According to Dweck’s research, an organizing principle for a person with a fixed mindset is to preserve his/her reputation for being smart. Conversely, an organizing principle for a person with a growth mindset is to keep asking questions and to put forth effort to continue learning. Fixed mindset people tend not to value effort and give up easily, while growth mindset people see effort as a vehicle for change. Research also shows that people with a growth mindset tend to work harder when faced with a challenge.
Nationwide studies show that, after participating in Stanford’s PERTS Lab High School Transition program, there is typically After the online sessions, all students were a 22 percent increase in students endorsing asked to write a persuasive letter to a “future a growth mindset. At Mineral Wells High student.” In this letter, they were to share School, student data showed 62 percent of their stories of facing challenges, learning, students had a growth mindset at the end of persevering, and growing their abilities to the program. Thirteen percent displayed a get better at something. This technique of fixed mindset, and 25 percent had an interwriting about a personal experience helps mediate mindset (meaning they answered the students internalize and personalize their “somewhat agree” or “somewhat disagree” on a six-point Likert scale). learning. better and faster, resulting in a “rewiring” of the brain.
In Mineral Wells ISD, we emphasize that everyone in the district — teachers, students, parents, administrators, and even our board of trustees — are learners.We know that it is important for each of us to learn in order to do our respective jobs well. When we first read about Dweck’s research and Stanford University’s outreach efforts to bring its research to scale, we wanted to be involved. To help our students access their full potential, Mineral Wells Junior High, working with Assistant Principal Jeff Williams, signed on to Stanford’s research study. Also, our high school, under the leadership of Principal Jon Almeida, participated in the Project for Educational Research That Scales (PERTS) Lab High School Transition Program, which uses the Mindset Toolkit. The PERTS Lab aims to disseminate its empirical research into the world in practical, real-life applications. Almeida used a pep rally schedule to provide time for all of his ninth graders to participate in the work. The classroom activities involved two 45-minute online sessions, teacher-facilitated conversations and videos about “neuroplasticity,” or the brain’s malleability and ability to generate new neural pathways throughout life. The lessons showed that, just like a muscle that gets stronger through exercise, the brain can be strengthened by working on challenging material that makes one think. As neurons get thicker and stronger, the brain can work
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Another exercise challenged students to share their stories in six words and a picture. Students were asked to respond to one of the following requests in six words: 1. Describe a time you worked hard and overcame challenges to get better at something. 2. Tell something you want to get better at through hard work by taking on a challenge and through persistence.