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Carol Dweck's Mindset

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Prior to beginning Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, I was already aware that successful adults on our residential campus for foster youth are most successful when we are able to simultaneously nurture and challenge individual students. This is a commonly shared belief among many of the experienced teachers and child care workers on our campus. However, I did not realize that this practice actually helps students to develop a growth mindset. Helping students to develop a growth mindset is especially important at San Pasqual Academy because most of our students have been removed from abusive homes and suffer from trauma. As Dweck explains while sharing a story about abused children adopting fixed mindsets from their …show more content…

When reading silently, he was able to comprehend at a fourth-grade reading level, but he would pout or walk out of the room if asked to read aloud. A few weeks into the fall semester, I noticed that Steven would sneak into the back room during silent reading. It seemed as if he was trying to focus, but I soon discovered that he was actually using technology tools to improve his comprehension. He found audio clips of the novel we were reading on YouTube and he was listening to them as he followed along in his text. With the help of our campus literacy coach, his houseparents, and upperclassmen tutors, I began to push Stephen to practice reading aloud. By the conclusion of his sophomore year, Steven was independently reading grade-level texts, especially teen romance novels. This spring, he passed the California High School Exit Exam on the first try and earned a 4.0 grade point average. He is open about his progress and loves to tell his peers about his improvement. Stephen’s commitment to working hard to improve his skills exemplifies his growth mindset and is becoming one of the most respected students on our …show more content…

When Manny asked “Do you want me to include the counterclaim in this body paragraph or do you want me to make a new paragraph for it?” I was taken aback. By inquiring about his educational experiences, I learned that he attended a middle school with high expectations. His eighth grade English teacher emphasised expository writing and helped her students write many essays. I told Manny that I was excited to read his work and challenge him to improve his writing. But, within a few weeks, Manny shut down. He stopped writing. He withdrew from class. He became defensive when I attempted to help him. I set up a meeting with his clinician after school one day. Manny begrudgingly participated in the meeting, but became visibly upset after I kindly explained, “You are fortunate that you are entering high school with advanced writing skills. Your strong critical thinking skills are evident in your participation in class discussions. The door to college will be open to you. I am looking forward to helping you get there.” Sounds nice, but that conversation led to a six-month shut down. Even after many meetings with campus adults, Manny refused to participate in class. Manny has a fixed mindset and my comments about his innate intelligence and potential put too much pressure on him. When he faced a challenge in class, he

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