Work Hard
with a growth mindset meet difficult
problems, ones they could not solve yet,
with great relish. Instead of thinking
they were failing (as the students with a
fixed mindset did), they said things like
“I love a challenge,” “Mistakes are our
friends,” and “I was hoping this would be
informative!”
Students with a fixed mindset do
not like effort. They believe that if you
have ability, everything should come
naturally. They tell us that when they
have to work hard, they feel dumb.
Students with a growth mindset, in
contrast, value effort; they realize that
even geniuses have to work hard to
develop their abilities and make their
contributions.
Finally, students with a fixed mindset
tend not to handle setbacks well.
Because they believe that setbacks call
their intelligence into question, they
become discouraged or defensive when
they don’t succeed right away. They
may quickly withdraw their effort,
blame others, lie about their scores,
or consider cheating. Students with
a growth mindset are more likely to
respond to initial obstacles by remaining
involved, trying new strategies, and
using all the resources at their disposal
for learning.
Creating a Culture of Risk Taking
Teachers who strive to design challenging, meaningful learning tasks
may find that their students respond
differently depending on the students’
© THE GRANGER COLLEC TION
