How Do Students With A Growth Mindset See Their Mistakes

Introduction

Will Durant quotes that knowledge is the eye of yearning and can become the soul’s pilot. The wildest desires are materialized into fruition through knowledge of the related subject. The development of schools aided in actualizing the dream of equipping every person with knowledge. All necessary tools to support this vision have been employed through this course. 

The human mind is like a sponge. Ensuring students have a growth mindset for a swift learning process is an indispensable milestone. Growth mindsets fill students with the agility to learn, thus allowing them to enjoy their school experience and effectively develop better mindsets to tackle their lives. 

What is a growth mindset?

The 21^st century may be termed a ‘woke’ century due to its mindfulness of mental health matters and ways to improve the human mind. In the past and current decade, the notion of the growth mindset has been on everyone’s lips, and the idea has been promoted in schools to improve student’s learning capacity. Carol Dweck advanced the concept of a growth mindset, terming human brains as fixed or growth mindsets.

A growth mindset is a brain that thrives on trials and sees failure as a prospect to improve and grow. A growth mindset is, therefore, open to changes and sees growth opportunities. On the other hand, a fixed mindset assumes our behavior, ability, and intelligence are stagnant and therefore are not well acquitted to changes. A fixed brain strives for success and sees failure as disheartening. A growth mindset is vital for students since it smoothens their academic experience. Students with a growth mindset are eager to learn from their errors and adopt changes that will allow them to grow.

How students can develop a growth mindset

Teachers have gone to incredible lengths to instill growth mindsets into their students. This is through incorporating skills and seminars on how students can develop growth mindsets to benefit them through their academic lives. However, two is better than one; students can develop a growth mindset through personal and conscious efforts. The following are ways in which students can develop a growth mindset.

1. Develop positive language and attitude.

The famous quote that we are what we eat equally corresponds to what we feed into our brains. Biologically, the brain is virtually unlimited. Anything fed into the brain is correlated with actions that enable us to grow and act. Most students are inured to negative self-talk, which relates to their character and behavior. However, language is a potent tool for the brain, and negative language may demotivate the students, thus reducing their capacity for growth. Having positive language and attitude encourages the students to achieve anything they set their minds to since the positive talk allows them to motivate them. Students must therefore learn to extend grace to themselves and change their attitude to allow for growth.

2. Analyze and self-evaluate themselves.

Progress is only marked after an evaluation of past and current positions. It is easy for students to get lost in their mistakes and failures, thus failing to acknowledge the progress they have made thus far. A self-evaluation of the students is a motivating factor since it allows them to note their progress and encourages them to make more progress. Self-evaluation can be done by students tracking their evolvement on something troublesome in the past and being able to maneuver through it currently. Students may also involve their parents and teachers, who can take them through a self-evaluation and enable them to see their achievements and possible areas for growth. 

3. Set achievable goals.

A goal without a plan is merely a wish. Various people have embraced the notion of a growth mindset as a tool to build self-esteem and confidence, especially in students. However, most students fail to strategize to develop a growth mindset. An effective way to embark on the journey is through setting achievable goals. Goal setting allows students to reduce their rigidity by pushing them to aim for higher horizons and leave their comfort zones. It also allows the students to learn something new and build into themselves. The cognizant decision to work towards the set goals works in favor of the students and allows them to tackle what would otherwise have been a challenge.

4. Seek feedback from other people.

One of the tips for effective essay writing is sanctioning other people to read your work and seeking their feedback, and Essay Helper is a fit tool to act as your feedback companion. Likewise, to develop a growth mindset, students must allow themselves to seek feedback from others. Constructive feedback may allow students to improve, leading to a growth mindset. Moreover, it allows them to get other opinions, thus diversifying their knowledge scope. 

5. Make mistakes and learn from them.

Most people are very timid about making mistakes since they categorize them as failures. However, one can only make progress through mistakes. Errors act as a learning opportunity since they help students to identify their faults, where they went wrong, and the best way to correct the errors. Students with a growth mindset view slipups as opportunities to pick up and utilize them as a catapult to the next level of success.

How do students with a growth mindset see their mistakes?

As mentioned, one of the best ways for students to develop a growth mindset is to make mistakes and learn from them. The following are ways in which students with a growth mindset can see their mistakes.

