Mindset Works’ Blog

I was first introduced to Carol Dweck’s work in 2008 when I served in a middle school in one of the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. Thanks to the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Grant, a small team of teachers, including myself were charged with implementing a new Tier II intervention in the middle and high schools. During one of the targeted trainings we were introduced to Carol Dweck’s work on student motivation. Her book Mindset was part of our training since we were expected to teach students how to cultivate a growth mindset within the respective intervention. At the time, the Brainology program was to be implemented as part of the intervention the following year. Due to maternity leave, I was not a part of Brainology’s implementation; however I knew I would have the opportunity to integrate Carol Dweck’s work in the future.

That opportunity came as an administrator intern within the formal action research process. Part of the administrator licensure program’s requirements is to conduct an educational leadership project. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is at the heart of my work as an educator and thus I wanted to use this leadership platform as an opportunity to advance my SEL efforts within our learning communities.

Mindset Works® is excited to announce that we have created another new group activity designed to help students practice, learn, and reinforce growth mindset concepts in a fun and interactive way: the Mindset Works Bingo Game! And best of all, it’s free!

In the “Mindset Works Bingo” game, students review core concepts and ideas straight from the Brainology student curriculum. In groups, pairs or individually, students test their understanding of the growth mindset, how the brain works and learns, and effective study strategies. (Grades 4-12.)

Link to Brainology Bingo PDF

You can find our previous free downloadable games HERE (“Brainology Hot Potato” and “Brainology Popcorn”)

We hope you'll enjoy the brain-games. If you try them, let us know how it went and how your students liked them.

For more information, please visit www.mindsetworks.com or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Just over four years ago, my friend and I were meeting to collaborate on fifth grade lesson plans for the following week. She had just returned from a conference, and before I could even ask how it was, she began talking. In her excited pitch, I caught the words book, mindset, Carol Dweck, research, ability, brain, intelligence, fixed, and growth.

The fact that I am a hopeless book addict and brain-research freak had nothing to do with what I did next…honestly. Rather, what caused my next action was the fact that as my friend was conveying her newly-discovered knowledge, it was as if these random dots in my head were illuminating and connecting—slowly, deliberately, and beautifully.

by Jane Foltz, Resource Teacher, Dartmouth Middle School in San Jose, CA 

I’m a resource teacher at Dartmouth Middle School in San Jose, California. I teach students with a variety of learning challenges in grades 6, 7 and 8 who have mixed demographic background.

I first heard about the book Mindset on an NPR interview with Carol Dweck, which interested me personally, not just as a teacher. After reading about fixed and growth mindsets, I found myself repeating certain phrases all the time, incorporating them in my own mindset. I personally realized the importance of being willing to stretch and keep trying. These concepts have impacted me many times; I have taken classes and tried things I never would have otherwise. I knew I had to not only talk the talk but also walk the walk.

Karen Green, from Lyons Hall Primary School in Essex, England, shares her experience, tips and classroom activities to teach the growth mindset

I’m a primary school teacher at Lyons Hall Primary School, where I teach sixth grade students. We had introduced the growth mindset in school, so students were already familiar with the language of it. For instance, they already understood the importance of resilience, determination and perseverance, which, in their own words sounded like: “keep trying,” “do your best,” and “never give up.” Before shifting to a senior school, we wanted to make sure that the 6^th graders had a deeper understanding of themselves as learners, so they could build their own autonomy to change and gain confidence in their academic abilities.