Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck's research into children's Self-Theories shows how their
Mindset on intelligence affects their motivation to learn and their
aspiration to achieve. A Growth Mindset means a child will be open to
challenge and welcome feedback, whereas a Fixed Mindset gives
them a view that nothing will change their "fixed" intelligence.
Carol Dweck has been carrying out research in States.
She is particularly interested in how students view
themselves as learners and she has found that their
self-theory is likely to have a major effect on their
self-belief and their motivation to learn. Carol
describes the hallmark of successful individuals as that
"they love learning, they value effort and they
persist in the face of obstacles"
Most EAZ schools are now using Self-Theory
questionnaires to determine which Y5/6 children have a
Fixed Mindset on intelligence (Entity Learners) and
which have a Growth Mindset (Incremental Learners).
We use this as a starting point to discuss the mindsets
with them and to promote the Growth Mindset. We
have found that children respond surprisingly quickly to
a Growth Mindset classroom environment and their
mindset can soon change. Two schools who are
leaders in using the Growth Mindset with their pupils
are Shiremoor Primary - shiremoorprimary.co.uk
and New York Primary - newyorkprimary.org
Carol Dweck has written two major books about how
our Mindset affects our aspirations and achievement.
The first book Self-Theories: Their Role in
Motivation, Personality and Development describes
her research with children, which shows how those who
have a fixed mindset tend to limit their aspirations and
wilt when the work gets difficult, whereas those with a
growth mindset are not afraid of failure and are much
more resilient when faced with tough problems.
The second book Mindset: The New Psychology of
Success relates this research not only to children's
progress at school, but also to adults' progress in the
fields of sport, business, management and even
relationships.

This link takes you direct to Carol Dweck's website

Link to Carol Dweck's Mindset Online

This link takes you to the Centre for Confidence website
in Glasgow, which has lots of information about
Self-Theories and downloadable Powerpoints to use
with children and adults.

Link to Centre for Confidence
In the 1990's we were told that PRAISE was the key to success.
"Everyone thrives on praise", they said, so all we had to do was keep
praising our students for every success, however small. This would
boost their self-esteem and improve their willingness to accept
challenge.

We now know that this is simply not true. Carol Dweck explains in this
article how the wrong kind of praise (praising intelligence or
"cleverness") can have the opposite of the effect intended.

Praise can be dangerous PDF
Praise can be dangerous
Click on any of the blue
boxes to find out more about
Carol Dweck's theories
Self-Theories:  Entity(Fixed) v Incremental(Growth)
I believe that
intelligence is not fixed
My intelligence can be
improved through
learning
I thrive on challenge
I throw myself into
difficult tasks
I am self-confident
I can ignore the
low aspirations of
my peers
I react to failure by
trying harder
I engage in
self-monitoring
I have learning goals
I like feedback on my
performance so I
can improve
Growth Mindset
Incremental Learners
The above diagram shows the likely attributes of a student with a
Growth Mindset. These students usually value school and are keen to
do well. But only about 40% of students have a Growth Mindset. What
about the 40% who have a Fixed Mindset, who consequently don't
welcome feedback and lack confidence? Click on this link to see their
Mindset:  Fixed Mindset
click here for the
Power Point for
Essex LA
C Dweck Essex
17.9.10
Click here for the
Power Point for
NQT conference
19.11.01
Click here for
the Power Point
for Maldon
Primary School
Maldon PS
4.1.11
Reuven Feuerstein's Mediated Learning Experience

A fore-runner of Carol Dweck was the Israeli educationist Reuven Feuerstein,
whose work began in the early 1950's, advising the Israeli Government in setting up
a new education system for the new state of Israel.

Feuerstein's methods have been developed in approximately a half century of
experimentation, much of it on young people who have been considered as
"learning disabled". This population included children who survived the
death camps of the Holocaust, the Ethiopian children who came to Israel and
had to adjust to at least two centuries of culture change and children who
suffered from physical ailments, such as Down's Syndrome, spinabifida,
autism and head injuries. The improvements he produced in these children
have been hailed as nothing short of miraculous. There have also been
experiments made with "normal" children and the results have also been
very positive. Furthermore, when mediated learning was tried with a
group of physicists at Los Alamos, who were certainly not "learning
disabled", they agreed that the Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) had
helped them. Meir Ben-Hur is now working with companies to improve the
learning of quality improvement teams.

People who believe in an IQ test believe that there exists, in each person, a
genetic endowment , which sets a limit on their ability to think and to reason.
Feuerstein, however, has demonstrated that people are "modifiable". In
spite of the dramatic evidence Feuerstein has provided, the faith of IQ
proponents in the immutability of intelligence is unshaken. By taking
people who, according to the IQ test are near hopeless, and getting them to
excel, Feuerstein provides data for the contrary hypothesis: People can learn
to learn, and when they do, they can excel.

Click on the link to read more about Reuven Feuerstein