Ja to želim i ja to mogu! Šta je to "Growth Mindset" i kako ga menjati?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss

„Što više knjiga otvoriš, to više znanja u sebe useliš. Što više stvari naučiš, svemoguća mesta možeš da posetiš.“ Dr Seuss (prim.prev. Crown Education®)

Ko je već čuo za Dr Seuss-a, možda već pretpostavlja o čemu pričamo. U daljem tekstu, planiramo da približnije objasnimo šta to znači razvijati se i učiti tokom čitavog života (engl. lifelong learning). Sigurno ste do sada bezbroj puta čuli ili pročitali engleski termin mindset i growth mindset, koji se polako ušunjao u srpski jezik i naš svakodnevni govor, te se gotovo više i ne prevodi. Inače, postoji u našem jeziku kolokvijalni izraz, mentalni sklop, karakterističan sklop načina mišljenja, verovanja i emocionalnog reagovanja nekog pojedinca, kolektiva, naroda ili društva, koji bi najpribližnije odgovarao engleskom pojmu mindset.^*

Mentalni sklop predstavlja način na koji neko misli i ponaša se u datom trenutku ili tokom nekog perioda, a zasniva se na individualnom sistemu razmišljanja i osećanja. S obzirom da se radi o oblikovanju stavova, pogleda na svet, ponašanja, zatim o definisanju osećanja i raspoloženja, mentalni sklop može biti trajan ili promenjiv. Trajan mentalni sklop – a fixed mindset, podrazumeva da osoba ima već unapred određene predispozicije za razvoj talenata, inteligencije i sposobnosti kao i da se one ne mogu menjati. Promenjiv mentalni sklop – a growth mindset, podrazumeva da se lične osobine, stavovi i sposobnosti mogu, uz trud, rad, posvećenost i učenje, tokom života razvijati i menjati. Takav sklop podstiče nas da istrajemo, suočimo se sa izazovima i učimo efikasnije i sa više motivacije.

S obzirom da su umni i emotivni procesi, kao i naša percepcija, podložni promenama, tako smo mi sami u mogućnosti da menjamo i sopstveni mentalni sklop, tj. da rastemo i razvijamo se tokom života.
^* Ivan Vidanović (2006), Rečnik socijalnog rada, Autorsko izdanje, Beograd

Kako to tačno izgleda na primerima iz svakodnevnog života?

Promenjiv mentalni sklop:

Ja imam sposobnost da učim i naučim sve ono što želim.
Trud i istrajnost su komponente koje najviše doprinose uspehu.
Čak i kada naiđem na problem, trudim se da ga rešim, uprkos frustraciji.
Povratna informacija je veoma važna i pomaže mi da budem bolji i da napredujem.

Trajan mentalni sklop:

Ili sam dobar u nečemu, ili nisam.
Neki ljudi su pametniji od ostalih i to ih čini uspešnijim i zadovoljniji životom.
Ljudi su rođeni sa unapred određenom inteligencijom.
Volim kada mi ljudi kažu da sam pametan/na.
Sposobnosti koje imam određuju šta mogu da postignem.

@SylviaDuckworth

Na koji način možemo promeniti neke od naših misli i stavova da bismo uticali, kako na sopstveni, tako i na emocionalni i intelektualni razvoj kod dece:

UMESTO ŠTO ĆETE REĆI/POMISLITI:	POKUŠTAJTE DA KAŽETE/POMISLITE:
Nisam dovoljno dobar u ovom.	Šta još treba da uradim da bih napredovao i bio bolji u onome što želim?
Ovo mi je jako lako, ja to već znam!	Šta još mogu da naučim o ovome i kako mogu da pomognem drugima da to bolje razumeju?
Odustajem, preteško je ovo za mene.	Probaću da iskoristim neke od drugih strategija koje smo učili. Treba mi malo više vremena i truda, ali sam siguran da postoji način da i ja ovo savladam.
Ne mogu ja bolje.	Uvek mogu da napredujem i budem za nijansu bolji nego što sam bio. Vežba i ponavljanje čine čuda.
Meni ne idu jezici/matematika/hemija…	Treniraću svoj mozak da bude bolji – pronaći ću strategiju u učenju koja mi odgovara i pitaću nekog da mi u tome pomogne.
Pogrešio sam.	Ok, ništa strašno. Šta sam naučio iz ovoga? Znači, postoji drugi način na koji mogu da pristupim ovoj situaciji ili problemu. Pogledajte odličan primer prikazan u crtanom filmu Upoznajte Robinsonove.
On/Ona je baš pametna. Ja nikad neću dostići njegov/njen nivo.	Ovo je osoba od koje bih mogao/la nešto da naučim i ispunim svoj lični potencijal u ovoj materiji.
Plan A nam nije uspeo. 🙁	Nema veze, dobro je što azbuka ima još 29 slova! 🙂

