How do we encourage our children’s minds to grow? To wonder? We all want our children to develop into inquisitive learners, eager to be the best they can be.
You may have heard the term ‘growth mindset’. It’s been a popular motivational theory in the education world since Carol Dweck’s 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (I will link to the updated version).
Essentially, Dweck suggests that rather than simply praising a child for their achievements, we also praise them for their effort while helping them work out how to improve.
Fixed mindset vs growth mindset
By acknowledging that they can do better, you are encouraging a growth mindset, as opposed to a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is one in which you believe your abilities are set; if you’re no good at something, you never will be. To grow, we need to embrace the challenges we face on the path to our goals, understanding that we can get there.
As a teacher, I’ve always tried to instil in my students the belief that they can achieve. It saddens me when I see a child who appears despondent and on the verge of giving up because they ‘just don’t get it’ and feel like they never will. It’s so important for educators (which includes parents) to suggest other strategies and ways of learning something. Not understanding the first time doesn’t mean you will never understand it. It simply means you haven’t found the right method yet.
The power of ‘yet’
Instead of letting a child accept they can’t do something, emphasise that they can't do it yet. Say to them, ‘You can’t work out this problem yet. Let’s try another strategy and see if we can solve it.’
When you receive your child’s school report and it says ‘working towards’, this is really just another way of saying ‘yet’. One children realise that not being able to do something the first time doesn't mean they never will, a whole new way of learning opens up.
Is it for everyone?
Of course, it’s important to acknowledge external factors that affect children’s educational outcomes. It would be wonderful to say we just have to develop a growth mindset and all children will be successful. But factors such as housing and parental income, as well as parents’ own attitude to education, all need to be considered in a child's journey to academic success.
Those children who have parents with the means and understanding to encourage a growth mindset are going to be at an immediate advantage. However, that certainly doesn’t mean a growth mindset shouldn’t be the go-to approach to learning.
The journey not just the destination
It’s not just the outcome that’s important in a growth mindset. Although, of course, we want our children to ultimately pass exams, we also want them to enjoy the learning process, or journey. If they can pick up skills when they’re younger that will foster a love of learning, a thirst for knowledge and the mindset that they may have to try different approaches, they can apply these throughout their lives.
It’s a wonderful thing, knowing you can achieve.
Acton Academy Columbus. (2021, December 13). Carol Dweck - Growth Mindset – The Power of Yet – Ted Talk [Video].
Dweck, C. (2015, September 22). Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset/2015/09
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