What Is the Power of Believing You Can Improve?

TL;DR

Believing in the power of 'yet' fosters a growth mindset, where failure becomes a learning opportunity rather than a setback. Praising effort and strategies instead of innate talent encourages resilience and greater academic performance, allowing students to see their abilities as malleable and capable of growth.

Transcript

The power of yet. I heard about a high school in Chicago where students had to pass a certain number of courses to graduate, and if they didn't pass a course, they got the grade "Not Yet." And I thought that was fantastic, because if you get a failing grade, you think, I'm nothing, I'm nowhere. But if you get the grade "Not Yet", you understand tha... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧠 Emphasis on "Not Yet" grading system in schools allows for a growth mindset, where failure is seen as an opportunity to learn and improve rather than a reflection of worth or intelligence.
• 🌱 Students with a growth mindset actively seek out challenges and view their abilities as malleable and capable of development, leading to greater engagement and learning.
• 🤝 Fixed mindset students, on the other hand, tend to fear failure and avoid challenges, resorting to cheating and seeking comparisons with others to protect their self-esteem.
• 🔍 Engaging with mistakes and errors is crucial for growth, with growth mindset students actively processing and learning from their mistakes, while fixed mindset students avoid and disengage from errors.
• 📚 Raising children for a growth mindset involves shifting focus from solely academic achievements to fostering resilience, perseverance, and a love for learning.
• 🌟 Process praise, focusing on effort, strategies, and progress rather than innate talent or intelligence, helps children develop a growth mindset and become more resilient.
• 💡 Rewarding effort, strategy, and progress through gamified learning experiences fosters engagement, perseverance, and motivation to tackle difficult problems.
• 🏫 Growth mindset classrooms create equality in education by transforming the meaning of effort and difficulty for underperforming students, leading to significant academic improvements in disadvantaged groups.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the significance of the grade "Not Yet" for students who fail a course?

The grade "Not Yet" allows students to understand that they are on a learning curve and have the opportunity to continue improving and growing. It gives them a path into the future rather than feeling like a failure.

Q: How do students with a growth mindset react to challenges and difficulty?

Students with a growth mindset view challenges positively and believe that their abilities can be developed. They embrace challenges and see them as opportunities to learn and grow. Their focus is on the process and improvement rather than the fear of failure.

Q: How do students with a fixed mindset react to failure and errors?

Students with a fixed mindset consider failure and errors as tragic and catastrophic. They see it as a judgment of their intelligence, causing them to feel defeated and incapable of improvement. Instead of embracing the "power of yet," they become stuck in the "tyranny of now."

Q: How does praise and reward influence students' mindset?

Praising intelligence and talent has been proven to be ineffective. Instead, praising the process that students engage in, such as effort, strategies, focus, perseverance, and improvement, helps develop a growth mindset. Similarly, rewards that acknowledge and encourage effort, strategy, and progress, rather than just correct answers, can also promote a growth mindset.

Q: How can educators change students' mindsets?

Educators can teach students about the growth mindset and the concept of neuroplasticity, which means that the brain can form new connections and become smarter with effort and learning. By providing this knowledge and emphasizing the power of effort and difficulty in learning, students can develop a growth mindset that leads to improved academic performance and resilience.

Q: How can growth mindset classrooms promote equality among students?

Growth mindset classrooms that foster the belief in the power of yet can help bridge the achievement gap for underserved groups of students. By transforming the meaning of effort and difficulty, these classrooms empower students to embrace challenges and understand that their abilities can improve. This has shown significant academic growth and achievement among students in previously disadvantaged areas.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The concept of "Not Yet" instead of failing grades helps students understand that they are on a learning curve and gives them a path into the future.

• Students with a growth mindset embrace challenge and difficulty, while those with a fixed mindset see failure as judgment and respond negatively.

• Praising effort, strategy, focus, and perseverance can create hardy and resilient children, and teaching students about the growth mindset can lead to improvements in grades and overall performance.