Getting Gritty: Cultivating Students' Growth Mindset in the Clinical Classroom

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Session Type: Concurrent Sessions

Session Capacity: N/A

Location: N/A

Room: Laurel A & B

Floor: Fourth Floor

Being able to effectuate external change often requires internal resiliency. Studies have found that one’s beliefs about their abilities, intelligence, and resiliency can fall anywhere along a continuum. On one end, there’s a view that intelligence is fixed, innate, and static, while on the other end, there’s a belief in the capacity for growth and exponential skill development based on effort. Some of these studies found that those with a growth mindset tend to achieve greater long-term success, particularly by applying this mindset to challenges in new endeavors or high stress environments. In other words, they exhibit resiliency and “grit,” utilizing their growth mindset to overcome obstacles and maintain effort. A key part of this learning occurs when students fail or perceive that they have failed. A student with a fixed mindset may interpret failure as a sign they are not suited for that particular lawyering skill. For example, a student who struggles to quickly answer a judge’s question during a motion hearing may decide they are not fit for litigation. In contrast, a student with a growth mindset is likely to view failure as an opportunity to learn what adjustments to make in the future. For example, growth-minded students who cannot answer a judge’s questions during a motion hearing would see this “failure” as a chance to learn, equipping themselves with better responses for the next opportunity to argue a motion and applying their new-found knowledge moving forward. Presenters will delve into the continuum of fixed and growth mindsets through the research and common examples. Through experiential exercises, presenters will lead attendees through their own pedagogical approaches to developing a growth mindset in their students. Attendees will leave the presentation with tangible exercises they can use.