Power of Yet

The concept of "yet" and the power behind it heavily relies on the mindset of one. In Dweck's video, she discusses the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. She states that those who have a fixed mind set believe that essentially they are who they are and once they fail at something, they will forever fail at it. Those who practice having a fixed mindset don't grow as it relates to those who practice a growth mindset. Those with a growth mindset see the opportunity to grow and excel despite obstacles or failures. They see failures as challenges and use them as their greatest learning strategy. She also touches on how important it is to acknowledge effort, strategy, process skills and grit more than intelligence as it fosters vulnerability in students if they ever achieve less than normal. The power of yet and having a growth mindset is so important to me and the schools I've chosen to serve in. The word yet by definition is up until the present or a specified or implied time; by now or then which means that it, whatever you choose "it" to be is attainable just not quite right now. It doesn't rule out the possibility of being successful in the future on a current failed task, but merely means, take your failure, learn from them, grow from them and use them to improve. I attended a Math summer institute a couple of years ago at Rice University where Ed Burger, president of Southwestern University stated that students can't pass his class unless they fail. The irony right? But I deeply connected with what he said. He said that he requires his students to fail so that they can learn and grow. He said he doesn't care how smart students are but more so how they takes their failures and grow from them. This statement shows how important it is to have a growth mindset and employ this same strategy in life and especially in the classroom. Have you ever celebrated a student's success and didn't comment on how hard a student tried but still got the question wrong? Most of the time when this happens, students instantly think they are terrible at something and often don't try again out of fear of the same result. I occasionally used Ed Burger's strategy before meeting him, but was intentional after hearing his speech and it made a world of difference. I made sure to use the word yet with my students so they knew it wasn't the end all be all and that everything is attainable if they learn from their mistakes. That yet is a small but mighty word. Using this growth mindset and power of yet strategy in my classroom and across the campus, along with grit and hard work was proven effective in turning a school closed by the state into an "A" ranked school in three years. I believe in the power of yet, especially in working on turn around campuses. Adopting this mindset will allow you to learn that you can have it all in time and not to stress or get anxious when things don't happen as soon as you would like. It teaches you that failure is part of life, but more importantly how you can use non successful situations to drive and motivate you. It allows you to be at peace with making mistakes and it give you the self esteem to try again. In Briceno's video, he mentioned how some people think they aren't Math people because they don't feel smart in that subject. Its okay to prefer a subject over the next, but to have a fixed mindset only stifles your progress in anything that requires effort in areas that you require growth. It will cause anxiety and minimize your capacity for growth, as seen in the brain scans. Growth mindset is important when receiving feedback because it allows you the opportunity to reflect about the feedback, seek clarity, and improve in the areas where growth is required. If you see feedback or observations as simply a critique, then you are losing out on the uniqueness of this opportunity to use raw feedback as a starting point to perfect your skills or talent. Those who use constructive feedback as a tool to sharpen their skills will be more productive in any setting, especially compared to those who are practicing perfectionist or lose motivation when feedback is given.

Promoting a growth mindset with yourself and with students you encounter will lower the preoccupation with grades because students will become intrinsically motivated by using shortcomings, lack of mastery or hard tasks to propel themselves forward. Students will then realize that grades are a systematic approach in rating mastery, but utilizing the power of yet will take them so much further than simply getting an A on and assignment or in a class. There are so many tools that students and adults can use to advance their growth mindset and understanding of the power of yet. Mindful magazine, Today's gonna be awesomesauce book and watching videos about growth mindset and shifting out of a fixed mindset are everywhere and easily accessible. I have actually presented on a district level at new teacher academy as to why mindfulness and mindsets are important to everyday life, but especially in low income areas. The graphic presented in this module provides a clear vision of the importance of developing and maintaining a growth mindset, as those who do will face challenges, persist, use criticism to improve and value the effort in mastery which is the complete opposite of those who maintain a fixed mindset.

Power of Yet