Growth Mindset: Revisited

I feel like there are so many things to discuss on this topic of growth mindset. I find myself echoing many of the same sentiments of my peers in my e-Portfolio class. Growth mindset (see a video from one of the leading experts, Carol Dweck, here) is something to develop and nurture. I feel fortunate that the school district I serve did this as a book study previously, and now it's one of my favorite books to read and read again. It really firmed up personal beliefs and started really informing purposeful shifts I started making in my teaching; as well as my personal learning and parenting practices.

I think everything just reiterates that the process of learning is just as valuable as a product of learning. Through the process, you discover so many things about yourself-your grit, your strengths, your areas of growth, your passions, your knowledge, your experience, etc. and that pours into your product.

Has anyone observed that when something is a passion project or a preferred activity, one has the tendency toward a growth mindset ( ie. myself learning a piano score) and if something is unpreferred or forced, you have to really channel and choose growth mindset (ie myself learning trigonometry)?

Wouldn't it be great if learning REMAINED a preferred activity for everyone and thus, the growth mindset was more readily chosen? (I say remained because we are all born as learners.) I know it can be changed, I have seen it happen-for good or for ill. It happened to myself in 9th grade when I started believing "I'm not a math person.", even thought prior to that I don't remember thinking that way. Through the discussion in my ePortfolio class, we discovered that many people had a similar experience...which led us to realize that having a growth mindset isn't enough, it's just one factor. The other factors at play that we were overlooking was the learning environment and approach to learning.

Learning is not only the mere acquisition of skills, but also encompasses the experience of learning. Growth mindset needs an environment and facilitator that contributes to the learners' success. The "power of YET" only goes so far, but GREAT gains can be made if the learning environment and approach is learner centered. (Read more about this type of approach (COVA) Dr. Harapnuik's research here.)

Thankfully, with where we are in terms of technology, knowledge and tools are literally available to everyone at their fingertips. Don't know something? Google it! Can't visualize a place? Image search! Didn't get to hear that musician? YouTube! Everyone is constantly, willingly learning each day. So why is there such a fear to innovate in our school systems? We have all the pieces to harness greatness. We even know what the pieces are! Digital learning can make that happen-on a large scale-where it is possible to teach learning as a process, through the power of "yet"- and through that change, every learner is empowered by their voice and their choice through a learner centered environment and approach.