MINDSETS
Psychologist Carol Dweck coined the
contrasting terms Growth Mindset and
Fixed Mindset after years of studying
school children’s motivation and what
makes some give up while others keep
trying until they succeed. Dweck and
colleagues then researched ways to
change mindsets and found that not
only could they move students towards
a ‘growth mindset’ but that those
students then spent longer at a task,
looked for new methods to solve a
problem and were motivated rather
than overwhelmed by challenges.
Her research also shows that teachers
with a growth mindset seek alternate
ways to help students master material
instead of attributing difficulty to a lack
of ability.
BROADEN AND BUILD
THEORY
This theory arose from an investigation
by social psychologist, Professor Barbara
Fredrickson, into studies of human
survival. She found that positive emotions
generate more options for action,
broaden behaviours and make people
more creative, aware, playful, curious
and open to discovery. Although positive
emotions are fleeting, experiencing
them frequently ‘builds’ benefits that
endure into the future in the form of
traits, social bonds and abilities. These
broadened ‘thought-action’ resources
contribute to long-term wellbeing and
success and make people more resilient.
MINDFULNESS IN
SCHOOLS PROGRAM
(MiSP)
Mindfulness involves learning to direct
attention to our experience as it unfolds,
moment by moment, with open-minded
curiosity and acceptance. It trains us
not to focus on or worry about what has
happened or might happen, but to
respond skilfully to what is happening
right now. The Mindfulness in Schools
Program is a curriculumwhich introduces
students to an experience of mindfulness
in ways they find helpful and enjoyable.
It fits within the broader model of
Positive Education at Ravenswood and
is a tool for increasing calm and optimism.
ISSUE 50
|
SUMMER 2016
6
Claire Golja, Vivienne Mathews, Chloe Law, Lauren Gunson
