Applying Growth Mindset




I've seen growth mindset discussed at various times in forums such as Twitter. The concept interested me so I had done a wee bit of research on what it was, although that was admittedly as far as I went.

The traditional view of intelligence was that it is innate and there is nothing you can do about it, no matter how hard you work. I see this attitude reflected at various times in my classroom by students who think that they, for example, find creative writing difficult and so put little effort into producing finished work, or they struggle with aspects of grammar but don't try to figure out the rules and apply them to their work. I have been guilty of a similar attitude towards Maths, and have caught myself making comments along the lines of I suck at it, therefore someone else solve the problem for me.

With the Maths thing, though, I've become more conscious of what I say because I have a daughter who I want to encourage into STEM and I realise that how I role model an attitude towards the subject is important. My language has accordingly changed to a more can-do approach, and I am taking more responsibility for working through Maths problems with her. It's not only changing my attitude; it's also changing my skills in the subject.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugsKzJEkTa0

In growth mindset theory, the brain is seen as malleable; it can get stronger and work better as you learn. Thus intelligence can be changed and developed. The theory is supported by work in neurological fields which show that as you learn things the physical structure of your brain changes. My maths intelligence is probably admittedly still quite limited, but by developing an understanding of how to solve problems and applying this understanding, I am continuing to develop.

Of course this has implications for learning in the classroom. To encourage growth mindset I should be more mindful of the language that both myself and my students use. Rather than 'I'm not that good at this, ask 'what am I missing'; instead of 'it's good enough', ask 'is this my best effort?'. The video above discusses the power of 'not yet'. It's not that I'm not good at Maths, just that I'm not yet good at it. For me these are probably the two most important words for promoting a growth mindset in my classroom.

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Want to test your growth mindset?
http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php










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