A Growth Mindset: Inspiring Ways to Instil It in Students

Let’s face it- instilling a growth mindset in students is a priority for educators. In case you are not well acquainted with the concept of growth mindset, then you need to know that developing a growth mindset in students plays a vital role in improving learning outcomes. People with a fixed mindset believe that both intelligence and abilities are stagnant; in other words, they are considered to be fixed constructs. While on the other hand, people with a growth mindset view intelligence and abilities as something that can be developed. As the result of training and effort.

According to Carol Dweck’s mindset theory. Students with a growth mindset are more likely to put in extra effort, be more determined, adaptive and in turn, have better grades and achieve their academic goals in a better way. Conversely, those with a fixed mindset believe they lack the ability to succeed. These students think that they can’t improve their traits with effort and give up instantly when faced with failure. The theory also suggests that such students usually avoid the tasks they find difficult or challenging and assume that failure is because of the fact that they lack the ability to succeed. Which in turn leads to poor academic performance.

Having a growth mindset is essential to make students better equipped to keep striving for lifelong success, make them understand the values of persistence, effort, and adopting different learning methods to foster their abilities and talents. However, the concept of a growth mindset is still alien to different educators in many education settings, but it’s never too late to understand it and nurture a growth mindset in students. Certainly, it is something that students can develop with constant practice.  Here are some effective tips for helping you instill a growth mindset in your students.

Encourage Students to Explain Their Answers

If students give a correct answer, make sure that you encourage them to explain their answers instead of giving them feedback like “You did a great job” or “You are genius”. Asking students to elaborate on their thoughts during a class discussion is a great way to figure out. What they do and don’t understand. Besides that, when you try your best to encourage them to process content at a deeper level. While responding reflect, they understand different concepts and ideas more effectively.

Consider asking questions about their process of thinking “What made you opt for this method?”, what they can do to make an improvement “What steps do you think you should take to  do it differently next time?”, and don’t forget to ask them what did they learn from their mistakes?”. Giving students an opportunity for self-evaluation is, without a doubt, an effective way to help them explore more about their ability to work through to a solution. This clearly exhibits a core aspect of the growth mindset that expertise or skill is not something that is inherited but developed.

It is important to give students opportunities to share what’s on their mind and improve their thought process by conducting:

·         Problem-based learning (PBL) activities: By conducting problem-based learning activities in a small or large group, you allow students to share their thoughts with each other.

·         Question and answer sessions after presentations: Consider encouraging students to ask questions if anything seems a bit confusing. This activity allows them to delve deeper into key points.

As you start encouraging students to share and elaborate on their responses and thoughts. They are more likely to improve understanding of subject matter and also realize the fact that effort and critical thinking can turn out to be effective for them.

Consider Talking about Your Own Mindset

The best way to teach students is from your own experiences and examples. When you give real-life examples, the students are more likely to retain information for a long time. Make sure you share your life struggles with them and how you came out of an unbelievably miserable situation, eventually becoming stronger than ever. It is better to talk openly about your mindset and your mistakes all along. This plays a crucial role in creating a safe zone for students to share their own feelings and thoughts. 

This simply means having a detailed discussion about how you felt when you weren’t good at science subjects. Growing up or how your broken family and depressed environment at home made it hard for you to focus on studies and complete your homework. When you talk openly about your own mindset, students are encouraged to fight their battles patiently. Besides that, they eventually learn that it’s okay to struggle. 

If you can’t come up with a real-life example, then you should consider searching for stories with great morals using high-speed internet. And for this you can check out latest plans of RCN Internet. Telling a story in class will keep them entertained and expand their knowledge at the same time.

Explain That Learning Takes Time and Effort

There is no denying the fact that trying to learn something new can take a lot of effort and time. Many students sometimes feel that they are not smart enough to learn something difficult. Instead of making an effort to learn, these students end up giving in. So, it is crucial to teach your students that it is okay if it takes you longer to learn something that is challenging and that effort is a skill. 

This could mean trying to work on an assignment for several days. It could also be practicing mind flexing math sums all year long until they master the art of solving them instantly. 

Goal-Based Journaling

Journaling has, without a doubt, countless benefits. It serves the purpose of teaching students goal setting which helps them in developing a growth mindset. In order to help your students with goal-based journaling, you can ask them to:

·         Set achievable academic goals for themselves

·         Discuss what steps they would take to achieve these goals

For instance, a student wants to set a goal to ace their upcoming exams. To achieve this goal, the student should pen down all the steps he or she is considering taking. Once they accomplish the goals they set, they are more likely to know that growth is always possible.

Take-Home Message

By making a few simple changes in the classroom. Educators can end up fostering an environment in which students become easily familiar with. The unique concept of growth mindset, but also actively take part in creating such a culture.