Flexible Mindset

[Targhee]

I know there have been similar articles linked, and conversation had.  I wanted to link this article because I really like the conclusion the author came to about mindset - we don't need growth, or fixed, mindset; we need flexible mindset.

 

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2016/04/gifted_and_talented_we_need_a_flexible_mindset.html

 

What things are you doing with your AL to help promote a flexible mindset?

[Arcadia]

What the article described is exactly the growth mindset. Carol Dweck's growth mindset is about effort being the driving force to success more than IQ. She has never claimed that the playing field was even to start with.

 

I don't see a need for another term to describe.

[Targhee]

What the article described is exactly the growth mindset. Carol Dweck's growth mindset is about effort being the driving force to success more than IQ. She has never claimed that the playing field was even to start with.

 

I don't see a need for another term to describe.

I guess I've not read Dweck directly. I do think the term has been commandeered then, because it is frequently (mis)used in general media and conversation just as the author of the linked article explained.

 

So what practices in your home/homeschool are you using to help you AL develop Dweck's described growth mindset/the linked article's "flexible mindset"?

Edited April 15, 2016 by Targhee

[Arcadia]

I think gifted/innate ability has always been the elephant in the room.

 

"Other students have a growth mindset. They believe that their intelligence can be developed over time through their effort and learning. They do not believe necessarily that everyone has the same intelligence or that anyone can be Einstein, but they do believe that everyone can learn and become smarter. Thus the growth mindset creates a framework in which students focus their efforts, not on looking smart but on becoming smarter." from the author

https://tip.duke.edu/node/888

 

" Mindsets are domain-specific—you might have a fixed mindset about your mathematical ability, for example, and see yourself as terrible (or great) at math; but have a growth mindset about sports, and realize that you can’t just pick up a tennis racket and expect to be good at tennis.

...

From the growth mindset, there are many fewer limits on who might or might not be gifted, and many opportunities along the developmental trajectory to “become†gifted. This is consistent with emerging findings about gifted development (Gottfried, Gottfried, & Guerin, in press). "

http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=giftedchildren

(bolded is what I can identify with in family and friends)

 

"Mindset and perfectionism in gifted and talented students. Perfectionism, which describes the inner drive to achieve excellence, operates differently for people with fixed and growth mindsets (Diehl, 2014). Perfectionists with growth mindset endorse the view that errors are part of the process of achieving excellence.  However, perfectionism can become maladaptive resulting in crippling anxiety or paralysis. Wang, Fu, and Rice (2012) found that gifted students with maladaptive perfectionism held performance goal orientations, which are indicative of fixed mindsets." from Growth Mindset of  Gifted Seventh Grade Students in Science

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1045824.pdf

 

As for my own boys, my older is behind in gross motor skills and he had water phobia so it took us years to get him swimming laps. He is also weaker in sports in general so we had to keep encouraging.  My younger one, we are working on his executive functioning skills and also "boosting" his processing speed.  He used to just let it be that he is slow (not to the extent of 2E) but now he is getting faster.  He definitely have to put in more effort to boost speed and is rather unlikely to match oldest in speed but the gap is closing and that's good.

 

Both my boys are perfectionistic and while perfectionism has held them  back, it has not been to the extent of crippling anxiety or paralysis.  For my boys it was more a matter of having to sleep on it before they try.

 

Edited April 16, 2016 by Arcadia

[Black-eyed Suzan]

I agree with the article and that Dweck's original term has been misconstrued to discount innate ability. It's been a long time since I've read her book, but I didn't get the impression that she thought everyone could achieve the same just by working hard enough.

 

My view is that we each have a range of ability that is possible in a particular domain, and our decisions and actions determine where our achievement falls within that range. Even if I dedicated my life to basketball from a young age, my performance wouldn't be close to Michael Jordan's, but I would be much more proficient than I am now.  :laugh:

 

To get onto the original question: how do I encourage a growth/flexible mindset in my children?

 

I talk about how individuals have innate strengths and weaknesses, but that it's up to that individual what to make of those traits. That no one can become an expert in a field without putting forth effort. That working hard is part of life.

 

I have them working at the edge of their ability in most subjects. If it is too easy, I ramp up the level. It's one of the reasons I like homeschooling.

 

We also make sure that they are participating in something that is not a strength so they can experience struggling to learn a new skill. 

 

I model learning something new and doing things that I know I'm not naturally good at (like basketball).

 

Eventually I plan to read Dweck's book with them and discuss it.

[Donna]

I read Dweck's book when dd was young. It was a long time ago but I didn't get the impression from the book that she discounted innate ability. I got the impression that she thought everyone could work to be their own best at whatever they were attempting. I think "growth" mindset is fine as a term because it encourages your own personal growth.

 

How do I encourage a growth/flexible mindset?

 

When dd was very young and beginning violin, perfectionism was a problem. Most things came very easily to her but if she couldn't do something on the first try, she would take to talking to the teacher about random things or rolling on the shaggy carpet.

 

- I began to use the mantra "We practice to make things easier." rather than "Practice makes perfect." or "Perfect practice makes perfect."

- I never praised her for the results of her effort but only for the effort itself. I praised a performance by pointing out something specific I knew she had worked hard on and during practice I praised her effort and attention.

- I gave her time to "play around" with her violin prior to an "official" practice. She had "(her) time" then she had her time with me. During "(her) time" she would fool around with pieces on other CDs she was listening to, jump ahead in repertoire, play little songs she knew, or make up her own tunes/songs. She learned a lot about her violin during that time (I'll never forget the day she accidentally realized there were more notes on her fingerboard beyond first position…the joy in her face!!!) and she also learned that sometimes "mistakes" can be turned into something and sound good.

- We also talk a lot about how people are good at different things and pointed out specific good points in everyone else's playing or other areas of their lives like sports, academics, personality qualities, or another instrument.

- I encourage her to try different things that take effort to master like learning a new instrument or a dance style or challenging academic material.

 

We translated all those "techniques" into every other aspect of her life (and her brother's lives). Dd learned early on that she could practice to learn to do most anything she wanted to do and that her choices on where to focus her energy and time will determine what she does best.

 

She's a teen now and sometimes will get frustrated with something she is unable to do. When she does, I repeat those same talking points to remind her.