How do you interpret the message of "yet"?

I viewed Carol Dweck's "yet" term as something not set in stone. There is room for improvement or mastery of a skill. Being able to see your own mistakes as an opportunity to learn instead of thinking, "That's it," or "I'm not good enough."

In my current classes, I see students with a fixed mindset. They give up easily on tasks and even the most minor assignments. Some choose not to attempt them at all, most likely because they are afraid of failure. I'm excited to take this class and see how there are new ways to reach and motivate all my students so they can be successful. 

"Just the words 'yet' or 'not yet,' we're finding, give kids greater confidence, give them a path into the future that creates greater persistence." -Carol Dweck

During my GT classes, I let the students explore and build what they think will work with the robots. Often, they need to remember a line of code or have the wrong wires crossed. When they encounter these roadblocks, we have discussions that will lead them to be forward thinkers, and they can troubleshoot the issues and problem-solve. 

I don't know which mindset I currently have. Sometimes, I would look for a way to solve problems and engage in critical thinking. It's likely why I enjoy puzzle-style video games. I don't get on Google to search for how-to videos because I want to be able to solve them myself, and I appreciate the challenges. But then there are tasks I sometimes feel I need to improve. Now, I am finally going for my master's degree. In the past seven years, I thought getting my bachelor's degree and settling for a middle school teacher would be the best I

could do. There are things I struggle with mentally, but here recently, certain aspects of my life have begun to improve. I want to think I'm leaning more toward the growth mindset, even though I'm still clinging to some aspects of the fixed mindset.

References

[Standford Alumni]. (2014, October 9). Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ&t=571s

[Tedx Talks]. (2012, November 18). The Power of belief -- mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/pN34FNbOKXc?si=qMF0Xw4VnChQc6Fd

Harapnuik, D. (2013, April 5). Fixed Vs Growth Mindset = Print Vs Digital Information Age. It's About Learning Creating Significant Learning Environments. Retrieved October 17, 2024, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=3627