1.5 Fixed Mindset Characteristics

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  Posted by CUNY Mindset Initiative on March 11, 2024 at 11:02 am

  💬  Reflection/Discussion: 

  • Reflect on your own experiences and identify instances where you have exhibited characteristics of a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. How did these mindsets influence your approach to challenges, setbacks, and learning opportunities? What strategies or shifts in mindset have you found effective in cultivating a growth mindset or overcoming the limitations of a fixed mindset?

• Mélida Sánchez

  Participant

  July 30, 2024 at 3:39 pm

  Hello Jean-Yves,

  I love your post. It is a circle. You encourage others to be their best, and they return the encouragement to you.
  Shawna M. Brandle (she/her)

  Member

  August 20, 2024 at 4:41 pm

  I feel that I have the strongest growth mindset as it relates to my research- I will often need to learn a new methodology or literature (or sometimes both!) to be able to work on the research questions that I am interested in, and I strive not to let that stop me. Learning new methods is hard and messy and full of mistakes, but incredibly satisfying when I can get it to work! One example is how I was recently able to automate downloading a large amount of entries from the Congressional Record. I was going to do it manually, until my undergraduate research student challenged me to figure out the workflow for automating. It was a bumpy but ultimately exhilerating process!
  Shawna M. Brandle (she/her)

  Member

  August 20, 2024 at 4:43 pm

  John, your post deeply resonates with me- it has taken me a long time (in fact, I’m still working on it) to shake off the shoulds from my own two decades of Catholic school.
  Elana Effrat (she/her)

  Member

  August 20, 2024 at 6:28 pm

  Great suggestion J.! I just changed office hours to student drop-in hours on my syllabus. I also created a link that students can use to book a 1×1 with me via the Microsoft scheduling tool.

  I encouraged students to reach out, but they only scheduled time when I asked them to meet with me about their progress.
  Elana Effrat (she/her)

  Member

  August 20, 2024 at 7:00 pm

  I am completely in love with this entire thread and all of the takeaways from individual posts! The growth/fixed mindset is a new concept for me. Applying it to different personal and professional situations has been enlightening as I seem to embrace both of them at different times.

  I love skating (ice and quads) and have to constantly battle the inner voice telling me not to try something because I won’t get it as quickly as other skaters. Or I’ll start to learn a new move, become frustrated, and then walk away. But then there’s the growth mindset that reminds me everyone learns at a different pace and starts from the beginning.

  I keep two expressions at the front of mind even when not on skates: “If you look down, you fall down” and “If you’re falling, you’re learning.” It helps keep me looking forward and trying new things.