet" instead. I have used these videos from Class Dojo because they really seem to break it down for kids.

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As a teacher, I have worked on praise. I try to remember to praise process and not intelligence. I had no idea the effects simply praise can have on students. When praising intelligence research shows that students will suffer when they reach more challenging problems. Where students that have been praised for their grit or perseverance continue to work and try hard when reaching more challenging problems.

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The growth mindset is a good start but is it enough? While the growth mindset is a valuable starting point, I believe additional elements are necessary to achieve the ultimate goal. Grit, a quality often associated with many of our students, can propel them from starting a new endeavor to successfully completing it. By fostering grit alongside a growth mindset, we empower students to persevere and overcome challenges on their path to success. Grit is the combination of passion and perseverance: to want something and be willing to work hard to achieve it. Students have been allowed to passively participate in their education for too long, memorizing facts and spitting out the information just to get the grade. We need to challenge them; they ARE capable! It is important to foster grit, but maintain the belief that failure is just an opportunity for growth. This believe will help limit some of my student's preoccupation with grades. 

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By embracing a growth mindset, educators can create an environment that values continuous improvement, empowers learners, and maximizes the potential for meaningful and transformative learning experiences.

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                                                               References:
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.