“Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.” — Yoda
In his witty presentation, “Bring on the Learning Revolution!,” in Ted Talks, Sir Ken Robinson, quoting Jeremy Bentham the English utilitarian philosopher, stated that “there are two types of people in this world: those who divided the world into two types and those who do not.” Regarding mindset, Dr. Carol Dweck seems to fit in the first category. Her dichotomy consists of people who either have what she called “fixed mindset” or “growth mindset.” Although practical, it is a very limited perspective of categorizing people’s mentality. Throughout my 26 years as hypnotherapy practitioner, I have found that there is no one-fit-all-therapy to treat everyone because each of us is unique in multiple ways. Likewise, we should not overgeneralize how our students adapt to learning. Regardless of my observation, I think that Dr. Dweck’s research provides many interesting and practical insights.
“Luminous beings are we…not this crude matter.” — Yoda
People with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed. While people who have fixed mindset believe that intelligence is a fixed trait (Dweck, 2008). People who have a fixed mindset think of intelligence kind of like eye color. They believe that one born with a certain amount of intelligence and one cannot do much to change it. People with the growth mindset think of intelligence more like a muscle. They understand that when one put in an effort and challenge oneself, one can get smarter. The main challenge for an educator is to help our students develop a growth mindset. I think the best way to help my students develop a growth mindset is by leading by example. One must be impartially self-critical and recognize the place one occupy in the mindset spectrum. Once one have opened one’s mind up to a whole new ocean of possibilities for oneself as an individual, as well as an educator, one can begin to help learners come to the same realization. They must believe to the bone that intelligence can be developed. 
“Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.” — Yoda
Fear of making mistakes, fear of being laughed at, our fixed mindset binds us mentally and denies us the opportunity to learn. Many students have an irrational fear of ridicule, and they do not accept feedback and prefer to cheat rather than recognize their shortcomings. According to Dweck (2008), “Mindsets are an important part of your personality, but you can change them. Just by knowing about the two mindsets, you can start thinking and reacting in new ways” (p. 38). We need to give more perspectives to our students. We should let them know that being afraid is not bad, but let yourself be dominated by fear that is bad. They should be aware that they have the power within to switch themselves into the growth mindset. They must be sure that they can take the challenge, learn from the failure. Also, it is important to let them know that even if they have a fixed mindset, they are not always in that mindset, abilities can be learned and that tasks and feedback will give them a chance to do that (Dweck, 2008).
“Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem. Surely you can do better!” — Count Dooku
A school system based on test taking it is a source of preoccupations not only for administrators, parents, teachers, but especially for students. Teachers should easy these worries by helping students understand that as long as they are developing and growing during the school year, then they are succeeding. Explain that it should not matter what someone else accomplished on the test, they should compete with themselves, not others. We, educators, must help students built grit, and the best way to do this is by teaching them growth mindset. It is through the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed, that it can change with effort. Research has shown that when students read and learn about the brain and how it changes and evolves in response to challenge, they are much more inclined to persevere when they fail because they do not believe that failure is a permanent condition (Duckworth, 2013).
“Do. Or do not [yet]. There is no try.” — Yoda
Professor Dweck’s concept of “Yet” and “Not Yet Grade” it is something that I really like it. I like it so much that I already started implementing it in my classroom. It works! As a teacher, I am always waiting to see the aha! moment in one of my students. That moment when a student suddenly understand what learning is about. That eureka moment when their eyes sparks and their attitude towards learning changes forever. That aha! moment happened twice in my classroom this week.
You can’t stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting. — Shmi Skywalker
I think that by implementing the COVA Model (Harapnuik, 2016) in my classroom I can prevent the growth mindset from becoming a fad or being improperly implemented.
It is essential that learners take ownership of their education. Prove why it is crucial for them to perform an active role in their learning process, and contribute to class discussions. Also, I will delay gratification in my classroom. Learners do not need to receive instant approval for a task well done or a high test score. By delaying reward, learners are forced to develop grit, maintain more determination, and seek approval from themselves, and not others.
“Remember…the Force will be with you, always.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi
References
Duckworth, A. L. (2013, May 9). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8
Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY. Ballantine Books.
Harapnuik, D. (2016, September 29). COVA Model. Retrieved from It’s About Learning website: http://www.harapnuik.org/?s=COVA
Robinson, K. (2010, May 24). Bring on the learning revolution! [Video file]. Retrieved from LAMAR University website; https://luonline.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_111118_1&content_id=_2564111_1
