Fixed and Growth Mindsets
1 INTRODUCTION
50 Presentations for Post 16 Students
2nd Edition
Michael Senior
Thinking shapes behaviour
The way we think about ability shapes
attitudes towards:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Revision
Homework
Independent study
Attendance & punctuality
Concentration in class
Organisation
Internal & external examinations
Social skills
Relationships
Sport
Leadership
Two types of thinking about
ABILITY
Ability is FIXED
– you have or you don’t
Ability GROWS with effort
- practise makes you more able
Research into fixed &
growth mindsets
• Carol Dweck – Professor of Psychology,
Stanford University
• Former Yale graduate
• Taught at Harvard University
• Spent many years researching MOTIVATION
and how it relates to our notions of ability – is it
fixed or does ability get better with effort
- growth ?
FIXED MINDSET
LIVE A WORLD WHERE:
Personality is fixed – sociable or not
Intelligence is fixed – smart or not
Leadership ability is fixed – talented or not
Sporting ability is fixed – got the physical skills/physique or not
Because these are not in your control – spend a lot of time seeking
feedback that you have the ‘fixed gifts’ e.g. popular, high grades, share
price high, winning races
Avoid risk at all cost - situations where you might get feedback that you
don’t have the ‘fixed gift’ anymore
Obsessed with avoiding making mistakes and failing. Why?
GROWTH MINDSET
LIVE A WORLD WHERE:
Personality develops – become more or less sociable
Intelligence grows – harder you work, more able you become
Leadership ability develops with experience – training can be key
Sporting ability develops – even Olympians admit they persevered more
than most – were not the best at the beginning
Because these traits are in your control – spend a lot of time getting
advice about how to develop
Risk helps expose weakness - situations where you might learn more
Making mistakes and failing are a vital part of the learning process.
Why?
Effort?
• A growth mindset puts in effort.
• Fixed mindset avoids effort.
WHY?
Effort?
• A growth mindset puts in effort…pays off
• Fixed mindset avoids effort…prefers
effortless success. ‘Proves’ the fixed
talent is there.
RESEARCH 1
4 Year-olds
Carol Dweck
• Asked 4 year-olds if they would like to redo a
difficult jigsaw that they had been unable to solve.
• Fixed mindset group – said “No”
• Growth mindset group – said “Yes, please”.
They kept choosing difficult ones until the figured
them out.
RESEARCH 2
University students
Carol Dweck…
• Asked students, not proficient at speaking
English, starting at University of Hong Kong
(taught in English), if they would like English
lessons.
• Measured their mindset using a questionnaire.
• Fixed mindset – did not sign up – expose
weakness
• Growth mindset – signed up – ability can
improve
MINDSETS AFFECT
OUR MINDSET AFFECTS…
effort
Which of the following will effort have most
impact?
Revision Homework Independent study
Attendance Punctuality Concentration in class
Organisation Internal & external examinations
Social skills Relationships Sport
Leadership