Crown Education Methodology®

U procesu učenja engleskog kao stranog jezika, od posebnog je značaja rad na menjanju mentalnog sklopa (usvajanje pozitivnih obrazaca mišljenja, otkrivanje najpodesnije strategije i metode učenja, prihvatanje greške kao i činjenice da je učenje jezika dugotrajan proces). Deca na ranom uzrastu engleski jezik treba da uče spontano, kroz igru i aktivnosti koje su im zabavne. Predavač je taj koji se trudi da, putem raznovrsnih aktivnosti, stimuliše mentalni razvoj dece, brzinu njihovog razmišljanja i zaključivanja, kao i njihov emocionalno-socijalni razvoj. “Kada su časovi nezanimljivi, učenici se dosađuju. Dosada je vrsta stresa. Tako se posredno, tokom vremena, kod dece stvara otpor prema pojedinim predmetima, zatim učenju i školi. Kažu da se najviše dosađuju najinteligentnija deca.” (Dragana Mujezinović) Kako bismo podsticali dete da motivisano pristupa učenju i da samo traga za odgovorima, nije dovoljno samo da ga pohvalimo kada uloži trud ili u nečemu uspe. Kada dete, kasnije, doživi neki neuspeh, ili ima poteškoća u usvajanju novih obrazaca učenja, uglavnom zaključuje da nije dovoljno dobro, gubi samopouzdanje i često odustaje. Stoga, naše pohvale često imaju efekat suprotan onome koji želimo da postignemo. Potrebno je, pre svega, da hvalimo vredan rad, strategije koje dete koristi kako bi rešilo neki problem ili naučilo nešto novo, veštine koje koristi i razvija, kao i da ga podstičemo da samo zaključuje i bude zadovoljno svojim uspehom.

„Ne radi se samo o trudu. Potrebno je, takođe, naučiti veštine i strategije koje će nam pomoći da koristimo mozak što bolje, kako bismo napredovali i razvijali se u pravcu kojim želimo da idemo.“ (Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

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Napisala: Tatjana Jurišić

I know what I want and I can make it happen! How to develop a growth mindset?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss

I have chosen to start this text with one of my favorites Dr. Seuss quotes, as it has always led me to think how important it is to have faith in my own ability to bring a positive change into my life. How can we do that, you might ask?

First of all, we are going to look at the difference between the fixed and the growth mindset. Mindset is the established set of opinions, beliefs, and points of view a person develops during childhood and over time. It includes the formation of attitudes and behavior, defining our feelings, moods and emotional reactions. A person with a fixed mindset believes that abilities, intelligence and qualities are fixed and cannot be changed over time. This is a popular belief that people are born with some sort of natural predisposition to be talented or skillful in certain fields. On the other hand, an underlying belief of a growth mindset is that personal traits, attitudes and abilities can be developed and changed if we make an effort to do so. The growth mindset asks for perseverance, hard work, patience and dedication. It helps us learn, face challenges and be motivated to achieve what we want. The growth mindset helps us grow up and down, left and right, oh, in so many directions and ways possible.

“Our cognitive and emotional processes, as well as our perception, are subject to change. We, therefore, possess the inner ability to change our mindset; to learn and develop ourselves during the whole life.”¹

Some examples from real life:

Growth mindset:

I have the ability to learn anything I want.
Hard work and perseverance are the most important factors that can help me achieve my goals.
When I face a problem, I try to solve it despite frustration and stress.
Feedback is important and it helps me grow and make progress in my personal development.

