When kids embrace a maker mindset, they learn to think divergently and solve problems by connecting seemingly disconnected ideas. They learn to take creative risks and try new things. They learn to embrace iterative thinking as they move through the creative process. In the process, they experience failure and develop a growth mindset. They become systems thinkers who can navigate complexity but they also become hackers and rebels who change the world.
In other words, they become innovators.
-John Spencer
Ready to raise innovators? WE ARE! With our school makerspace, our goal is to do just that.
One of the primary goals of our school makerspace is for students to develop a growth mindset. You might be thinking, “What exactly is a growth mindset? Well, we’re glad you asked!
Coined by Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University, growth mindset, as its name suggests, is the belief that skills and intelligence can be learned and developed. It’s the belief that challenges, failures, and criticisms aren’t your enemies but rather your friends that can help you succeed. People with a growth mindset believe that if they fail in attempting to do something the first (or second, or third…) time, that they can try again to be better. This type of mindset produces statements such as ‘Oops, I made a mistake. Can I try again?’ or ‘I am not good at coding…yet’. It is no surprise that this mindset has been linked to motivation and success in different areas such as academics, careers, and even social or interpersonal relationships.
On the other end of the mindset spectrum is the fixed mindset. It is the more harmful of the two types so it’s important that we discuss and acknowledge it so we can notice it when it happens and do something about it. Fixed mindset, as its name suggests, is where one believes that skills and intelligence are fixed. It’s the belief that you’re either born with these skills or not. People with a fixed mindset believe that abilities cannot be learned or developed so they don’t even try. This type of mindset produces statements such as ‘Math is just not my thing’,“I can’t make this any better’, or “I can never be smart like him’.
Watch this short video for further definition and comparison between the two types.
What type of mindset do YOU have? How about your kid(s)? If you’re not sure, take this assessment to find out!
In our makerspace program, we will integrate and encourage students — and adults alike! — to develop a growth mindset.
Learning from direct experience can be more effective if coupled with reflection-that is, the intentional attempt to synthesize, abstract, and articulate the key lessons taught by experience.
Reflecting on what has been learned makes experience more productive.
Reflection builds one’s confidence in the ability to achieve a goal (i.e., self-efficacy), which in turn translates into higher rates of learning.
Di Stefano, Giada and Gino, Francesca and Pisano, Gary and Staats, Bradley R., Making Experience Count: The Role of Reflection in Individual Learning (June 14, 2016). Harvard Business School NOM Unit Working Paper No. 14-093; Harvard Business School Technology & Operations Mgt. Unit Working Paper No. 14-093; HEC Paris Research Paper No. SPE-2016-1181. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2414478 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2414478
