Positive Planning with The Happy Student Company – Growth Mindset
Sophie Lee – Director of The Happy Student Company
Instagram: @thehappystudent_company
Published in The Student Midwife Volume 5 Issue 02 April 2022, Pages 21 https://doi.org/10.55975/YVCB5848
Embracing a growth mindset
When caring for a diverse range of people and their families, sometimes we can make mistakes with the language we use that could potentially cause offence. If you can be a student with a growth mindset, you can find ways to turn these mistakes into learning opportunities to better your future practice.
In the words of Dweck “in a growth mindset, people believe their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work”.1 Essentially, you can grow and educate yourself in inclusive language without it feeling overwhelming and embracing any criticism you may have encountered.
The fastest way to a growth mindset is to reflect often on experiences you’ve had and learn from them. Let’s apply this to an experience you might had in the past where you felt like you may have caused offence by the language you used. Can you think of a conversation where perhaps someone had to correct you, or told you that you had caused offence? Or perhaps you were aware afterwards you had made a mistake?
Using the Gibb’s reflective model,2 we can consider this event.
- First, write a description of what happened. Try to remember as much as you can about the conversation.
- Consider how you felt throughout the stages of the conversation. Consider perceptual positions, how do you think the other person/people felt during the conversation?
- Think about what you got right. It’s likely that there are still some positive memories to note about this interaction.
- Write down what you got wrong. How do you know you got it wrong, did you sense it? Were you told?
- Do you understand what you got wrong and why? Who could you ask to clarify this if you’re still unclear?
- What could you have done at the time to have corrected your mistake? Is there anything you could still do now to correct it with this person?
- What have you learned from this experience?
- If you find yourself in a similar situation again, what will you do differently?
- Is there any further reading you could do to educate yourself on inclusive language?
Making mistakes is part of the learning experience, and it is possible to use these as pivotal turning points in our understanding. A growth mindset will keep you learning, reflecting, and adjusting to meet the needs of those in your care.
For opportunities to practice different reflective model templates, check out my digital reflective journal, www.thehappystudentcompany.com and use your Member Zone code for a 20% exclusive discount!
References
1. White S. The 30-second briefing, what is growth mindset? Times Education Supplement. Published September 2016. Accessed May 2018.
2. Gibbs G. Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University. 1988. https://shop.brookes.ac.uk/product-catalogue/oxford-centre-for-staff-learning-development/books-publications/ebooks/learning-by-doing-a-guide-to-teaching-and-learning-methods-by-graham-gibbs-ebook.
