57 pages • 1 hour read
Carol S. DweckMindset: The New Psychology of Success
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Literature
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordan, Roslyn M. Jordan, and Kadir Nelson (2000)
For paired discussion and lessons in growth mindset with young readers, this story focuses on young Michael Jordan’s struggle to play basketball and deal with the older kids at the park. It features themes related to individual growth and natural ability.
What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada (2016)
This story follows a child’s journey as they develop out of a mindset that fears problems into a mindset that embraces problems as learning opportunities. It is ideal for paired lessons and discussion related to growth mindset for young readers.
New Kid by Jerry Craft (2019)
This graphic novel chronicles the challenges and setbacks of a young Black boy at a new mostly white private school and underscores such themes as overcoming challenges and growth despite initial misgivings and setbacks. It is ideal for paired discussion and lessons with middle-grade readers regarding growth mindset.
- New Kid on SuperSummary
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (2002)
A science fiction coming-of-age novel that explores the impact of believing in fixed flaws and traits, this novel pairs with lessons in mindset, providing opportunities for young adult readers to explore and discuss themes related to labeling and the human capacity to grow beyond labels.
- House of the Scorpion on SuperSummary
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune (2020)
A contemporary fantasy about magical orphans in foster care, Klune’s novel explores themes relating to fixed and developable traits, the impacts of negative labels, and the power of nurturing environments to unlock people’s true potential. It is ideal for discussion and paired lessons in growth mindset with young adult readers.
- The House in the Cerulean Sea on SuperSummary
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)
A literary novel chronicling the ongoing growth and self-empowerment of an independent-minded Black woman in the 1930s, Hurston’s novel can pair with mindset lessons for skilled, mature readers, providing opportunities to explore the internal process of shifting mindsets and overcoming setbacks as well as the impact of mindset on personal growth and relationships.
- Their Eyes Were Watching God on SuperSummary
Further Reading: Beyond Literature (Nonfiction)
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth (2016)
In this popular companion read to Mindset, Duckworth reveals through her own studies inspired by Dweck’s mindset theory that the keys to success lie in teachable resiliency skills.
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance on SuperSummary
Marva Collins’ Way: Returning to Excellence in Education by Marva Collins and Civia Tamarkin (1990)
For those interested in Dweck’s observations of Marva Collins and her growth-minded approach to teaching, Collins shares her educational philosophy and methodologies in more depth and detail.
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love (2019)
Love challenges the impact of popular educational reform programs—many of which are rooted in Dweck’s growth mindset theory and Duckworth’s concept of grit—with her own research and experiences of teaching in urban schools. She provides a look beyond individual factors such as mindset and grit into the institutional factors that require disruption to bring about real educational and societal change.
- We Want to Do More Than Survive on SuperSummary
“Coded Language Is Part of Our Racist Education System” by Zach Schermele, Teen Vogue (2020)
For those interested in sharing an alternative to Dweck’s mindset theory in explaining student success, failure, and motivation with a younger audience, Schermele provides an accessible alternative narrative regarding success and failure in education.
“Dismantling the Racist Mindset” by Corbin Swain, MIT Technology Review (2020)
Swain applies Dweck’s mindset theory to the work of antiracism in discussing the challenges and experiences of creating diversity and inclusion programming at MIT. Swain, like Dweck, finds that people can change their mindsets regarding racism by deconstructing racist mindsets and then constructing antiracist mindsets to replace them. She also posits that teaching this process in the right environment to staff and students leads to greater retention and support for students of color in higher education.
Video & Podcast Resources
“Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset” by Sprouts (2017)
A quick and basic introduction to mindset theory appropriate for most ages, this Sprouts video defines the two mindsets and explains how each impacts a person’s outlook on success, failure, and challenge.
“Rewiring Revolution: Neuroplasticity’s Impact on Well-Being” by Kristen Meisenheimer, TED
Speaking at TEDxSanLuisObispo, Meisenheimer discusses the power of mindset in stress responses and explains that the plastic nature of the brain means that through practice with the right skills, everyone can retrain their brain to overcome negative, reactive thinking patterns in favor of positive, proactive patterns that lead to better mental health and wellness.
“The Power of Believing That You Can Improve” by Carol Dweck, TED
Speaking at TEDxNorrkoping, Dweck discusses two ways of approaching a difficult problem, challenging listeners to consider whether they truly lack the skills to solve it—or whether they simply haven’t solved it yet.
“Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck” by Stanford Alumni
In this presentation, Dweck discusses her research on developing a growth mindset, with an emphasis on applying her approach in the classroom.
Other Resources
Based on Dweck’s research and developed in partnership with Stanford’s Project for Education Research that Scales (PERTS), Kahn provides a series of free, interactive training modules that include videos, reflection exercises, and feedback to develop growth mindsets for K-12 learners, their caregivers, and teachers.
PERTS is based at Stanford and, in an effort to scale the research of Dweck and others, provides a variety of free, research-based, blended-learning modules for students, teachers, and administrators that teach growth mindset and other interventions and skills shown to equitably increase student learning.
Based on Dweck’s research, this downloadable curriculum uses a blended learning approach that includes interactive lessons, reflections, and classroom activities to help students develop a growth mindset.
