Mind Your Mindset

 

Staying curious and open is what makes growth possible, and it requires practice to maintain that mindset. Scott Berkun

⏱ Reading time: 3 minutes

Do any of these thoughts below sound familiar?

• Learning grammar is impossible for me.
• I can’t make that sound.
• I’m just not a language person.

Language learning can be difficult. It’s a process that takes effort and, of course, perseverance. Thinking thoughts like those above may actually be making things more difficult for yourself.

Such thoughts exemplify a fixed mindset. With a fixed mindset, challenges can seem insurmountable. To embrace challenges, cultivate a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, challenges are viewed as opportunities for growth. An important part of having a growth mindset is developing self-efficacy, your belief in your ability to learn, grow, and achieve your goals.

Here’s how it might look to reframe those thoughts above in a growth mindset:

Fixed Mindset	Growth Mindset
Learning grammar is impossible.	Learning grammar is possible, with consistent effort and practice.
I can’t make that sound.	I can’t make that sound yet.
I’m just not a language person.	I can become a language person.

 

This kind of growth mindset is within your reach, as is self-efficacy. It takes consistent practice and the mindfulness to recognize whether your thoughts are demonstrating a fixed or growth mindset. Practicing a growth mindset can be the key to overcoming your fear of grammar or of looking foolish or whatever is holding you back and achieving your language learning goals.

In this interview, Dr. Sarah Mercer, an expert in the psychology of language learning, provides some tips for cultivating a growth mindset:

1. Keep a journal

• Take note of your thoughts and the kind of self-talk you practice. Notice what reasons your mind gives when something goes wrong. (Or right! Take ownership of the victories you earn along the way!)
• Practice reframing thoughts that reflect a fixed mindset, like in the chart above. One way Dr. Mercer suggests to do this is to add “yet” to the end of fixed statements: “I can’t _____ …yet.”

2. Track your progress

• Measuring and recording your progress with the target language can be a great way to combat a fixed mindset. This record becomes evidence that you are learning and doing what you once thought impossible.
• This can be done through regular goal setting and tracking. Read more about how this benefitted Hannah and Kylie.
• One way to track your progress that Dr. Mercer recommends is to take whatever curriculum you’re using to learn (whether it’s an online course, a textbook, etc.) and look ahead. Flip to the end of your chapter, the beginning of the next one, or even the end of the whole thing. What you see may intimidate you. Record your thoughts, then take a deep breath, choose to trust your chosen method of learning, and keep working in the place you were. When you eventually get to that point in the course, you’ll be so much more prepared. You will be able to look back on your thoughts and celebrate how far you’ve come.

3. Be patient

• Remember that mindsets are often implicit. It will take time and concentrated effort to change something you’re not used to paying any attention to, but you can do it!

A Growth Mindset in Action

Ryan’s story is a great example of how a growth mindset can make all the difference. At first, he thought he that there was no way he could learn Hebrew grammar, that it would be too hard. It nearly caused him to walk away from the language completely. Instead, he chose to change his mindset, channeling his curiosity and breaking up his goals into smaller, achievable tasks. Read more about how he did so here.