Today I'm excited because of this newcomer Nothing You Can't Do! The Secret Power Of Growth Mindsets by Mary Cay Ricci in our growth-mindset arsenal.
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| Click image to go to the publisher's page. |
It's an interactive handbook written with our intermediate-aged learners in mind. From the moment I opened the front cover, the counselor in me kept thinking that my students are going to connect with and love this book; the mom in me wished I'd have had it when my own now-adult children were in their middle years.
The author's playful voice is sure to grab her readers like it did me. Before we start reading, she asks us to consider some things, one of which is the book's title, Nothing You Can't Do. Using humor, she admits that it isn't entirely true that there's nothing you can't do, because, she explains, there will be things in life which we may not be able to accomplish. Growth mindset, she tells us, is more about our effort and hard work during the journey than it is the end game or destination. I thought about my husband, whose poor vision got in his way and squelched his dream to become a pilot and then an astronaut. It didn't stop him, however, from becoming an aerospace engineer and securing work in space exploration and planetary science at NASA.
Ms. Ricci invites her reader to answer a few reflection questions (in the book if it's ours; on paper if it's not!) before launching in to the book's eight engaging chapters about the secret power of growth mindsets.
The rich text is littered with extras like cartoon illustrations, QR codes connecting to supporting resources, journal-entry activities, and brain-stretching reflections to hook its readers, help them understand the ins and outs of unlocking fixed mindsets, and encourage them to challenge themselves and dig deeper neural pathways. And though my aging eyes found the light blue and orange font a little tricky to read, unlocking the 26 growth-mindset secrets embedded throughout intrigued and interested me immensely.
If you've been looking for innovative ways to help your learners
know more about how their brain works,
set goals for themselves,
embrace grit and growth in new ways,
welcome the productive struggle,
see mistakes as learning opportunities,
persevere through tough times,
practice resiliency and bouncing forward,
keep an optimistic attitude,
and unleash the power of words like yet,
I enthusiastically recommend that you check out this treasure trove.
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