Growth Mindset

What is a growth mind set, and why is it desirable?

A growth mindset is a belief that abilities and qualities can be developed and improved through effort, learning, and perseverance. People with a growth mindset view challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth, rather than as permanent limitations.

They believe that intelligence, talent, and abilities are not fixed traits, but can be developed and improved through hard work, dedication, and practice. They also believe that success and improvement are not solely determined by innate abilities, but also by the effort and persistence put into developing those abilities.

Research has shown that a growth mindset can have a positive impact on motivation, performance, and well-being, as it can encourage a person to take on challenges, persevere in the face of setbacks, and view mistakes and failures as opportunities for growth and learning.

So we should tell our students about ‘growth mindset’ and instruct them to have one?

Yes but… it’s not quite that easy,

Simply explaining a growth mindset is not enough to effectively develop it. It is important to provide opportunities for students to practice and cultivate a growth mindset through experiences and activities that support its development.

Practice is essential because it helps to reinforce new skills, concepts, and behaviors, making them more automatic and ingrained. When we practice, we are creating new neural pathways in our brain that support our ability to perform the task more easily and effectively in the future.

This applies to having a growth mindset as well as it does to playing the violin.

How To Help Your Your Students Practice a Growth Mindset

Facing challenging tasks that are difficult but achievable can help students develop a growth mindset. When students are faced with tasks that are challenging but achievable, they have the opportunity to learn and grow through the process of overcoming obstacles and reaching their goals. This experience can help to develop a growth mindset by showing students that their abilities and qualities are not fixed traits, but can be developed and improved through effort, learning, and perseverance.

Additionally, when students experience success in overcoming challenges, they are likely to become more confident in their abilities, and to view their mistakes and failures as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as permanent limitations.

By providing students with opportunities to face challenging tasks that are difficult but achievable, educators can help to foster a growth mindset and support the development of resilience, persistence, and a love of learning.

Things to avoid when cultivating a growth mindset

Learned Helplessness and the things that cause it:

Tasks that are too difficult for someone can lead to a sense of learned helplessness, where the individual feels that they are unable to control the outcome and therefore, do not even try. This can be particularly damaging for students as it can lead to a decrease in their motivation and self-esteem, as well as an increased likelihood of giving up in the face of challenges.

In order to prevent learned helplessness, it is important to provide students with tasks that are appropriately challenging but still achievable. This means finding the right balance between tasks that are too difficult and those that are too easy. When students are able to experience success and feel a sense of accomplishment, they are more likely to develop a growth mindset, where they see challenges as opportunities for growth, and are motivated to continue learning and trying new things.

Work that is consistently too easy or never challenging:

When all of a student’s work is too easy for them, it can lead to boredom, disinterest, and a lack of motivation. The student may not feel challenged or engaged, and may not see the point in putting in effort. This can lead to decreased self-esteem and a decreased likelihood of taking on new challenges.

Regular Lessons need to be mindful of Growth Mindset.

If the lessons that are given to students after discussing growth mindset with them are too hard or too easy, it can undermine the progress made towards developing a growth mindset.

We don’t want to spend on lesson explicitly on growth mindset, then unconsciously spend years of school teaching fixed mindset, (weather that comes from an inability to complete work no matter how hard you try (learned helplessness) or from a lack of needing to try.)

When regular lessons are too difficult, students may become discouraged and give up. On the other hand, when regular lessons are too easy, students may become bored and disinterested, which can also lead to decreased motivation.

It is important to find a balance and provide students with lessons that challenge them in a way that is supportive and achievable. Because every moment, is implicitly a lesson on growth mindset or fixed mindset and we want to build a growth mindset and foster a love of learning.

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