Growth Mindset and Flying Colors
One of the critical steps to developing a growth mindset is understanding the workings of our minds. Our brain has the capacity to grow as we learn. The more we learn, the more the brain can expand. The expansion happens when the links between the nerve cells, referred to as synapses, become stronger. Unlike a computer hard drive, which has a limited storage capacity, brain neuroplasticity allows for new learning to be possible.
Our mindset helps us focus, be adaptive to internal and external challenges, and receive feedback from others. Even though we have adaptive and malleable minds, each person’s attitudes, ideas, and behaviours toward their development govern the way their mind can either be supportive or restrictive towards their true potential.
For instance, Adam might think that he is an average learner based on his past success and feedback from his teachers and peers. In addition, the subjects that Adam has been studying all show Adam to get an average grade of B. So, in his mind, he is an average learner.
Conversely, Sofie, also average in her studies, is very interested in music. She loves to play the guitar and is constantly practising her scales and the various compositions given to her by her music teacher. As her skills and abilities to play complex arrangements improved in such a short time, she got feedback from her music teacher that she could skip grade 4 and go straight to grade 5. In Sofie’s mind, she is a good learner who is progressing well towards her goal of becoming a good guitarist.
In the two scenarios, the two learners’ opinions about their ability to learn and do well are greatly influenced by certain conditions. How well are they currently doing in their studies? What are the views of their teachers about their abilities? Is there any area in which they are excelling? Are there any indications that they can further improve? What is the motivation for improvement?
For Sofie, her abilities and capabilities in playing the guitar are ever-growing. She doesn’t focus on the fact that she is an average student in school. She concentrates instead on mastering the guitar. The feedback from the teacher tells her she is doing well and can continue to do well with practice and guidance. She looks at the learning challenges as her motivation to better herself. She is curious to see how far she can go with this passion for the guitar.
For Adam, his abilities and capabilities are relatively fixed. The history of his learning and the feedback from his teachers indicate to him that he is an average learner. He has accepted this idea to reflect his standing as a learner. He has no new motivation to challenge that opinion.
Let’s take another example from the movie Flying colors. It’s based on the true story of a private school teacher who helps his high school student go from being a grade four learner to a qualified candidate for the prestigious Keio University within 18 months. The teacher, Nobutaka Tsubota, wrote the book, which was made into the movie.
In the movie, we meet Sayaka Kudo, a teenager who is not doing well at school. She is in the bottom percentage of her class. Her teacher, Takashi-sensei, out of frustration, outwardly acknowledges that she, like her group of friends, is a “loser” for not paying attention in class and not doing their schoolwork. She is on the verge of failing her high school education. Her mother decides to send her to a learning centre during the school holidays.
The teacher at this centre, Tsubota-sensei, shows Sayaka that she has the potential to get into the university of her choice if she is willing to put in the effort and study for the entrance qualification.
At first, it is a struggle for Sayaka to follow the lessons given by the new teacher. She lacks the fundamental knowledge of the subjects and must begin from the elementary level. In addition, her current opinion of herself echoes that of her schoolteacher Takashi-sensei. She does not see herself as having the ability or capability to do better. However, Tsubota-sensei’s persistence and encouragements give her the support she needs to try.
As she gets better with the foundational knowledge, her confidence increases. And as her confidence increases, Tsubota-sensei begins to give her more challenging tasks. He takes her out of her comfort zone by showing her that she has acquired knowledge and can learn new things. Every pitfall, especially when she feels like giving up, Tsubota-sensei encourages her with stories and humour.
Her motivation oscillates between being intrinsic, which is to get into the university of her choice, and extrinsic, to make her sensei and her mother proud. Her sensei makes learning fun, and he creates a learning space in which Sayaka begins to see her abilities grow with every new task she completes. Her journey is fraught with self-doubt, but she slowly mutes the voice of disbelief in her mind with every success in her learning.
It’s a good story that illustrates well the power of a good teacher who sees a student’s potential even when she doesn’t see it or believe it.
More importantly, it is a good illustration of how learners can change from having a fixed mindset about their intelligence to developing grit and resilience with the right kind of support and guidance. Sayaka’s attitudes and ideas of herself changed from that of a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. With the help of her sensei and the gradual progress she was making, Sayaka’s belief in herself increased. She started to see the challenging tasks given by Tsubota-sensei as a way to help her learn. She develops a more resilient attitude towards doing complex tasks. She begins to thrive being pushed out of her comfort zone. Her fear of failing is overtaken by her belief that she can do better. This is grit. The pitfalls that she faces, which would have reinforced her previous limited belief in herself, push her to work harder. This is resilience. The story shows us that even though it was not an easy journey, Sayaka’s ability to pass her entrance exam is rooted in her ability to see herself as a work in progress, ever-growing, ever-improving.
This story is a good reminder for teachers and learners alike.
Teachers need to go beyond the current state of the learners. Whatever the issue, every learner can learn and reach their potential. Our task is to scaffold the learning with structure and focus, taking the learner gradually outside their comfort zone by challenging them without making them feel incompetent.
Every learner needs to believe that she has the potential to improve and be better in her chosen field. She needs to understand that the struggles in her learning are part of the process of reaching her potential. She is not struggling because she is an inadequate learner. She is struggling because her brain is working through the new knowledge and is re-wiring its neuropathways. Once these neuropathways are connected, the learning becomes more manageable. And when learning becomes manageable, the learner needs to challenge herself with more complex tasks to ensure the neuropathways are continuously growing.
Thus, a person with a growth mindset approaches learning as a lifelong, collaborative effort, an interaction between the teacher and the learner, and within the learner’s mind, attitudes and choices, in a never-ending journey of discovery and exploration.
