"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds - Stanford University Video Podcast

The podcast that we were assigned to listen to was "Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds which is part of a Stanford University podcast series called "The Stanford Challenge: Seeking Solutions, Educating Leaders (Improving K-12 Education)." To visit the Stanford University iTunes website you can use the following link: Stanford University.This podcast discussed the difference between "fixed" and "growth" mindsets in learning. The first mindset discussed was the "fixed" mindset. According to the speaker for Stanford University, some students have a "fixed" mindset which means that they believe that their basic intelligence is a fixed trait. This lady said that this concerns students because they always worry if they have enough intelligence to complete a task. Other students believe they have the "growth" mindset. These students believe that their intelligence is something that they develop through life experiences and educations.

In order to try to help all students to develop the "growth" mindset, Stanford University employees set up a workshop with eight different sessions. Half of the students in this study received study skills and "growth" mindset classes while the other half received only study skills classes. The results showed that the students who were in the classes of just study skills made no improvements. Their grades continued to drop, and they were not motivated at all by the study skills courses. Stanford University psychologists believed this was because they did not receive the "growth" mindset lesson which teaches the students that their brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use. In order to prove their theory, the students were given an article about the "growth" mindset. After reading the article, the students learned how to apply this "growth" mindset when completing their school work. At the end of the semester, these students showed great improvements in their grades, and the teachers were distinguish between the students who had the "fixed" mindset and the students who had the "growth" mindset.

At the end of the video podcast, the students with the "growth" mindset were described as "curious to learn" while the students who have the "fixed" mindset just "want to feel smart." As a future teacher this affects me because in order to be a good mentor I also must have this "growth" mindset. The learning process never stops, and as a teacher I have to remember that my intelligence is still continuing to grow. It is very important for students to always be "curious to learn" and remember that their intelligence has no boundaries. As a teacher, I will always strive to be the best motivator for my students and remind them everyday that they can do anything that they set their mind to.