Thoughts on the Growth Mindset

 

I first learned about the "growth mindset" about a year ago while listening to a podcast. I thought it sounded like an interesting and accurate theory, and at the time I reflected on times I'd had either a growth or fixed mindset in the past. 

In school, it appears I have a growth mindset in some classes and a fixed mindset in others, even within the same subject area. In high school, I mostly had a growth mindset, as teachers and classmates didn't make me feel pressured to appear smart. In college, I developed more of a fixed mindset (though it still varies class to class, and I am working on having more of a fixed mindset). In my classes, people seemed much more sure of themselves, and discussion classes with graded participation sometimes make me feel like I have to say the perfect thing. As a junior, I am now much more confident than I was as a freshman, and I care less about making mistakes in class and more about actually learning. One interesting note is that at my all-girls high school no one ever tried to appear smarter than they were, so I wonder if gender plays any role.

Moving forward, consciously thinking about learning instead of appearing smart or competent will be very useful for my classes, relationships, and personal and professional life. I'm learning Arabic, and it's critical that I speak up and make mistakes in class to develop speaking skills. In this class, I hope that not feeling immediately inspired for a blog post will not make me believe that I'm a bad blogger. When it comes to personal relationships, I can apply a growth mindset by accepting that I will make mistakes and that it's ok; no one is expecting me to be perfect. In all areas of life, I'm working on getting rid of an "all-or-nothing" mindset, which is a similar adjustment to developing a growth mindset.

Image information: Growth mindset infographic via Flickr.