Today's staff meeting involved a presentation about our new school grading policy, an unveiling of Symbaloo in conjunction with the MPMS website, motivational speeches, a PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) Presentation, new-staff introductions, and a wonderful lunch provided by the PTSA. Something that made an impact on me was our discussion of Mind-Sets. Our admin team passed around Mind-Sets and Equitable Education, an article by Carol S. Dweck. The article discussed fixed vs. growth mind-sets and the difference a mind-set can make in learning. A person with a fixed mind-set is praised for the end result. "Well done! You got an A!" or "You won! You're a winner!" Rather, growth mind-set focuses on praising the process, the effort. "You worked so hard!" and "Look at how far you've come!" The problem with fixed mind-set praise is that when students win, you tell them that they are winners, so when they lose, they feel like failures. Fixed mind-set learners worry about how they'll be judged, the final results. Growth mind-set people worry about what they'll learn and how they'll grow. Research has shown that students' minds-sets have a direct influence of their grades and that teaching students to have a growth mind-set raises their grades and achievement test scores significantly (Blackwell, Trzesniewsi, & Dweck, 2007). It shows that all students have the ability to learn and to succeed. It's my job as a teacher to praise strategies and effort, tell the students that they can do better, try harder, and provide them with specific ways to do so. Check out Eduardo Briceno's TED Talk that explains the difference between fixed and growth mind-sets.
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