1. Noting the mistakes made.

Mistakes form the recipe for growth and progress. However, it is not common for people to acknowledge this due to the apprehension of failure. Noting one’s mistakes opens a window of opportunity for more growth. Students must note their mistakes and treat them as opportunities for something greater. Identifying the problem is crucial for students to develop possible remedies for mistakes. This mandatory step saves the students time since it allows them to conduct a deep survey and accurately pinpoint the problem before taking action. 

2. Accepting their mistakes.

Social norms that have long viewed mistakes as failures must be eradicated to adjust fixed mindsets to growth mindsets. Just like one owns his truth, one must equally own his errors. Accepting mistakes should be considered heroic since it is a constructive step towards forming a growth mindset. After identification of the mistakes, students must wholly accept their mistakes to allow them to strategize on methods of transforming the mistake into opportunities. 

3. Analyze and review the mistake.

To see the whole picture, one must step outside the frame. Mistakes can only transform into opportunities after students take the time to understand how their mistakes impacted their progress. The educational experience is formidable, filled with several hiccups throughout the journey. The academic pressure to succeed may cause students to keep striving without taking a step back to review their initial errors. It is paramount for students to analyze their mistakes, the cause of the mistakes, what went south, and how the mistake can be avoided. For example, a student may perform poorly in their exams. Their mandate is to look through their results, conduct a self-evaluation on the reasons for failure, and consult the lecturers on their opinions, highlighting possible reasons for their failure.

4. Construct a suitable remedy plan.

With every problem is a corresponding remedy. After keenly following the highlighted steps, the students confidently formulate an action plan. The remedy plan must contain various solutions to combat the existing error. Students can identify suitable skills, talents, and attitudes that allow them to turn the mistake into an opportunity. For example, many students struggle with Mathematics due to poor attitudes toward the subject or teachers. However, the remedy to the situation may be to develop an optimistic attitude toward the subject. This allows the students to practice affirmative language and attitude, encouraging them that the subject is doable. Another possible remedy is to obtain skills that ensure excellence in the subject. This can be done through tutorship and lessons, thus sharpening the skills in the given subject. Such remedies therefore allow students to transform their mistakes into opportunities for growth and reduce their disheartening in the event of making mistakes. 

5. Seek ulterior methods to assist.

There are numerous ways of killing a rodent. All tools must be employed to transform a mistake into an opportunity successfully. Luckily, students can easily obtain help as they develop a growth mindset. Books and articles can assist the students in instituting criteria that can assure their progress and help them change from a fixed mindset. Internet sources such as blogs and podcasts can allow students to further their agenda and consistently build themselves. College students can also consult their lecturers, who will willingly assist them in building a growth mindset. Pursuing the sentiments of family and friends can also allow students to learn methods to learn from their mistakes. Utilization of the mentioned tools can build the students’ confidence, thus reducing their trepidation of failure since they will see it as an opportunity for growth.

6. Do not give up.

One characteristic of a fixed mindset is giving up easily. Progress is a gradual process; if one is not persistent enough to wait, the changes may not be as visible or take full effect. Since Rome was not built in a day, students must diligently wait for their strategic steps to take effect. Having an accountability partner is one way of ensuring the students keep striving to achieve their goals. This allows them to get encouraged when they feel like giving up and reminded of their end goal. After setting achievable goals, students must strive to achieve them by using the resources at their disposal.

7. Develop a positive mentality.

The human brain can materialize anything that comes into mind. However, the creation of the brain depends on whether the thoughts are positive or negative. To an extent, negative criticism can also enable students to move out of their comfort zones and aim for significant lengths. However, negative thoughts act as a catalyst for negative attitudes, resulting in the students’ demotivation. Students need to have a positive mentality towards making mistakes and eradicate the notion that mistakes make them failures. Through this, students can comfortably make mistakes, knowing ways of identifying and analyzing their mistakes to allow them to diversify their opportunities. 

Conclusion

Growth mindsets are important in ensuring the academic excellence of students. The proper state of mind and wellness directly link to the academic prosperity of the students. It is, therefore, vital for colleges to ensure students’ mental wellness and growth mindset to instill knowledge into students. With the above-highlighted steps, students can swiftly develop a growth mindset and be able to see and learn from their mistakes.