In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on special education, it seems particularly appropriate to discuss the concept of a growth mindset. For those who may have missed it, the United States Supreme Court rendered a unanimous verdict in late March in the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. The case centered around an autistic boy and whether he was receiving an adequate education. His parents claimed that his IEP (individualized education plan), was not continuing to evolve by setting new, progressive, and attainable goals for him to reach each year. Rather, they felt that the school district was simply going through the motions to provide the minimum educational experience to their son.
Ultimately, Endrew prevailed, with the court stating that a student's educational plan must be "appropriately ambitious." In a time when getting liberals and conservatives to agree on anything is as likely as Santa Claus giving up sweets, it says a great deal when 8 justices, liberal and conservative, can unanimously agree. As an educator, I view this as a mandate for us to change our approach from a traditional fixed mindset to a growth mindset for all students.
So what exactly does growth mindset mean? It is much more than a buzz phrase created by educators. A growth mindset is one which values the growth of an individual student rather than comparing the student to all others. As parents, we measure our children in terms of their growth and attainment of appropriate milestones. Did they learn to crawl, walk, and talk? However, the measuring stick changes once a child enters a formal classroom. Parents begin to categorize their children's success by how high their grades are rather than the milestones they reach. Thus the change away from a growth mindset and, oftentimes, their mindset becomes fixed. A fixed mindset basically states that you either have a natural propensity to something or you don't and no amount of hard work can change that very much. We often hear things like "She isn't good at math" or "He isn't as smart as her." When adults do this, we put artificial limits on the abilities of our students and whether we intend to or not, our mindset leads learners to believe that it is true.
An adult would never say to a child that they are not as beautiful as another child, but we aren't afraid to say that they are not as smart as another. I always used to tell my students that smart means nothing. There are a lot of "smart" people in this world who have done nothing with their lives. What is so much more important is perseverance and dedication to growing. I do not contend that everyone is born with the same abilities. No matter how hard I try and how much practice I put in, I will never be able to hit a ball like Mike Trout, but with practice and hard work I can become a better hitter than I am right now. Ultimately, my success is not Mike Trout's success and I should not be compared to him. Instead, I should set "appropriately ambitious" goals suited to my abilities, ones that are attainable yet require effort to achieve them.
John Roberts captured it perfectly when he said that goals established for special education students "appropriately ambitious." This should become the standard for all students, not just those in special education. Every student is capable of reaching new heights if they are committed to growing. Instead of "I can't get this because I'm not smart," the mindset of our students should be "I do not get this...YET." As adults, it is our responsibility to help change our children's mindset from "I can't" to "not yet" and to celebrate growth milestones for every student.
Thank you Endrew F. for opening our eyes to the benefits of appropriate goal setting and a growth mindset.
For more information about growth vs. fixed mindsets, check out Carol Dweck's Mindset website.
Ultimately, Endrew prevailed, with the court stating that a student's educational plan must be "appropriately ambitious." In a time when getting liberals and conservatives to agree on anything is as likely as Santa Claus giving up sweets, it says a great deal when 8 justices, liberal and conservative, can unanimously agree. As an educator, I view this as a mandate for us to change our approach from a traditional fixed mindset to a growth mindset for all students.
So what exactly does growth mindset mean? It is much more than a buzz phrase created by educators. A growth mindset is one which values the growth of an individual student rather than comparing the student to all others. As parents, we measure our children in terms of their growth and attainment of appropriate milestones. Did they learn to crawl, walk, and talk? However, the measuring stick changes once a child enters a formal classroom. Parents begin to categorize their children's success by how high their grades are rather than the milestones they reach. Thus the change away from a growth mindset and, oftentimes, their mindset becomes fixed. A fixed mindset basically states that you either have a natural propensity to something or you don't and no amount of hard work can change that very much. We often hear things like "She isn't good at math" or "He isn't as smart as her." When adults do this, we put artificial limits on the abilities of our students and whether we intend to or not, our mindset leads learners to believe that it is true.
An adult would never say to a child that they are not as beautiful as another child, but we aren't afraid to say that they are not as smart as another. I always used to tell my students that smart means nothing. There are a lot of "smart" people in this world who have done nothing with their lives. What is so much more important is perseverance and dedication to growing. I do not contend that everyone is born with the same abilities. No matter how hard I try and how much practice I put in, I will never be able to hit a ball like Mike Trout, but with practice and hard work I can become a better hitter than I am right now. Ultimately, my success is not Mike Trout's success and I should not be compared to him. Instead, I should set "appropriately ambitious" goals suited to my abilities, ones that are attainable yet require effort to achieve them.
John Roberts captured it perfectly when he said that goals established for special education students "appropriately ambitious." This should become the standard for all students, not just those in special education. Every student is capable of reaching new heights if they are committed to growing. Instead of "I can't get this because I'm not smart," the mindset of our students should be "I do not get this...YET." As adults, it is our responsibility to help change our children's mindset from "I can't" to "not yet" and to celebrate growth milestones for every student.
Thank you Endrew F. for opening our eyes to the benefits of appropriate goal setting and a growth mindset.
For more information about growth vs. fixed mindsets, check out Carol Dweck's Mindset website.