“Geniuses” 
  • Edison- while inventing the lightbulb, he had 
   thirty assistants.
  • Darwin- The Origin of Species took him half a 
   lifetime of dedication and cooperation with 
   colleagues to complete.
  • Mozart- each of his pieces took more than ten 
   years to complete.  
  Mindset and School Achievement
  • The grades of the students with fixed mindsets 
   declined as they entered junior high.
  • The grades of those students worsened in the 
   two years of junior high. 
  • Students with growth mindsets had an 
   increase in their grades over the two years.
        Fixed Mindset
  • Explained the reasons for their poor grades as 
   if they were based on ability. 
  • Examples: “I am the stupidest” or “I suck in 
   math”
  • Many played the blame game.
  • Those students called their teachers names, 
   which does not solve the problem. 
       Growth Mindset
  • Students with the growth mindset mobilized 
   their resources for learning. 
  • Although at times they felt overwhelmed, they 
   decided to do whatever it took to learning-
   wise to get a good grade.
     The Low-Effort Syndrome
  • Students with the fixed mindset avoid hard 
   work.
  • They usually try to take the easy way out, so 
   they will not have to work hard.