As a former childminder I worked especially hard to help my young friends develop their minds, their thought processes and find ways to help themselves feel good about learning. There is now a movement called the Growth Mindset. It covers a lot of the things I did and it has taught me some new ways to help kids develop a ‘Growth Mindset’.
The Top Hat Definition of Growth Mindset
A growth mindset, as proposed by Stanford professor Carol Dweck in her book Mindset, describes people who believe that their success depends on time and effort. People with a growth mindset feel their skills and intelligence can be improved with effort and persistence. They embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, learn from criticism and seek out inspiration in others’ success. Those who hold a growth mindset believe that they can get better at something by dedication of time, effort and energy. Working on one’s flaws, and the process—not the outcome—are the most important components. With time and practice, people with a growth mindset believe they can achieve what they want. The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset.
As I have changed my livelihood, I started thinking about Growth Mindset in different ways. I began wondering if there was any material for adults who want to shift their minds from a fixed mindset to a growth one. Are there any activities or exercises we can do to help us make these shifts? What do people think about changing the way they think and making a shift like this?
I found a few answers. Not many. Certainly, not as many resources exist for adults as for children. (I kept being redirected). And on the day I am getting ready to post this - there are more, how interesting. So maybe that old Google algorithm has shifted for me…
What I DID find was amazing.
According to the NeuroLeadership Institute, growth mindset has been a buzzword in business for increased productivity. Though the reality is that productivity is actually a byproduct of a growth mindset. In a white-paper I found I saw some interesting shifts that happened in several large organizations.
The NeuroLeadership Institute
reported in a study done at Nokia, that after the 2 year training for the line managers, it was reported that “90% of their feedback conversations are perceived as more constructive” - Impact Report, Growth Mindset Supports Organizations through Disruptions.
They also report overall that 93% on average shared mistakes and learnings with others, 92% on average, shifted from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset and 82 % on average discussed growth mindset with each other.
I had no idea that industry in the US had jumped on this bandwagon before finding this report.
Digging Deeper
I went a little deeper and found another article regarding why having a Growth Mindset is so vital for our elders. From the Second Wind Movement, I learned that having a Growth Mindset helps us retain neuroplasticity which in turn helps to protect our brains from cognitive decline. In a 2018 study out of the University of Toronto, researchers found that: “The more people believed that abilities are changeable, the more they perceived benefits of health behaviors, which in turn increased their intentions.”
This helps us take preventative measures in our health decisions. And we ‘light up’ different parts of our brain - which doesn’t happen when we have a fixed mindset.
There is so much to learn about Growth Mindset - and having a Growth Mindset helps us learn so much better...
This is part one of series #001. So much more to come ~ Watch this space.
Resources
Impact_growth_mindset_US_digital.PDF
https://secondwindmovement.com/develop-growth-mindset/
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