Klaressa Howery

Galileo Cohort A
Prepared for Dr. Joyce Fouts
August 2013
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: The following assignment details the seven most important ideas
that had an impact on my thinking after reading Carol Dwecks book, Mindset.

One: A person who lives with a fixed mindset believes that intelligence
is something one is born with and cannot be developed. With a fixed mindset
the locus of control is perceived as external. For example, a promotion at
work would be due to people liking me or because I am lucky. A student with
a fixed mindset has to keep proving themselves and is very concerned if they
look smart or look dumb. They hesitate to raise their hand to ask a
question in class because others will be judging them. If a person has a
growth mindset they work under the belief that intelligence can be improved
with hard work, practice, and confidence in ones ability. They believe that
intelligence can be developed and that it is not based on heredity. A
promotion would occur because of the effort, extra training, and continuing
to learn from others despite setbacks. A growth mindset person sees
difficulty as a challenge and understands that they can advance with the
application of effort. A student with a growth mindset is not afraid to ask
questions because the goal is learning. They look at their teacher as a
resource not a judge. A person with either mindset can still have set backs
which cause disappointment. However, the view one adopts for themselves
will undeniably define their life.
Two: In the book it states that a person can be a combination of fixed
and growth mindset, but typically you are more one than the other. Before I
read the book, I read the questions that needed to be addressed for this
paper. I was interested and found myself trying to analyze which one defined
me. When Dr. Dweck stated that a fixed person is one who has to keep
proving themselves worthy of praise, I felt that I was of a fixed mindset.
However, as I continued reading I believe that I have more qualities of the
growth mindset. I was born and raised on an Iowa farm. As one of five
children, I learned the importance of hard work and effort at an early age. We
all had chores and if we wanted extras we bought them with money earned
from our work or sale of animals. Both of my parents were educators and
stressed the importance of getting a good education. High school was
enjoyable due to involvement in sports and clubs. I did well academically,
but my first college failure in Chemistry 177 was devastating. I took the

class a second time and I passed by hard work and the help of a tutor. As a
middle school science and math teacher I found that many students
struggled with math concepts. My belief that all kids could learn the concepts
pushed me to find a strategy to work for them. I provided additional
encouragement and an underlying expectation that they could and would
learn the material with effort. I wish I would have had this book as a tool to
increase student motivation.
Three: I think that a person needs to determine what they want to
accomplish and then make a plan to make it happen. One must keep focused
on a goal because there will be setbacks. The brain can be your greatest
asset or your greatest hindrance. It is a conscious decision that a person
makes on a daily basis in how they view failure and challenges. Reading this
book helps a person to see the differences between the two. The growth
mindset is much more appealing because there are no limits. Train yourself
to love challenges and not be slaves to praise. I loved the example in the
book that a C+ can either be viewed as a parking ticket or a car wreck. When
a person makes a decision to view this setback as a parking ticket, they can
learn from it, pay the ticket, and move on. Or, it can be so paralyzing that
they dont take risks and never move forward.
Four: Middle school students often speak about being smart or not
smart. I hear them blame teachers for their lack of progress on a daily basis.
Teaching them the two mindsets using some various scenarios could be a
powerful tool. It would also take away the excuse for not trying to learn math
because Im not good at it. Parents can also benefit from these concepts as
well. In chapter seven, there are multiple statements that highlight how
parents and teachers can help foster the growth mindset within their
children. I plan to type out a few of these statements as a resource that
might inspire them to read the entire book.
Five: As a school counselor, I have the opportunity to work with many
students who are involved in some kind of difficult situation. It might be a
personal relationship issue and/or one that falls into an academic category.
When faced with an academic issue, Dr. Dwecks book suggests that in order
to have an impact on learning and motivation, students need to be praised
for working hard instead of being praised for being smart. Many times I have
started student-counselor conversations with, You are smart kid and
something appears to be going on with your grades, as I look at the Ds and
Fs on the computer screen. After reading this book, I know that the better
option is to focus on effort as the key to success. When a student is

describing their struggle, I can ask purposeful questions that require them to
evaluate their effort. One activity I could have a student do would be to chart
their 24 hour day to see where time is spent. I also plan to run student
groups to teach the benefits of a growth mindset.
Six: A fellow counselor and I continually look for material for small
counseling groups and this knowledge base would be ideal for struggling
students. When I learned that Dr. Dweck has a series of lessons titled
Brainology, I was intrigued. I looked it up online and it said that materials
average approximately ten dollars per student. Our school has grant
opportunities in the fall and this would be a way to share this research with
our students and my colleagues. Additionally this week our staff was trained
on Classroom Instruction That Works by McRel. Dr. Dwecks Mindset book
was highlighted as part of the training. Our staff is now familiar with the idea
of her work which provides an avenue for further conversation.
Seven: I used to think intelligence was divided into multiple areas such
as intrapersonal, kinesthetic, linguistic, etc. as highlighted in Howard
Gardners Multiple Intelligence work where people identify and utilize their
strengthsAND now I think that these intelligences can all be cultivated with
effort and determination using a growth mindset to reach ones life goals.