Annie Brock - The growth mindset coach : a teachers month-by-month handbook for empowering students to achieve

Text copyright 2016 Annie Brock and Heather Hundley. Design and concept copyright 2016 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the United States by: Ulysses Press P.O. Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703 www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN 13: 978-1-61243-626-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016934493

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Acquisitions editor: Casie Vogel

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Paula Dragosh

Proofreader: Renee Rutledge

Indexer: Jay Kreider

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Artwork: abstract tree with icons venimo/shutterstock.com; brain page 30 Satymova Alena/shutterstock.com; equality/equity illustration page 67 courtesy of Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The authors and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned in this book.

To Abbigail, Addison, Abbott, Bodhi, Lila, and all the children weve met and have yet to meet.

May you face challenges with strength and determination, rise up from failures stronger and wiser than before, and develop a deep, abiding belief in your power to turn wild dreams into great achievements.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

In 2006, Carol Dweck, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, published a book called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. In this chronicle of over thirty years of research into how people succeed, Dweck details her simple, but powerful, theory on two mindsets she discovered in her subjects, which she named the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.

FIXED MINDSET: The belief that were born with a fixed amount of intelligence and ability. People operating in the fixed mindset are prone to avoiding challenges and failures, thereby robbing themselves of a life rich in experience and learning.

GROWTH MINDSET: The belief that with practice, perseverance, and effort, people have limitless potential to learn and grow. People operating in the growth mindset tackle challenges with aplomb, unconcerned with making mistakes or being embarrassed, focusing instead on the process of growth.

These opposing mindsets fixed and growth exist in us all, and whether we choose to view various aspects of our lives through the lens of the growth mindset or the fixed mindset can make a big difference. In Mindset, Dweck points out that all people begin life with a growth mindset. Indeed, babies are the very picture of the growth mindset. They dont care if what theyre saying makes no sense, because theyre learning to talk. If they fall down after a few steps, they get right back up, because theyre learning to walk.

What could put an end to this exuberant learning? asks Dweck in her book. The fixed mindset. As soon as children become able to evaluate themselves, some of them become afraid of challenges. They become afraid of not being smart.

The Growth Mindset Coach is inspired by Dwecks impressive body of work and research, and offers advice and guidance for teachers who want to tap into the power of the growth mindset. Our experience as classroom teachers has led us to believe wholeheartedly in Dwecks theory that a growth mindset in the classroom can significantly improve student achievement. As teachers we are given opportunities every day to encourage a growth mindset in our students and in members of our school community. In this book, we seek to illuminate specific areas that offer opportunities to cultivate growth mindsets among their students, as well as practical strategies for those who want to seize these opportunities in an effort to empower students to achieve.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Our book is intended to serve as a guide for teachers interested in creating a growth-oriented environment in their classrooms. Transitioning a classroom from the traditional method of instruction and assessment to the growth-mindset way takes a lot of work. We wrote this book to help teachers break down this task into manageable chunks, getting practice in different areas of growth-mindset teaching along the way.

Many of the names and identifying details in this book have been changed to protect the identities of students and colleagues with whom weve worked. Additionally, our teaching experience, while rich and fulfilling, has mostly been practiced in rural, low-income schools, with predominately white and Native American students. The dynamics of our classrooms may be different from classrooms in an urban setting, at a charter school, at a religious school, and so forth. We understand that what has worked for us may not work in every situation, and we encourage you to adapt and modify the resources, tools, and strategies in this book to suit your needs.

Each chapter of The Growth Mindset Coach corresponds to a month of the year; each month has a spotlight theme for growth and includes strategies to strengthen your growth-oriented classroom. Youll be engaging with students, parents, and teachers each month to foster the growth mindset in yourself and among classroom and school shareholders. We start by talking through the process of teaching your students about the growth mindset. Once youve learned the basics, youll spend the year developing your growth mindsets together and taking a deep dive each month into different areas weve identified as central to a growth-oriented classroom. At the end of the year, your students will have had a multifaceted, growth-oriented experience and will be able to use the skills theyve learned as they move forward in their educational journey.

Remember, using the growth mindset in teaching is a work in progress. Incorporating a new classroom ethos is a big undertaking! There will be failures, mistakes, and setbacks along the way, but remember to keep a growth mindset about it. Know that each stumbling block is an opportunity to learn something new and improve your methods. It may not be easy, but we guarantee itll be worth it.

HOW THE BOOK IS ORGANIZED

As we said earlier, each chapter is aligned with a month of the year. If you pick this book up in February, dont sweat it. Just start from the beginning and implement growth-mindset strategies where you can. This isnt an all-or-nothing approach. Theres no one right way to create a growth-mindset classroom. Teachers have used a wide variety of tools and strategies to develop and hone their students growth mindsets. Its not important to us that you follow this book to the letter; its important that you find what works for you and your students.

Each month begins with a monthly mantra. Were big into repeat-after-me mantras. These are little affirmations that you and your students say together throughout the month to zero in on the monthly goal for growth. In our experience, repeating affirmations helps cement their truth in the minds of your students. Think back to a particularly challenging class you had as a student. If you had started the day by saying Everyone can learn! together with your teacher and classmates, would you have felt more confident in your ability to master the course content? We think so! Weve watched our own students incorporate class mantras into their regular discourse. One day, youll overhear a child lean over to a struggling classmate and whisper, Keep trying. Everyone can learn this, and itll feel incredible.