Growth Mindset... and a great new book on self-efficacy!

For the Growth Mindset post this semester, I knew right away what I wanted to write about: a new book by my friend Laura Ritchie which is all about "self-efficacy," a concept in educational psychology that has a lot in common with the idea of growth mindset. It's a fantastic book; highly recommended if you want to learn more about yourself as a learner and how to take charge of your own learning

Yes I Can: Learn to Use the Power of Self-efficacy ($8.99 Kindle).

I've known Laura for years online (she is a music teacher in England... but that's the power of online teaching communities: you can connect with people all over!), and I actually wrote a review of the book at Amazon since I liked it so much. Here's the review I posted, and there are some other positive reviews there already also. Yay! I hope this book will find its way into the hands of many readers; it definitely gave me a big boost reading it now in the midst of all the pandemic stress. In fact, its especially in chaotic and stressful times like this when it really helps to be able to take a deep breath and find your own purpose, learning how to use your own potential for growth and change to cope with the chaos. 

Laura Ritchie's latest book, "Yes I Can:  Learn to Use the Power of Self-efficacy," could not come at a better time. If you have been struggling in the pandemic to learn new skills or relax with a new hobby, or if you are contemplating something even more extreme such as a change in careers, Laura Ritchie's warm, honest, encouraging voice in these pages can help you take charge of your learning. Her emphasis on deliberation and self-awareness can help you channel the doubts and fears of your inner critic into a new direction: self-efficacy, a belief in yourself and in your capacity to take/make opportunities that will help you to achieve your goals. Learning is not easy or automatic like so many of the conveniences of modern life, but learning is always possible, and this book will help you embrace that sense of possibility, of challenge, of change. Change is inevitable; there is no standing still, and the pandemic has made that fact of life even more clear, sometimes scarily so. But change also creates an open space for learning, and in that open space you can take charge of your own learning. In fact, you have always been in charge of your own learning, despite the best efforts of school to try to convince you otherwise. As Ritchie says, "Only you can judge and decide what your capabilities are." If you are ready to begin to explore your untapped capabilities, this book is a great place to start!

(Do you have a favorite author? Write a review for them at Amazon; it really can make a difference in reaching new readers!)