Coronado SAFE & Coronado Middle School Partnering Together To Bring You

MINDSET: Because Brains &

Talents Are Not Enough

Coronado SAFE

Partnering with parents and the community

to develop and sustain healthy, responsible youth

Coronado SAFE provides social-emotional support through:

Mindset and Academic Success

Karin Mellina, M.A., M.Ed.,

Assistant Principal at Coronado Middle School

What is the key to success?

https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duck

worth_the_key_to_success_grit?language

=en

GRIT:

Definition: courage and resolve; strength of

character

Synonyms: courage, bravery, backbone,

spirit, will, moral fiber, nerve, fortitude,

toughness, determination, tenacity,

perseverance

Fixed Mindset:

• Belief that talent and ability is set

in stone

• Fearful of mistakes

• Reluctant to challenges

• Prefer comfort zone

• Grade focused

• Lack motivation and give up

easily

• “I’m just not good at math”

“I CAN’T”

Growth Mindset:

● Belief that talent and ability can be

developed

● Views mistakes as opportunities

● Resilient

● Believe effort creates success

● Focus on learning not grades

● Look for new learning strategies

● Motivated

“I’LL TRY”

What is Mindset?

You come home from work and your child is sitting on the

couch looking sad and holding a paper. You asked them

what’s wrong. “I had a horrible day today. I got a bad grade on

my project.”

You come home from work and your child greets you excitedly

at the door. “Today, was the best day ever! I got 102 on my

science test!”

Scenario

Our Message

3 things to say:

“You’ve got it”

“You’re doing great.

Keep going”

“Keep trying. You’re

getting there”

● Everyone can learn any subject to the

highest levels

● Mistakes are valuable

● Questions are really important

● Learning is about creativity and

making sense

● Depth is more important than speed

● Learning is about creativity,

connections and making sense

● Class is about learning not performing

Patience

Perseverance

Practice makes

Progress Not Perfection

Mindset &The Science Behind It

Dr. Monique Reynolds, PhD.,

Director of Programs at Coronado SAFE

Neuroplasticity Our brains are dynamic and

adapt constantly based on our

behavior and environment.

Our thought patterns and behavior

habits create roads and

superhighways across our brain.

Innate ability is just a starting point…

How neuroplasticity works

Learning something new creates new

connections between your neurons

Connections that are used remain strong,

those that are unused get pruned away.

With repeated practice, the connections

get more efficient and our new dirt roads

become superhighways.

A Daily Practice

Our children carve SO MANY new

roads every day.

Carving new roads is hard and

usually requires struggle.

Growth Mindset and Stress

For several hours after a stress

response, the brain is rewiring itself to

remember and learn from the

experience.

Teaching kids to handle the small

stressors now will help throughout life

Being good with one type of challenge makes us

better at handling other types of challenges.

What determines if we grow or crumble

from stress?

Severity of the stress?

NOPE

Your Biological Response to Stress

DHEA and Cortisol are adrenal hormones produced

during the stress response.

DHEA to Cortisol ratio = Growth Index

DHEA : Cortisol = High Growth Index

A higher growth index is associated with thriving during and after

a stressful experience.

This is what helps students persist in the face of academic

stress!!

Is your biological response to

stress FIXED?

OF COURSE NOT!!

Be GOOD at Stress

Shifting your mindset actually raises your

growth index

The expectation of growth sends a signal to

your brain and body: Get ready to learn

something, because you can handle this!

Mindset &The Role Parents Can Play

Georgia C. Ferrell

Executive Director at Coronado SAFE

Parents…What Can We Do?

Developing a growth mindset in

yourself and in your kids is a

process that takes time.

Have a growth mindset about

developing a growth mindset!

1. Recognize your own mindset

Be mindful of your own thinking and of the

messages you send with your words and actions.

2. Be A Conscious Role Model

Make mistakes in front of your kids

Have a positive reaction to those mistakes

Openly reflect on what could be learned from the mistake

Show that it's all about learning, not about being right.

3. Praise the process:

Praising kids for being smart

suggests that innate talent

is the reason for success,

while focusing on the

process helps them see

how their effort leads to

success.

4. Model learning from failure:

When parents talk

positively about making

mistakes, kids start to

think of mistakes as a

natural part of the learning

process.

Parents, We Don’t Have To Fix It

“You were robbed of that award.”

Places blame on others. Do you want them to

grow up blaming others for their deficiencies?

“You have the ability, you can win next time.”

Dangerous message. Does ability automatically

take you where you want to go?

Parents, We Don’t Have To Fix It

“You didn’t win, but I thought you were the best.”

This is basically insincere. If they were the best,

they would have won, you know it and so do they.

This offers them no recipe for how to recover or

improve.

At the dinner table…

• Share the science behind mindset

• Talk about your struggles

• Ask your kids about their struggles

• Praise their progress

• Let it be OK to share failures