Mindset Book Study

Mindset The New Psychology of Success

Book Study

Book by Carol S Dweck, Ph D

Join some of the staff at Alliston Union school in Ontario Canada  while we learn together and connect with our global professional learning network.  Beginning Tuesday November 18, we will be meeting once a  week, Tuesdays at 3:30 EST.  We will discuss one chapter a week.  A group of us will be meeting face to face, and I will post our questions and discussion on Twitter for others to join.  I will be posting from @A_J_Golding and using the hashtag #mindsetbook.  Please share and join us if you can, the more the merrier!

Dates and Chapters

Tues Nov 18 Chapter 1- ‘The Mindsets’

Tues Nov 25 Chapter 2- ‘Inside the Mindsets’

Tues Dec 2 Chapter 3- ‘The Truth About Ability and Accomplishment’

Tues Dec 9 Chapter 5- ‘Business: Mindset and Leadership

We  will also touch on Chapter 4- ‘The Mindset of a Champion’

Tues Dec 16 Chapter 7- ‘Parents, Teachers and Coaches- Where do Mindsets Come From?’  

Tues Dec 23 Chapter 8- ‘Changing Mindsets’  

• Chapter 6- ‘Relationships Mindsets in Love’, will not be one of the weekly discussion topic

Chapter 1. The Mindsets

Q1- What are you hoping to get out of this book study?

Q2- Share an experience where your students have demonstrated a fixed mindset.

Q3- Share an experience where your students have demonstrated a growth mindset.

Q4- What practices do some schools/educators have that promote fixed mindset?

Q5- What practices have you seen in schools that promote a culture of growth mindset?

Q6- How can you begin to embed growth mindset in your practice right away?

Chapter 2. Inside the Mindsets

Q1- How can we help make students’ struggles into experiences that foster resilience?

Q2- Use growth mindset to discuss ways to nurture feelings of confidence & self worth in our students.

Q3- How do our assessment practices foster growth or fixed mindsets?  

Q4- How can we use growth mindset to encourage students to take responsibility for problems and “failures”?

Q5- How can we nurture the concept of “yet” discussed in this chapter with our students?  

Q6- With a fixed mindset, we are afraid to take risks & expose deficiencies, creating what Barber calls “non-learners”.  How can we help staff & students to take risks in their learning?

Chapter 3. The Truth About Ability and Accomplishment

Q1- How do our “learning skills and work habits” correlate with fixed or growth mindsets?

Q2- A  culture of fixed mindsets around math are something that many schools are trying to change.  When have you seen students, teachers or parents reinforce a fixed mindset in math?

Q3- How have you seen schools work to combat a culture of fixed mindsets in the area of math?

Q4- When we use labels such as ADD, OCD, Gifted, LD, how are they helpful, harmful or neutral?

Q5- How can we use the information in this book to support practices of equity and gap closing in education?

Chapter 4. Sports: The Mindset of a Champion

Q1- How would a coach or educator with a growth mindset approach situations like losing a game or making cuts from a team?

Chapter 5. Business and Leadership-

Q1- How can you support a co-worker who has a fixed mindset?

Q2- In what ways does your current workplace demonstrate a culture of growth or fixed mindset?

Q3- What unique qualities might you see in a school with leaders who have a growth mindset?

Q4- How can you use students who already demonstrate a growth mindset to support their peers?

Chapter 7. Parents, Teachers, and Coaches: Where Do Mindsets Come From?

Q1- What did your teachers/parents do that fostered a fixed or growth mindset in you?

Q2- What praise statements do you make when students do well that may reflect a fixed mindset?  

What’s the hidden message?  How could you change the statements to reflect a growth mindset.  

Q3- We should all set high expectations, but sometimes the resulting messages make others afraid of disappointing you. How can we set high expectations while still inspiring learning?

Q4- Think of times you’ve been cautious about how you've spoken about failure because you were concerned about its effect on a child's self esteem. How could you have approached the situation to inspire growth mindset.

Q5- Have you used discipline to “teach your child a lesson”? What was the message you were hoping to convey? What was the message you did convey? How would you handle it now?

Chapter 8. Changing Mindsets-

Q1- What implications did this study this have for my practice?

Q2- How can we work with families & community partners to foster growth mindset in students?

Q3- What can we do to foster a school wide culture of growth mindset in our staff/students

Q4- What are some challenges that you may face in trying to change a culture with a fixed mindset?

Q5- How may these challenges be remedied?