This document discusses mindset and how beliefs about intelligence and ability can impact learning and growth. It describes the differences between a fixed mindset, where intelligence is seen as static, and a growth mindset, where intelligence is viewed as malleable. A growth mindset believes that effort and practice can improve abilities over time. The document encourages adopting a growth mindset to overcome challenges through learning from mistakes and setting learning goals rather than performance goals. It advocates failing productively by remaining hopeful and keeping efforts focused on improvement.

1. Me against myself
or how to fail and move forward
by Diana Antohi
25th of April 2015
#CodeCampIasi

3. Today’s steps
 Mindset - what is it and does this matter?
 Insights of Fixed and Growth
 The tyranny of now
 Praise and some thoughts on feedback
 Failure - some kind of message on failure strategy
 For take away
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4. Disclaimer
 It’s only a sharing session with my thoughts on the subject
 with some personal experience
 and some info that I wish to have known much earlier …
But NOW is a good time too
And also happy to share it with you
Me
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5. Junction point
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 an inquiry into the power of our
beliefs, both conscious and
unconscious
and how changing even the simplest of
them can have profound impact on
nearly every aspect of our lives.

6. Mindset – what is it?
• Noun - the established set of attitudes held by someone.
• was first used in the 1930s to mean "habits of mind formed by
previous experience“
• a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you
will interpret and respond to situations
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7. Mindset – what is it?
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Is intelligence something
that is inherited or
something that can be
developed?

8. Mindset – what is it?
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1. Can you learn new things?
2. Can you really change how intelligent you
are?
3. No matter how intelligent you are, can
you always get better, can you sometimes
improve (maybe a lot)?

9. Insights of Fixed and Growth
Fixed Mindset (FM): Intelligence/talent is a fixed trait
- abilities cannot change
...Myth of the “natural”
Growth Mindset (GM): Intelligence is a malleable quality
- a potential that can be developed
- abilities can change (grow)
...Talent is a starting point
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10. Insights of Fixed and Growth – attitude
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The brain is static, talent is permanent
Look clever at all times and at all costs
Unchanging personal attributes bring
success.
You must be smart at this!
Look smart, don’t risk making mistakes!
It’s important
for me to learn
new things

11. Insights of Fixed and Growth – attitude
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12. Insights of Growth – ability
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cultivate the abilities
the belief that everyone can improve
over time.
talents or skills - something that can
be developed through practice…

13. Insights of Fixed and Growth – effort
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Effort is a bad thing.
For those with no talent!
Learning should come naturally!
Enhanced ability,
path to mastery
Motivate to overcome
challenging work
If you were smart ,
you wouldn’t need effort!

14. Insights of Fixed and Growth – setbacks
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And if you don’t have it, you will never
have it.. => defines your identity
Give up and retreat to comfort zone
Blame others for your failures
Mistakes are part of learning
Capitalize on mistakes
Confront deficiencies
You just don’t have it,
hide your mistakes

15. Insights of Fixed and Growth – setbacks
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“You have to be pretty much flawless.
And you have to be flawless right away.”
by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

16. Insights of Fixed and Growth – beliefs
(about yourself, about others)
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Based on little information
Quick to stereotype
Threatened by other people's
success
Find inspiration in others
Don’t ignore information about others,
is not all black / white
Quick to judge others

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18. The tyranny of now – advantage of not yet
Am I happy when I work out hard and see
improvement?
Or am I looking around at others and
think that I’m not just as strong/fast/fit/
______ as others?
Not Yet - learning curve, path to the
future you
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21. The tyranny of now – goals setting
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Performance goals
Learning goals
MASTERY and COMPETENCE
Scores reflect how people
are doing NOW
Validation from others
Both success and failure
cause ANXIETY

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23. Praise – junky and panacea
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24. Some thoughts on feedback
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Bridge
to yet

25. Fail your way to the future 
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Some of us
Don’t think that they are failing,
So BLAME NO ONE
KEEP GOING
Remain HOPEFUL
that they will get there
BLAME
Feel DEPRESSED
GIVE UP trying

26. Fail your way to the future 
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The worst mistake anyone can make is
being too afraid to make one

27. Fail your way to the future 
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28. Spend a few minutes every day to get better
at something
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 Goals
Responses
Effort
Strategies

29. Spend a few minutes every day to get better
at something
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31. Credits
• The Mindset Graphic
The color graphic of the Fixed and Growth Mindsets was created by graphic artist Nigel Holmes
(www.nigelholmes.com) for as article in the March/April 2007
www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2007/marapr/features/dweck.html.
The added text is written by Michael Graham Richard www.michaelgr.com
• Carol Dweck concepts illustrations
Ogilvie Design graham@ogilviedesign.co.uk
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32. For take away
• Mindset quiz: Mindset Quiz.doc from
http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/motivating-students-
with
• http://mindsetonline.com/
• https://www.khanacademy.org/youcanlearnanything
• https://youtu.be/Lcd6vtD5xbc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=falHoOEUFz0&list=PLe5PoiT_34y
6u_sLm4oZZVUSBV0P87fsS
• https://www.mindsetworks.com
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Diana Antohi - contact@dianatintar.com
25th of April 2015
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