The Growth Mindset is an easy concept to understand, but it is a difficult principal to actually implement. It is easy to talk about and to imagine, but when it is time to actually grow and change, not so much.
Physically growing as a child is often unnoticed unless you haven't seen that same child in a period of time. The child does not realize that they have grown and the adults don't either. My own son has grown 4 or 5 inches in 6 months and he didn't even recognize that he grew. I only recognized it when he stood next to me one day for longer than a few seconds. He grew a lot in a small amount of time. It was actually weird. The 5 foot 7th grade kiddo now stands about 5'5" as an eighth grade student. This growth is part of life, it is natural. Changing the way we think, the way we work, and the way we communicate can be more than weird; it can be painful.
The Growth mindset discusses the power of "YET". "We have not completed our goal." vs "We have not completed our goal, yet." are two completely different statements simply because of "yet". That word implies that there is more to do. Success or accomplishment is still looming and the plan is to obtain it soon. Well, I believe that the having the growth mindset is very beneficial for me and how I choose to live my life. I'm not good at implementing the growth mindset all the time. Having this mindset is asking a person to change something or even supplement something that they could have been satisfied with. A less abstract example and more concrete example would be when a person gives another person feedback. Having the growth mindset would eliminate many of the personal feelings and have a person take the feedback for what it is worth. That is easier said than done.
There are times when I have worked relentlessly on a project and gave my very best effort only to have someone tell me "Eeehhh, well, it's not bad, but..."
and then proceed to let me know how the project was useless. I would be fuming, irrate, and of course, hurt. I would probably avoid that same person for a few days in fear of saying something I would regret. I would eventually edit or fix
the issues, but the feedback sat with me for far too long. I needed the growth mindset.
One of the first things I understood when taking EDLD 5305 was how to accept feedback or feedforward. That was good information that has helped me grow as a person. Since then, I have welcomed feedback because I want to publish quality work compared to subpar assignments. I have learned that it is important to absorb the content of the feedback compared to take it personally. If my best was given, and it isn't good enough, then I need to find a way to produce a better product. I need to look at more examples, ask more questions, reach out to my peers and then try again. That process takes more time, but it is worth it.
When I was immersed in my first two classes, I learned how to be a better student due to the growth mindset when it comes to feedback. My wife and my family turned to me one Sunday and noted how much I've grown as a student. So I've grown a little bit (or a lot bit) also since the Summer, but it wasn't awkward. I know I still have a long way to go and I'm not finished, yet.
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