Growth Mindset Plan

The Stockdale Paradox:

"You must retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.

AND at the same time…

You must confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

For me, the Stockdale Paradox carries an important lesson in personal development, a lesson in faith and honesty: Never doubt that you can achieve your goals, no matter how lofty they may be and no matter how many critics and naysayers you may have. But at the same time, always take honest stock of your current situation. Don’t lie to yourself for fear of short-term embarrassment or discomfort, because such deception will only come back to defeat you in the end."

Taken from http://io9.com/the-stockdale-paradox-reveals-why-hope-is-the-grimmest-1287812990

Reading about the Stockdale Paradox captivated me. I was very interested especially since I have a military background. Admiral Stockdale was a prisoner of war who experienced hell on earth and still managed to survive. 

In my classes, I want to teach them about the Stockdale Paradox. I am also going to start thinking about how I ask questions, not call on the first person who raises their hand, start adding "yet" to the end of things, give more detailed feedback on assignments, no longer use "good job", be specific.

I tried it last week! I waited for most of the students to raise their hand before I called on them. I said that if they are brave, they will try to answer the question, and it worked! I had several people attempt to answer the question even though it was a concept they had never seen before.