SUMMARY
Carol Dweck discusses the concept of “Not Yet” and its impact on fostering a growth mindset in students, emphasizing resilience and continuous improvement.
IDEAS
- “Not Yet” grades help students see learning as a continuous process rather than a fixed state.
- Growth mindset students view challenges as opportunities to develop their abilities.
- Fixed mindset students see failure as a judgment of their intelligence.
- Praising effort, strategies, focus, perseverance, and improvement fosters resilience in children.
- Growth mindset students engage deeply with errors, learning from and correcting them.
- Employers report that young workers need constant validation due to their upbringing and fixed mindset.
- Online math games reward effort and strategy to increase engagement and perseverance.
- Teaching that neurons form stronger connections through effort helps improve student performance.
- Growth mindset classrooms can significantly improve performance in underperforming student groups.
- Effort and difficulty are seen as opportunities for growth in growth mindset environments.
- A 13-year-old boy improved his life by applying growth mindset principles to schoolwork and relationships.
- Creating environments that foster growth mindsets is a basic human right for all children.
- The power of “Not Yet” provides a path into the future, encouraging persistence.
- Fixed mindset students may cheat or seek validation from others after failure.
- Growth mindset can transform the meaning of effort and difficulty from negative to positive.
- Students with growth mindsets show more brain activity when confronting errors.
- Growth mindset principles can lead to significant academic improvements in struggling students.
- Praise should focus on the process rather than innate intelligence or talent.
- Growth mindset can help close achievement gaps in diverse student populations.
- The concept of “Not Yet” can be applied to various aspects of life beyond academics.
INSIGHTS
- “Not Yet” grades shift focus from failure to potential future success, fostering resilience.
- Growth mindsets transform challenges into opportunities for development and learning.
- Fixed mindsets lead to avoidance of challenges and reliance on external validation.
- Praising the process rather than innate talent builds resilience and perseverance in children.
- Growth mindset students actively engage with errors, leading to deeper learning and correction.
- Environments fostering growth mindsets are essential for equitable education and human rights.
- Teaching about brain plasticity through effort can significantly improve student performance.
- Growth mindset principles can close achievement gaps in underperforming student groups.
- Effort and difficulty are redefined as opportunities for growth in growth mindset environments.
- Applying growth mindset principles can lead to improvements in various life areas.
QUOTES
- “The power of yet.”
- “If you get a failing grade, you think, I’m nothing, I’m nowhere.”
- “They understood that their abilities could be developed.”
- “They were gripped in the tyranny of now.”
- “Their brain is on fire with yet.”
- “Are we raising kids who are obsessed with getting A’s?”
- “Employers are coming to me and saying, we have already raised a generation of young workers who can’t get through the day without an award.”
- “Praising the process that kids engage in: their effort, their strategies, their focus, their perseverance, their improvement.”
- “This process praise creates kids who are hardy and resilient.”
- “Just the words ‘yet’ or ‘not yet,’ we’re finding, give kids greater confidence.”
- “Every time they push out of their comfort zone to learn something new and difficult, the neurons in their brain can form new, stronger connections.”
- “In one year, a kindergarten class in Harlem, New York scored in the 95th percentile on the National Achievement Test.”
- “The native kids outdid the Microsoft kids.”
- “Effort and difficulty made them feel dumb, made them feel like giving up.”
- “I now realize I’ve wasted most of my life.”
- “It becomes a basic human right for children, all children, to live in places that create that growth.”
HABITS
- Praise children’s effort, strategies, focus, perseverance, and improvement rather than innate intelligence or talent.
- Encourage children to view challenges as opportunities for development and learning.
- Teach children about brain plasticity and how effort strengthens neural connections.
- Create environments that foster growth mindsets to promote equitable education.
- Use the concept of “Not Yet” to provide a path into the future and encourage persistence.
FACTS
- Students with growth mindsets show more brain activity when confronting errors.
- Growth mindset classrooms can significantly improve performance in underperforming student groups.
- A kindergarten class in Harlem scored in the 95th percentile on the National Achievement Test within one year.
- Fourth-grade students in the South Bronx became the number one fourth-grade class in New York State on the state math test within one year.
- Native American students on a reservation outperformed affluent sections of Seattle within a year to a year and a half.
ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY
Fostering a growth mindset through “Not Yet” grades and process praise builds resilience and equitable education.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Use “Not Yet” grades to help students see learning as a continuous process.
- Praise children’s effort, strategies, focus, perseverance, and improvement rather than innate intelligence or talent.
- Encourage children to view challenges as opportunities for development and learning.
- Teach children about brain plasticity and how effort strengthens neural connections.
- Create environments that foster growth mindsets to promote equitable education.