After researching student responses to success and failure, the idea of a ‘growth mindset’ was first developed over thirty years ago by psychologist Carol Dweck. As a result of this research, she came up with the terms ‘fixed mindset’ and a ‘growth mindset’ to describe students’ attitudes about their successes and failures in learning. She and her colleagues noticed that a proportion of students were resilient in their response to failure, while others responded in a much more negative way toward failure in education. They proposed that perseverance, hard work and effort in the face of failure can see students develop skills, knowledge and hence success in their learning.
Dweck’s work on a growth mindset works hand in hand with brain research. More recent work on the brain has found that brain cell growth, along with creating connected brain pathways, is an ongoing process that can be stimulated by certain activities including new experiences, questioning and active inquiry, along with repeated practice. These activities not only create new neural pathways but strengthen existing ones in the brain.
Educational institutions who have adopted a growth mindset basis for teaching and learning, have introduced a process of teacher education before incorporating this way of thinking in the classroom. This has meant dedicating time and resources into staff development and training as many teachers have a fixed mindset about their students, the content they teach and the way it is presented in the classroom. The research is quite compelling when presented to educators and shows significant growth in students, classrooms and schools who adopt this approach to their teaching and curriculum development.
So what are some simple things that educators and parents can adopt to help move their child/students from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset?
1. Language and Praise at home and in the classroom
The way teachers and parents use praise is pivotal in introducing and reinforcing a growth mindset in their classrooms and at home. The language used in the classroom can either encourage students to challenge themselves or look for the easy way out. Research shows that teachers and parents often praise intelligence rather than effort. This is done by parents and teachers saying things like, “Your so clever at that”, “you are so smart”. This creates a fixed mindset as it says nothing about the task they have attempted or the level of accomplishment they have attained or any further improvements they could make. It merely comments on their innate ability rather than praising their effort, perseverance and hard work. The latter is what helps to develop a growth mindset in students.
2. Accept it is a process
Students who have had negative experiences attached to failure in the classroom may not quickly come on board with a change of language and focus in the classroom. It is likely to take time and is a process to move them from a negative fixed mindset where they have experienced little success in their learning to a mixed mindset where their thinking is beginning to change to a growth mindset where they believe that their perseverance, effort, hard work and practice will yield them results that are encouraged and celebrated at school and hopefully at home also.
While the majority of students will respond to the change in language, a teacher might need to put together an individual program for some students and engage support staff or individual sessions to help them make this mental change in their attitude to their own ability to improve. One on one contact with some students is necessary for them to see your pleasure in their effort and hard work.
This is particularly the case for tutors where students have been told they need help in an area and perhaps feel put down or discouraged by parents. E.g. a positive maths tutor with a growth mindset will encourage a great rapport with the student they are working with and help the student to look at their learning differently and move them toward greater success in their learning.
3. Role Models
Choosing the right role models for your child is key to them developing a growth mindset. Remember that you are your child’s advocate at school. If you don’t feel the current teacher is encouraging your child or has a growth mindset themselves, there is nothing stopping you as a parent making an appointment to see their teacher, or meeting with the stage coordinator to discuss your concerns in a respectful way. This may not result in a change of teacher in the current year, but might mean they are placed with a growth mindset teacher in coming years.
Choosing a tutor with a growth mindset may be an answer in this circumstance. As mentioned above, one on one attention for a child who is experiencing failure at school can be very powerful in moving them toward success with a growth mindset. Instilling the belief that “I can’t do it yet” is key in a child persevering with a topic or task that they find difficult until they have mastered it. It is difficult in any classroom of up to 30 students for a teacher to be able to provide that type of consistent and ongoing one on one attention and support to all children in the classroom. A tutor may be a great short or long-term option to work with the classroom teacher to provide individual support needed for a student to experience success in their learning
4. Get involved as parents
Parents can use a study space to challenge the current beliefs of a student who is fixed about failures in a given subject. Laminate some signs that can be attached to the child’s school diary, school laptop, and on the wall behind their study space at home. Sayings like, ‘I’m working on it,’ and ‘I’m not there yet’ are statements a student can revisit during the day when negative thinking about their current level of achievement starts to cloud their thought processes. Knowing and accepting that you are on a journey to success encourages persistence and perseverance in learning.
5. Look at failure differently
Seeing failures as a chance to learn is a key part of adopting a growth mindset in education. Feedback comes to students in many forms. Sometimes red pen all over work that has been agonised over can be demoralising for a student. If a single grade or mark is given with a task that has been returned, students should go back to the teacher and ask what gained them that grade or mark. Taking the time to write out what each red mark or cross is referring to is a powerful learning tool. Comparing this to a marking criterion or marking schedule is also valuable in identifying exactly what areas need improving, so that a student can address areas of concern at the time a task is set.
6. Using simple organisational tools and setting goals
Using lists and goals is key to making the decision to persevere and do better next time. With the identified areas discussed above, a student could develop a checklist of items that needed improving in their next assessment task. As a student gets feedback for work submitted, the checklist can be modified to include any areas that need work. These can be worked through with a tutor or parent and used to very good effect to create growth and improvement. Having made a decision to not take feedback personally and see it as an opportunity to improve is a powerful mindset for growth. Having the mindset that ability can change as a result of effort and seeing errors and mistakes as a way to learn shows persistence in the face of challenge and sets any student up for success.
So what should you expect to see as a student develops a growth mindset?
When an individual, group, class or teacher adopts a growth mindset you typically see some changes in behaviour, attitude and effort. These are characterised by having an open mind to suggested strategies and possible improvements that can be made to a piece of work or a subject. A growth mindset is also seen in students as they are prepared to do the groundwork and preparation needed to see improvement. This might include seeing their teacher at lunch, working with a tutor, setting goals for themselves and just putting in the hours needed to improve their study skills for exams and assessments. Students who have a growth mindset take ownership for their own growth. It’s not their teacher’s fault, or their parent’s fault or even their fault. They don’t assign blame or fault, but look at the opportunity that has been presented to them to learn and grow. Finally, you will often see people with a growth mindset banding together at school. These individuals usually help one another and celebrate each other’s success.
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