My Take on the Growth Mindset Theory

I believe the growth mindset theory is something that should be practiced in schools at all ages.  Without the growth mindset theory, students will create boundaries or barriers and will not grow or be willing to accept new challenges. I can relate to this theory, I have changed my mindset towards schoolwork since going back to school.  I look at my assignments, as challenges that will help me understand the material better.  I used to take the approach of homework being a chore, and if I didn’t understand it, I just felt I was not smart enough to do the assignment.  I then created a barrier for myself and thought that I couldn’t do this type of work.  This resulted in me getting lost in my assignments and falling behind in the course and failing.

Taking the other approach has been very rewarding but also very hard at times.  Looking at the assignments as a challenge rather than a chore gives me hope that I can do the assignments, but it is going to take some work to get the job done.  I also look at it this way, if the teacher was assigning us the work, it is because he or she has taught us the skills and wants us to “flex our muscle” and show them what we can do. Realistically, teachers will not assign work that he or she knows is over our heads or something we are not capable of doing.  Knowing this gives me more confidence from the beginning to tackle the assignment from the get go. 

What the growth-mindset theory offers the student is hope and a future to grow.   School can be intimidating and it is easy for a student to feel discouraged if they do not pass a course.  Looking at it as a “not ready yet” instead of a fail, gives the student confidence that they can do it, they just need some more time studying the material. 

-Patrick