Fixed mindset:

I am either good at something, or not.
Some people are just smarter and more successful than others.
People are born smart. Intelligence cannot be developed.
I like it when I’m being told I’m smart.
My abilities determine what I can achieve.

In order to be better role models to children and young people and be able to influence their emotional and intellectual growth, we, as adults, need to be ready to change. The way we talk to children, as well to people in our closest surroundings, is extremely important. Here are some examples that can help us change the way we think and communicate more effectively:

INSTEAD OF THINKING / SAYING:	TRY TO THINK / SAY:
*I am not good enough to do this.*	*What else can I do and should I do to be able to make progress and achieve my goals?*
*This is so easy! I already know this!*	*What else can I learn about this topic? How can I help others understand this better?*
*I give up! This is too difficult.*	*I will try to use some of the other strategies we have learned. I definitely need more time, but I am sure there is a way I can deal with this / I can learn this.*
*I can’t do this better.*	*I can always make further progress and be a bit better than I used to be. Miracles can happen if only I practice and revise more often.* J
*I am not good at languages, maths, chemistry, etc.*	*I will train my brain – I will find a strategy that will help me learn something new. I can also ask somebody for help. A friend or a teacher.*
*I made a mistake!!!*	*Ok, I made a mistake, it’s not a big deal. What have I learned? There must be another way. There is always another way to try to deal with the same problem.* *Check out* *the great example* *in the cartoon Meet the Robinsons.*
*He/She is so smart. I will never be able to reach that level.*	*This is a person I can learn from. I can try to develop my own potentials related to this field.* *Perhaps I am not so good at this, but I am good at something else.*
*Plan A failed.*	*So what! There are other 25 letters in the alphabet.* J

Crown Education Methodology®

In the process of learning English or any other foreign language, it is also very important to have faith in one’s own ability to learn. In order to make progress, you need to acquire positive approach to learning: trying to find the best strategies and approaches that will help YOU learn, accepting the fact that making mistakes is inevitable and even necessary, understanding that it takes time and patience to learn a language.

The best way for young children to learn a foreign language is while playing and having fun. Children are able to acquire new words and phrases in no time, just by being exposed to a language in a positive environment. It is up to the teacher to think of fun, engaging activities that will stimulate children’s cognitive and emotional growth, motivate them to participate actively, make decisions on their own, develop tolerance and learn to cooperate with each other. Holistic approach to language learning focuses on children’s needs and the aim is for them to start using the foreign language freely, in any situation. “When classes are not engaging, children get bored. Boredom is a kind of stress. Over time, incidentally, children tend to develop resistance to learning and school, in general. It is said that the most intelligent children tend to get bored more quickly“.²

In order to encourage children to take a positive approach to learning and be open-minded when it comes to searching for answers, it is not enough just to praise them for making an effort and achieving a goal. A problem usually arises the moment a child encounters some difficulties in learning, makes a mistake or fails at something. Many children make an instant, subconscious conclusion that they are not good enough; they quickly lose confidence and give up. We should reinforce and more frequently praise children’s dedication to preserver even when it’s hard, as well as the skills and new strategies they develop and use while learning. Ultimately, we should always encourage them to make their own decisions and conclusions, and be satisfied with their achievements, no matter how big or small they are. This is the way to support the growth mindset.

“It’s not just about the effort. You also need to learn skills that let you use your brain in a smarter way… to get better at something“.³

Written by: Tatjana Jurišić

References:

¹ Ivan Vidanović (2006). A Dictionary of Social Work (Serb. Rečnik socijalnog rada). Author’s Edition, Belgrade, Serbia

² Dragana Mujezinović. Quoted from: http://www.detinjarije.com/ntc-sistem-ucenja-roditelji-budite-domisljati/

³ Yeager & Dweck (2012). Quoted from: https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/11/16/growth-mindset-clearing-up-some-common-confusions/