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From Theory to Practice Issue #7, November 2011
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Hi there!
As the New Year approaches, it’s a great time to reflect and consider new goals for the coming year. We may have some ideas for you.
In this month’s newsletter, Lisa Blackwell, our co-founder and mindset expert, sheds light on the power of mistakes and provides excellent tips on how to create a risk-tolerant culture at home and school. November’s growth-minded educator, Aubrey Wiersema, describes two powerful techniques for decreasing behavior issues and bullying. Also, if you’d like to learn more about how to give kids effective feedback, be sure to check out this post from the last edition of our newsletter.
If you have questions or would like to write a guest post, contact us at: newsletter@brainology.us.
Enjoy the holidays, and we’ll see you again in 2012!
The Mindset Works Team
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![]() Growth Mindset News and Tips
The Power of Mistakes: Creating a Risk-Tolerant Culture at Home and School
By Dr. Lisa Blackwell
 Educators and parents want their kids to seek challenges and persist through difficulty—but so often, they don’t. It’s all too familiar: John always takes the easy way out; Angel gives up at the first sign of difficulty; Anna falls apart when she gets a disappointing grade.
Of course, struggling students are especially vulnerable to helplessness and fear of failure. But even high-performing kids fall prey to test anxiety, or avoid that one subject that fills them with dread. Why does this happen? And what can we do about it?
The sad truth is that many students feel very vulnerable in school. For lots of kids, school is above all a place where they are tested and judged—often publicly—and where they feel inadequate. Sometimes, this vulnerability extends to the home, especially if parents place a very high value on perfect performance or are intolerant of failure. It’s not what we intend, but it’s what they experience.
The good news is that it’s within our power to change this, if we know the keys to creating a risk-tolerant home and classroom culture.
Read more...
![]()
PD Tools
New Professional Development Tools to Transform Your School Community
Are you looking for research-based resources to empower your teachers by providing them with the fundamentals of a growth mindset and how to support it in the classroom? In our June 2011 newsletter, we shared an exciting opportunity for educators to participate in the Growth Mindset Learning Platform (GMLP)—a suite of new professional development resources to help educators cultivate a growth mindset in their students and school community.
These resources provide educators with the latest knowledge and tools to boost and support their students’ motivation and learning. The GMLP teaches educators the psychology and neuroscience behind the growth mindset in an efficient and engaging way. Our pilot implementation, coupled with the Brainology software for students, increased teachers’ self-efficacy and mastery focus in the classroom, while students became more growth-mindset oriented and also earned better grades. 
We are currently seeking middle or junior high schools interested in being a part of the next wave of this research study, which will begin in the winter of 2012. All of the GMLP resources are free to schools with the purchase of Brainology licenses for students in one or more grade levels. Space for this program is limited; if you would like to learn more about how to bring this opportunity to your faculty, please contact Sylvia Rodriguez, our Research Director, at srodriguez@mindsetworks.com by December 16, 2011.
Like us on Facebook to stay updated with future updates!
![]() The Growth Minded Educator Contest
The Growth Minded Educator Contest is our way of capturing and sharing collective learning experiences, and recognizing the efforts that educators have put into instilling and cultivating a Growth Mindset in their students.
![]() November 2011 Contest Results
The November 2011 Growth Minded Educator is... Aubrey Wiersema! Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated. 
Here is Aubrey Wiersema’s answer to the contest question, "What techniques are you using, or planning to use, to decrease behavior problems and bullying in your classroom?":
I pick out the ringleader bully. As per the book Mindset, I tell the student that I respect them, view them as a leader in class, and that I''d like their advice and input on a situation. I then tell them about a student who feels picked on or left out and ask what I should do. Usually they come up with a bunch of ideas like collaborating and doing more partner work. When class resumes, the bully is usually much more aware of his or her behavior, and may even defend the victim.
Read more...
![]() Enter the next Growth Minded Educator Contest
All contest entries have a chance to win an autographed copy of Carol Dweck''s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
Contest Question:
What techniques are you using, or planning to use, to encourage your students to take on challenges and persist through difficulty? Please share at least one activity. (Suggested length: 150 words or less)
Email your answers to newsletter@brainology.us by January 11th, 2012. We’ll review each answer and share the winning one(s) on a future newsletter.
If you have any questions regarding the contest, please post a comment or email us at newsletter@brainology.us
Do you have something to say?
Please post comments at the bottom of any of the articles, and if you have more to say, consider writing a guest blog or newsletter post! Email us at newsletter@brainology.us to share your guest post idea.
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