You have been given a quote. Please
just take a minute to read it to
yourself!
Mindset
Family of Schools
School Advisory Council
October 2014
Carol Dweck
 Dr. Carol Dweck is one of the world’s leading researchers in
the field of motivation and has devoted decades to growth
mindset research.
 Much of what we, at the DSBN are learning about mindset
and its impact on learning is based on her research
 Her books include: Mindset and Self-Theories
Mindset
(according to Oxford English dictionary)
 (noun) The established set of attitudes held by someone
Eduardo Briceno
 Eduardo is the CEO of Mindset Works, an organization he
co-founded with Carol Dweck, Ph.D., Lisa Blackwell, Ph.D.,
and others to equip people with the core beliefs and learning
strategies needed for success. They help schools throughout
the world build learner capacity by instilling growth mindset
beliefs and practices in students, teachers and the broader
community.
 Eduardo Briceno on Mindset
Mindsets
Fixed
Growth
 Intelligence is a fixed trait
 Intelligence is a malleable
quality, a potential that
can be developed
Impact of Mindset on
Goals
Students with a Fixed
Mindset say:
Students with a Growth
Mindset say:
 Looking smart is most
 Learning is most important
important
“The main thing I want
when I do my school work
is to show how good I am
at it.”
“It’s much more important
for me to learn things in
my classes than it is to get
the best grades.”
Adapted from Mindset Works - Brainology® “Research Overview”
Impact of Mindset on
Effort Beliefs
Students with a
Fixed Mindset
Students with a
Growth Mindset
 Effort is negative
 Effort is positive
“To tell the truth, when I
work hard at my school work
it makes me feel like I’m not
very smart.”
“The harder you work at
something, the better
you’ll be at it.”
Adapted from Mindset Works - Brainology® “Research Overview”
Impact of Mindset on
Strategies After Failure
Students with a
Fixed Mindset
Students with a
Growth Mindset
 Helpless
 Resilient
“I would spend less time on
this subject from now on.”
“I would try not to take this
subject ever again.”
“I would try to cheat on the
next test.”
“I would work harder in
this class from now on.”
“I would spend more time
studying for the tests.”
“I learn from mistakes!”
Adapted from Mindset Works - Brainology® “Research Overview”
Check this out!
A Study on Praise and Mindsets
A scenario to consider
 Nine-year-old Elizabeth was on her way to her first
gymnastics meet. Lanky, flexible, and energetic, she was just
right for gymnastics, and she loved it. Of course, she was a
little nervous about competing, but she was good at
gymnastics and felt confident of doing well. She had even
thought about the perfect place in her room to hang the
ribbon she would win.
 In the first event, the floor exercises, Elizabeth went first.
Although she did a nice job, the scoring changed after the
first few girls and she lost. Elizabeth also did well in the other
events, but not well enough to win. By the end of the
evening, she had received no ribbons and was devastated.
What would you do if you were
Elizabeth’s parents?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tell Elizabeth you thought she was the best.
Tell her she was robbed of a ribbon that was rightfully hers.
Reassure her that gymnastics is not that important
Tell her she has the ability and will surely win next time.
Tell her that her effort was great and she should keep
working.
According to Carol Dweck (2006)
 There is a strong message in our society about how to boost
children’s self-esteem, and a main part of that message is:
Protect them from failure! While this may help with the
immediate problem of a child’s disappointment, it can be
harmful in the long run. Why?
Let’s look at the five possible reactions from a mindset point of
view (and listen to the messages):
According to Carol Dweck (2006)
 The first (you thought she was the best) is basically insincere.
She was not the best – you know it, and she does too. This
offers her no recipe for how to recover or how to improve.
 The second (she was robbed) places blame on others, when
in fact the problem was mostly with her performance, not
the judges. Do you want her to grow up blaming others for
her deficiencies?
 The third (reassure her that gymnastics doesn’t really matter)
teaches her to devalue something if she doesn’t do well in it
right away. Is this really the message you want to send?
According to Carol Dweck (2006)
 The fourth (she has the ability) may be the most dangerous
message of all. Does ability automatically take you where you
want to go? If Elizabeth didn’t win this meet, why should she
win the next one?
 The last option (tell her she had great effort and should keep
working) fosters perseverance and honours the work she’s
already done. It would also be healthy to share the idea that
her competition was really good.
“Yet”
 Carol Dweck on the power of "yet"
Consider your quote!
 Please take a look at the quote we gave you at the beginning
and consider how it relates to the concept of mindset.
 Share your ideas with the person/people sitting next to you.
 Do you have any questions? Comments?
A little inspiration…
 A boy and a bike
Interested in more information?
 If you’d like more information about Mindset, please let your
school’s administration know!