Beginning the Unfinished: How Radical Hope Can Propagate a Growth Mindset

• In Event: Radical Hope for the Future: Rooting Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment in the Practice and the Struggle

Abstract

Radical Hope is accepting the unfinishedness and knowing there are possibilities that lie ahead that we don’t yet realize. It is having hope that dramatic change is coming for our educators, students, and our curriculum. For this to happen, teachers and students must have a growth mindset and the autonomy to make pedagogical decisions. There are many obstacles that stand in the way of Radical Hope, however, such as ever-changing curriculum and assessment mandates that strip teachers of the power to make decisions and create a culture of despair. This article examines the power of mindset to challenge the idea that human qualities such as talent and intelligence can’t be cultivated and changed, and that radical hope can provide awareness of how our mindset and motivation as teachers directly affects our students’ success.

Authors

• Crissy P Brown, UNCW

• Kirsten Abel, UNCWW

• Andre Ramseur, UCNW