HEREFORD ISD DEVELOPING A GROWTH MINDSET SUPERINTENDENT WEEKLY FEBRUARY 1, 2015 Excerpt - Save Our Schools Speech How many times have you heard someone exclaim “I’m just not good at math!”? Maybe you’ve seen someone quit a task before they begin because they are convinced they will not be successful? For many this way of thinking becomes a self-fulfilling proficy. “I came here today to deliver an important Researchers have know for some time that the brain is like a muscle; that the more you use it, the more it grows. They’ve found that neural connections form and deepen most when we make mistakes doing difficult tasks rather than repeatedly having success with easy one. up. And I’m not alone. There are millions of What this means is that our intelligence is not fixed, and the best way that we can grow our intelligence is to embrace tasks where we might struggle and fail. We know from research that most people adhere to one of two mindsets: fixed or growth. Fixed mindsets mistakenly believe that people are either smart or not, that intelligence is fixed by genes. They tend to focus their efforts on tasks where they have a high likelihood of success and avoided tasks where they may have to struggle, which limits their learning. People with growth mindsets correctly believe that capability and intelligence can be grown through effort, struggle and failure. They embrace challenges and understand that tenacity and effort can change their learning outcomes. As educators we can help students (and everyone else we meet) develop a growth mindset. Small changes in our communication and comments can have long-lasting implications for adopting a growth mindset. For instance, we can praise someone’s process (“I really like how your struggled with that problem.” “You must have worked hard on these problems, your improvement shows.” “You stayed at your desk, kept up your concentration, and kept working; that’s great.” “You’re going to learn a lot of great things by taking on that challenging project.”) vs praising an innate trait (“You’re so smart.” “You’re the best.”) Process praise acknowledges the effort, tenacity and grit. When students are taught that the brain develops and gets smarter with effort and learning, they become more motivated in school and perform better. For more information on Growth Mindset, engage with books, articles, videos, etc. by Carol Dweck, John Medina, or Anders Ericsson. HERD AROUND THE DISTRICT 2-2 LPAC Coordinators 9:00 ESC 16 2-3 G Bball @ Caprock 6:00 B Bball @ Caprock 7:30 HERD AROUND THE DISTRICT cont. 2-6 G Bball @ Home vs Dumas 6:00 B Bball @ Home vs Dumas 7:30 G Golf @ Frenship Tennis @ Lubbock 2-4 SnackPak4Kids (TB) 2-7 B/G Wrestling - District G Golf @ Frenship Tennis @ Lubbock 2-5 Counselor Mtg 1:30 HISD Admin 2-9 Special School Board Mtg 6:00 message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more the teachers that I had growing people just like me. So the next time you’re feeling down, or exhausted, or unappreciated, or at the end of your rope; the next time you turn on the TV and see yourself called “overpaid;” the next time you encounter some simple-minded, punitive policy that’s been driven into your life by some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone anything. … Please know that there are millions of us behind you. You have an army of regular people standing right behind you, and our appreciation for what you do is so deeply felt. We love you, we thank you and we will always have your back.” ~Matt Damon, Save Our Schools March 7/30/2011 Hereford ISD Committed to Children Dedicated to Excellence