Growth Mindset—What is it and how is it beneficial?
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset—are these familiar terms? The concepts and their effects on learning have been an object of discussion for many inside and outside the education community. A growth mindset has been shown to increase learning and success for students, so it’s important to understand what it is, the benefits, and how individuals can develop it.
What is a growth mindset?
A growth mindset consists of believing that intelligence, skills, and abilities can be developed through work, practice, and consistent effort. People with a growth mindset welcome feedback and constructive criticism as a way to see where they can improve and grow. They value the learning process and welcome opportunities for increased development.
By contrast, individuals with a fixed mindset feel that everyone is born with certain traits and skills—people are either good or bad at things. Constructive criticism feels like a personal attack. Failures feel permanent because failing at something demonstrates a lack of ability. Living with a fixed mindset requires proving worth and value over and over again.
There are things that can be mistaken for a growth mindset. A growth mindset is not just applauding effort; progress needs to be made. It’s also not the same as being open-minded or flexible, and it’s not all-or-nothing where someone is either all growth mindset or all fixed mindset. Everyone experiences each at different times and in different areas of their lives.
What are the benefits of a growth mindset?
Developing a growth mindset opens opportunities for people to:
- —Learn and achieve more
- —Rebound faster from setbacks, failures, and disappointments
- —Avoid wasting energy worrying about approval from others
- —Increase collaboration, innovation, and creative risk-taking
- —Sustain personal motivation
- —View difficult tasks as opportunities to expand abilities
- —Perceive challenges as an exciting chance to grow
How to develop a growth mindset?
Since it is so beneficial to have a growth mindset, how is one developed? Here are some strategies we found:
- —Focus on the process that leads to learning, like hard work and trying different strategies
- —View challenges as opportunities instead of obstacles
- —Prioritize learning over seeking approval
- —Reward and praise what people do and how hard they work, instead of individual traits
- —Practice receiving feedback as an opportunity to improve, not as a personal attack
- —Reflect on learning every day
- —Always be working toward some kind of growth and learning goal
- —Give yourself time—learning and growth don’t happen overnight
- —Support others (and yourself) in developing any skill of interest
- —Celebrate the success of others and use it as motivation to work hard and succeed!
Developing a growth mindset is helpful for anyone, at any stage of life. Research shows that it helps people be more successful. What have you done to develop a growth mindset in yourself or others?
