# 6.3 Growth mindset

> You are not handed a fixed pot of brilliance at birth. Instead you can grow and change your ability with practice, determination and effort.

(Syed, 2018, p. 51)

Growth mindset is the belief that your ability is not fixed, but instead your brain has plasticity, growing and changing throughout the whole of your life. Consider Carol Dweck’s (2007) ‘growth mindset’ approach, where the journey is praised rather than the end result.

Some examples of ‘fixed mindset’ thinking and the ‘growth mindset’ equivalents would be:

## Table 5 Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset (Adapted from Syed, 2018, p.52)

Fixed mindset | Growth mindset
--- | ---
‘I’m no good at that’ | ‘I’m no good at that yet, but I can improve with effort’
‘I’m so stupid’ | ‘I just haven’t done enough practice yet’
‘She’s a genius’ | ‘I wonder what practice she’s doing?’
‘I’ve got no coordination’ | ‘I need to find someone to study with me’
‘I give up’ | ‘What can I do differently?’
‘It’s too hard’ | ‘This might take a while; I need to ask for help’

## Activity 3 Reframing thoughts

Allow about 10 minutes

Consider the following thoughts, and how you can reframe them to focus on effort, learning, and growth. Note down your ideas in the boxes.

‘I’ll never understand this’

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‘I’m just not smart enough’

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‘I always fail at this’

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‘I’m afraid of failing’

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‘I always make mistakes’

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### Discussion

Consider sharing your growth mindset statements with your peers – that way you can inspire each other to embrace challenges and continue growing!

By embracing setbacks and leveraging metacognitive strategies, learners can develop a growth mindset that transforms challenges into opportunities for personal and academic growth.

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