Carol Dweck is a renowned researcher at Stanford University. Dweck is well known for her work on the ‘fixed vs growth mindset’. She describes the two mindsets and their impact on performance as follows:
“In a fixed mindset students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that’s that and then their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In a growth mindset, students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don’t necessarily think everyone’s the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it.”
The benefit of a growth mindset for our young players is obvious. If a player posesses a fixed mindset, they may make statements like, “I’m no good at juggling” and that belief acts as an excuse to avoid practising juggling. On the other hand, a player with a growth mindset would be willing to practice juggling, even if they failed at first, due to the belief that practice and hard work translates into improved performance.
As teachers, coaches and parents we can foster a growth mindset with subtle changes in the messages we deliver. Consider the two different messages below:
“Well done on making the rep squad Jack, you are such a good footballer.”
“Well done on making the rep squad Jack, it’s fantastic to see all those hours you’ve spent practicing have been rewarded.”
Which statement encourages the growth mindset?
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