Dweck’s mindset

theory
What you will learn
● The meaning of mindset.
● How mindset affects the development of abilities and whether
these are fixed or changeable through effort.
● The strengths and weaknesses of Dweck’s mindset theory.
What is a mindset?
A mindset is a set of beliefs we have about our ability to succeed.

It is a set of beliefs someone has that guides how someone

responds to or interprets a situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUWn_TJTrnU&t=1s
Fixed mindset or growth mindset?
1. ‘If I am not good at it I may as well give up’
2. ‘It’s no good me trying because I don’t have the ability’
3. ‘I enjoy a challenge’
4. ‘I am a really good reader’
5. ‘I look at others succeeding and think I can do the same’
6. ‘I can put in effort and change my abilities’
Your activity 1
Research the difference between a fixed
mindset and a growth mindset.

Produce a display poster to show fixed

mindsets and growth mindsets.
Key points
1. Children should be praised for effort rather than ability
2. Children can develop a fixed mindset and give up on challenges
because it is not ‘in them’ to succeed
3. Teachers also have fixed or growth mindsets - a teacher with a
fixed mindset will focus on a child’s ability whereas a teacher
with a growth mindset sees a child can improve with sticking at
things (perseverance).
Your activity 2
Exam style question (3 marks)

For each child, state whether they have a fixed or growth mindset.

● Tom does not do well at school because he does not try anything new.
● Kani now reads better having asked her mother to help her practice.
● Fi felt she was not good at maths because that is what she was told.
Your activity 3 - Experimental evidence
In one of Dweck’s ________________ it was found that praising
students’ _______ led them to a fixed mindset and they were
vulnerable to issues such as _________ with setbacks. Praising
________ led to students sticking at things (________________).
In another study it was found that low-achieving students who
learned to use the ____________ mindset did better than those in
a control group who did not have that learning.
effort, ability, perseverance, growth, experiments, coping
Extension activity - Apply it
When marking Sanjit’s and Sue’s essays, the teacher writes comments as well as giving
marks. Her comments to Sanjit, whose mark is low, include ‘You do not write well’.
Comments to Sue, whose mark is high, include ‘You are good at writing essays’.

Using Dweck’s theory, explain the possible mindset of the teacher. State one comment
for Sanjit and one comment for Sue to illustrate the opposite mindset.
Suggested answer
● Suggested answer 1: According to Dweck's theory, the teacher believes that
the students' ability is fixed as 'not good' or 'good' - a fixed mindset. A fixed
mindset sees someone as having an ability at birth (or not having it). The
teacher's comments focus on the person being 'good' or 'not good enough' at
writing, implying they have, or do not have, that ability.
● Suggested answer 2: Saying to Sanjit (who scored a low mark): 'You need to
work on your sentence structures,' and to Sue (with a high mark): 'Your writing
is very good, but to improve, focus on giving a short conclusion' uses a
growth mindset. A growth mindset is more likely to lead to improvement
because it involves seeing ability as something that is able to be changed.