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Design Your Mindset!

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Lesson Plan

Design Your Mindset

Students will define fixed and growth mindsets and identify strategies to apply a growth mindset to graphic design challenges, fostering resilience and continuous improvement.

Developing a growth mindset helps students navigate creative challenges, embrace feedback, and see 'mistakes' as opportunities to innovate, leading to stronger design skills and greater personal satisfaction.

Audience

9th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and practical application.

Materials

Whiteboard or Projector, Design Your Mindset Slides, and Mindset Reflection Worksheet

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction: What is a Mindset?

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students: "What do you think a 'mindset' is?" Allow for a few responses.
    - Introduce the idea of fixed vs. growth mindsets using Design Your Mindset Slides (Slide 2-3).
    - Explain that a fixed mindset believes abilities are inherent and unchangeable, while a growth mindset believes abilities can be developed through effort and learning.

Step 2

Mindsets in Design

10 minutes

  • Show examples of design challenges or initial design attempts that might lead to frustration (e.g., a logo that isn't working, a poster that feels bland) on Design Your Mindset Slides (Slide 4).
    - Ask: "How might someone with a fixed mindset react to this?" (e.g., "I'm not good at this," "This is too hard").
    - Ask: "How might someone with a growth mindset approach this same challenge?" (e.g., "What can I learn?" "Who can I ask for feedback?" "What new techniques can I try?").
    - Emphasize that graphic design is an iterative process that thrives on experimentation and learning from 'failures'.

Step 3

Reflection and Application

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Mindset Reflection Worksheet.
    - Instruct students to think about a past design challenge they faced or anticipate one for future projects.
    - Ask them to complete the worksheet, reflecting on how they currently approach challenges and how they can shift towards a growth mindset in their design process.
    - Encourage students to share one insight with a partner or the class if time permits.

Step 4

Wrap-Up: Embrace the Journey

5 minutes

  • Conclude by reiterating that graphic design is a journey of continuous learning and improvement.
    - Show Design Your Mindset Slides (Slide 5) with a summary statement.
    - Encourage students to view every design project as an opportunity to grow, not just to produce a final product.
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Slide Deck

Design Your Mindset! Growth vs. Fixed

How your thinking shapes your creative journey.

Welcome students and introduce the topic of mindset. Ask them what they think a 'mindset' is before revealing the slide content. Connect it to how they approach learning and challenges in design.

What's Your Mindset? Fixed Mindset

Fixed Mindset

  • Belief: Abilities are set in stone.
  • Challenges: Avoids challenges, gives up easily.
  • Effort: Sees effort as pointless.
  • Feedback: Ignores useful feedback.
  • Success of Others: Feels threatened.

"I'm just not a creative person."
"My designs never look as good as theirs."

Explain the fixed mindset. Emphasize that in graphic design, this can lead to giving up easily when a design doesn't work, avoiding new tools, or feeling threatened by others' success.

What's Your Mindset? Growth Mindset

Growth Mindset

  • Belief: Abilities can be developed.
  • Challenges: Embraces challenges, persists through setbacks.
  • Effort: Sees effort as the path to mastery.
  • Feedback: Learns from criticism.
  • Success of Others: Finds inspiration.

"What can I learn from this design challenge?"
"How can I improve my skills?"

Explain the growth mindset. Highlight how this is crucial for graphic designers who constantly need to learn new software, techniques, and adapt to client feedback. Encourage viewing 'mistakes' as learning opportunities.

Mindsets in Design: Scenario

Imagine you're designing a logo, and your first few ideas aren't working out.

Fixed Mindset thought:

"Ugh, I'm stuck. I'm just not good at this. I should probably just give up or copy someone else's idea."

Growth Mindset approach:

"This is a tough challenge, but I can figure it out. Maybe I need to research more, try a different brainstorming technique, or ask for a fresh perspective."

Present a couple of simple graphic design scenarios (e.g., struggling with a logo, a poster not meeting expectations). Ask students to think about how each mindset would respond. Facilitate a brief discussion.

Your Design Journey: A Growth Adventure!

Every design project is an opportunity to learn, improve, and grow your skills.

Embrace challenges, seek feedback, and keep experimenting!

Conclude by empowering students. Reiterate that their mindset is a powerful tool in their design journey. Encourage them to actively choose a growth mindset in their projects.

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Worksheet

Mindset Reflection Worksheet: Design Your Growth

Name: _________________________ Date: _________________________

Think about a recent graphic design challenge you faced, or a future project you anticipate. This could be anything from coming up with an idea, learning new software, or getting feedback on your work.

Part 1: Reflecting on a Challenge

  1. Describe the graphic design challenge you are thinking about. What was it about? What made it difficult?











  2. When you faced this challenge (or if you were to face it now), what were some of your initial thoughts or feelings?






Part 2: Fixed vs. Growth Mindset in Action

  1. If you approached this challenge with a fixed mindset, what might you have thought or done? (e.g., "I'm not good at this," "This is too hard for me.")






  2. Now, consider how you could approach this challenge with a growth mindset. What different thoughts or actions would you take? (e.g., "What can I learn?" "How can I improve?")











Part 3: Moving Forward

  1. What is one specific strategy you can use to cultivate a growth mindset in your next graphic design project?






  2. How do you think adopting a growth mindset will change your experience and the outcome of your design projects?











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Design Your Mindset! • Lenny Learning