The Power of A Growth Mindset:Helping Our Campers to Have a

Positive Self-Theory

Scott Brody

Owner & Director of Camps Kenwood & EvergreenFounder of Everwood Day Camp

scott@kenwood-evergreen.com

Which Traits Are Children Born With?

The Drive to Help (Altruism)

The Drive to Master

Problem-Solving

Social Connection

Instinctive Optimism

Intrinsic Motivation

The Drive to Acquire Knowledge & Develop Intelligence

You Don’t See Unmotivated Babies!

Babies Are Engaged Learners

The Challenge:

MANY OF THE THINGS ADULTS DO TO HELP AND TO MOTIVATE OUR CHILDREN CONSPIRE TO HELP THEM BECOME NON-LEARNERS!

Labeling of Children:

Labeling of Children:

Feeling This Creates in Children:

The Trophy Generation:

How Do We Make Help Children Remain Engaged

Learners?

MINDSET MATTERS!

Where The Research Began:

Carol Dweck has done research over the last 30 years with children and young adults in the USA

She is particularly interested in how students view themselves as learners

Their self-theory is likely to have a major effect on their self-belief, their motivation to learn and their resilience

Carol Dweck’s Self-TheoriesTheir Role in Motivation, Personality &

Development (Psychology Press, 1999)

Years of Research

New Insights: Brain Plasticity

Self Theory = Mindset

Dweck’s research into Self-Theories has shown that most people have one of two Mindsets:Fixed Mindset, orGrowth Mindset

Growth Mindset: 40% of Kids

Growth Mindse

t

I believe that

intelligence is not fixed.

My intelligence can be improved through learning

I thrive on challenge & throw myself

info difficult tasks.

I have learning goals &

like feedback so I can

improve!

Fixed Mindset: 40% of kids

FixedMindse

t

I believe that

intelligence is fixed

I don’t like

challenge because it makes me

look stupid

I was born bright/not

very bright

I like easy goals &

being told I’ve done well & am

smart

Four Things You Probably Believe About

Mindset:Belief: Children with high ability are more

likely to display a growth mindset

Truth: You might think that students who were highly

skilled would be the ones to relish a challenge and persevere in the face of setbacks. Instead, many of these students are the most worried about failure, and the most likely to question their ability and to wilt when they hit obstacles (Leggett, 1985)

Four Things You Probably Believe About

Mindset:Belief: Success in school or in life directly

fosters a growth mindset.

Truth: You might also think that when students succeed, they are emboldened and energized to seek out more challenging tasks. The truth is that success in itself does little to boost children’s desire for challenge or their ability to cope with setbacks. In fact we can see that it can have quite the opposite effect. (Diener & Dweck, 1978, 1980)

Four Things You Probably Believe About

Mindset:Belief: Praise, particularly praising a student’s

intelligence, encourages mastery-oriented qualities (growth mindset).

Truth: This is a most cherished belief in our society. One can hardly walk down the street without hearing parents telling their children how smart they are. The hope is that such praise will instill confidence and thereby promote a host of desirable qualities. Instead, this type of praise can lead children to fear failure, avoid risks, doubt themselves when they fail and cope poorly with setbacks. (Mueller & Dweck, 1998)

Four Things You Probably Believe About

Mindset:Belief: A child’s confidence in his/her intelligence

is the key to mastery-oriented qualities (growth mindset).

Truth: It seems only logical to assume that children who have confidence in their intelligence—who clearly believe they are smart—would have nothing to fear from challenge and would be resilient. But many of the most confident individuals do not want their intelligence too stringently tested, and their high confidence is all too quickly shaken when they encounter difficulty. (Henderson & Dweck, 1990; Dweck & Lin, 1998)

Mindset Rule #1

Fixed Mindset: LOOK SMART AT ALL COSTS

Growth Mindset: LEARN AT ALL COSTS

Dweck Study: Transition to 7th Grade

Followed hundreds of students across difficult transition

Measured their mindsets

Measured their attitudes toward learning

Monitored their grades in math for two years

Dweck Study: Transition to 7th Grade

Achievement in Junior HSBlackwell, Dweck, & Trzesniewski (2007)

72.072.573.073.574.074.575.075.576.076.577.0

EnteringAcademic

Year

Fall Year 1

Spring Year 1

Fall Year 2

SpringYear2

FixedGrowth

growth mindset

fixed mindset

Dweck Study: Pre-Med Students

Dweck Study: Pre-Med Students

Mindset Rule #2:

Fixed Mindset: IT SHOULD COME NATURALLY

Growth Mindset: WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY

Which Is True?

Do Geniuses Work-- Or Does it Just Come

Naturally?

Mindset Rule #3:In The Face of

Setbacks…Fixed Mindset: It’s about me

HIDE MISTAKES

CONCEAL DEFICIENCIES

Growth Mindset: It’s about learning

CAPITALIZE ON MISTAKES

CONFRONT DEFICIENCIES

After Setback…

Fixed Mindset:

“I’d spend less time on this subject from now on.”

“I would try not to take this subject ever again.”

“I would try to cheat on the next test.”

Growth Mindset:

“I would work harder in this class from now on.”

“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”

Growth Mindset Brains Work Harder!

Moser et al., 2011

Fixed Mindset provides no recipe for recovering from failures:

Giving up, retreating to comfort zone

Blaming others

Trying to feel superior

How Are Mindsets Transmitted?

Our language tells children what we believe and what we value Mueller & Dweck, 1998; Kamins & Dweck,1 999; Cimpian,

Arce, Markman, & Dweck, 2007.

How We Praise…

Dweck Study: Non-Verbal IQ Test

Dweck Study:Messages About What We

Value• Intelligence Praise: “Wow, that’s a

really good score. You must be smart at this.”

• Effort (Process) Praise: “Wow, that’s a really good score. You must have tried really hard.”

• Control Group: : “Wow, that’s a really good score.”

Dweck Study:Intelligence vs. Effort Praise

• Mindset: Fixed vs. Growth

• Goals: Looking smart vs. Learning

After Difficult Trial:• Confidence/ Enjoyment/Performance

Dweck Study:Intelligence vs. Effort Praise

Lying: Students Who Misrepresented Their Scores

Process Praise

We need to praise:EffortStrategies that lead towards

successResilience

We should not praise:Intelligence, “cleverness” or innate

talent

Key Messages to Produce Growth

Mindset

Key Messages to Produce Growth

Mindset

Key Messages to Produce Growth

Mindset

The brain is a network of cells (neurons)

Key Messages to Produce Growth

Mindset

The cells communicate through chemical messages

Key Messages to Produce Growth

MindsetThe messages signal other neurons whether to fire or not

Dweck Study:Learning About Brain Plasticity

Produced Growth Mindset

Math Grades(Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck)

Before After

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8

Control

BraInology

Dweck Study:Learning About Brain Plasticity

Produced Growth Mindset

Percent Showing Increased Motivation

How Do We Help Our Campers Move from Fixed to Growth

Mindset? Counselors can role model Growth Mindset—they are

living it.

Essential that we show them we believe their intelligence and other abilities, including athleticism, is not fixed

We need to make them believe they can improve

We need to ensure they know how to improve

Collaborative community environment where campers take responsibility for their own learning

Campers understand the Growth Mindset and how it can help them in all of their efforts.