Hi families,
This week we look at why it is so important that our children develop a growth mindset and the benefits this has on their own learning.
Happy reading,
Ms Jodie
Why Do Mindsets Matter?
Students’ beliefs about intelligence can have a powerful influence on how they experience school. For students who have a growth mindset, school is an exciting place. It provides them with an opportunity to learn, which is exciting if you believe intelligence can be developed. Learning is how you develop your intelligence. These students also welcome the challenges that they face in school. Challenges signal something that they don’t already know, so they are particularly useful opportunities to grow their intelligence.
However, for students with a fixed mindset, school can be a threatening place. In a fixed mindset, school is all about judgment and performance. It is a place where students go to be told whether or not they are smart–what they are good at and what they are bad at. They conclude that they are not smart at something if they have to put in effort or if schoolwork is challenging.
When students with a growth mindset face a challenge, they thrive because they work through that challenge with a purpose–the excitement of learning something new and developing their intelligence. When students with a fixed mindset face a challenge, they falter because they believe that they have discovered something they are not good at.
Tips for parents
Explain to your child how the brain can grow stronger and that intelligence can improve throughout your life. Intelligence is not fixed. It’s changeable. This is called brain plasticity. What’s more, learning CHANGES our brains. Children need to know this is possible.
Encourage your child to use new strategies and not be discouraged by difficulties. Reminding your child that a new task can be tough, especially when it is a brand new skill, will help them stay persistent. Knowing that other people struggle, too, helps children overcome their frustration with difficult tasks. Eg “I don’t know anyone who hasn’t struggled with this problem.” “If you could already do this without effort, you wouldn’t be learning anything.
Reinforce that effort brings about more success- and working hard can be hard! Remind your child that when he/she is working hard, they are ‘working out’ their brain and using it like a muscle to make it grow stronger.
Say things like:
“If it is easy, you aren’t learning anything new.”
“When it’s hard work, you’re building your brain and making it stronger.”
“Everything is hard before it gets easy.”
“Sometimes it takes lots of practice to learn something new.”
Develop a feeling in your child that he/she has the power to do something through their own efforts. When using their brain in an effective way, children feel more in control of themselves and what they can achieve. Praise your child for using different parts of their brain e.g. “Drawing a picture is a great problem-solving strategy.” “I liked how you explained the problem out loud- it helps to talk about things.”
And most importantly……
Remind them of the power of the word “yet”. When your child says that they can’t do something, tell them “yes, Jack, you can’t do this YET, but with practice you will be able to do it.” The power of this word is huge! All of a sudden, learning becomes achievable instead of that distant goal that seems beyond reach. Make YET a powerful word in your vocabulary
