1. Growth Mindsets for all: persisting in the face of challenge

2. Welcome
Who am I?
I’m not….
But I am…
I hope…..

3. Persisting in the face of challenge

4. To get us started... David (of David and Goliath) JK Rowling
Consider these characters who have persisted in the face of challenge:
David (of David and Goliath)
JK Rowling
Ellie Simmonds (Paralympic swimmer)
Sam and Frodo (from Lord of the Rings)
Boxer Muhammad Ali/Cassius Clay
Your own experience
Identify:
What spurred you/them on to rise to the challenge?
What made you/them believe they could succeed?
What might have prevented you/them from persisting?
Learning objectives:
Participants will have surfaced their expectations of the issues regarding challenge and persistence and the participants own underlying mindset
Facilitator activity: Check characters are known ( can be edited depending on audience). In the feedback section highlight that mistakes are valuable in learning process and the resilience and persistence are key characteristics to achieving objectives.
Participant activity: in pairs consider the characters who have risen to a challenge:
David ( of David and Goliath)
Sam and Frodo in Mordor (Lord of the Rings)
Ellie Simmonds (Paralympic swimmer)
J K Rowling
Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali
Your own choice
Identify:
What spurred them on to rise to the challenge?
What made them believe they could succeed?
What might have prevented them from persisting?
Feedback: whole table / whole group depending on size/time 

5. Evidence from Carol Dweck: How do mindsets affect learning?
What is a mindset?
Mindsets are the collective term used by the researcher
Carol Dweck to describe the different ways in which
people, of all ages, view their personal ability, talent
and intelligence.
Learning Objectives: Participants will develop more awareness of/ or build on current awareness of evidence base around Dwecks Growth Mindsets work drawing out significance of their own mindsets and beliefs as well as those of students:
Facilitator activity: Offer slides and reinforce / extend issues. For more background on Dwecks growth mindsets see and links on that page.
Dweck’s research helps us understand:
the relationship between learners’ beliefs about their own mental abilities and their behaviour when challenged
whether these mindsets can be changed (and what changing these beliefs means for learning), and
whether experiences of success increase learners' desires for challenge and improve their "resilience" in the face of setbacks.

6. Influences on academic progress?
In pairs discuss:
What you think determines your child’s success at school?
What holds your child’s back?
What / who can support them?
Hopefully by the end of this presentation you might have some new ideas and strategies.

7. What are the different ways pupils view their own learning?
Dweck‘s research identifies two distinct types of mindset
that pupils form about themselves and their intelligence
and cognitive abilities:
the fixed mindset - pupils believe that they have a pre-determined amount of intelligence and capacity for cognitive achievement which can’t be altered.

8. the growth mindset, in which pupils believe that their abilities and capacity can be developed by dedication and persistence and so are optimistic and resilient.
Mindset and happiness:

9. Questions about intelligence
Read each statement and decide if you mostly agree or disagree with it. A/D
Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much
You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are
No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit
You can always substantially change how intelligent you are

10. Personality & character
Look at the statements below and decide whether you mostly agree or disagree with each one. A/D
You are a certain kind of person and there is not much that can be done to really change that
No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially
You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can’t really be changed
You can always change the basic things about the kind of person you are

11. So what?
How can this help us as parents?

12. Mindset Trait 1: How you want to appear to others?
Fixed Mindset: LOOK CLEVER AT ALL COSTS
Growth Mindset:
LEARN AT ALL COSTS
Impacts of social media / TV?

13. Mindset Trait 1: How you want to appear to others
FIXED MINDSET:
Respond poorly to feedback from others
Jealous of the success of others
Seek to put people down
GROWTH MINDSET:
Learn from criticism and suggestions
Seek strategies to improve
Fixed Mindset students want to look clever at all costs, to NEVER LOOK STUPID. This can lead to disengagement and disruption: they choose to disrupt rather than admit they cannot do or access something.
Growth Mindset students want to LEARN at all costs- this matters more to them then getting the best grades or scores and results in deeper studying, learning, understanding and consequently outcomes. For example in a study by Dweck et al. in 2007 they found students identified as having a Growth Mindset averaged 4% higher (72.5% compared to 76.5% average score) in attainment of year olds students (of comparable starting abilities) in Maths. Comparable results- i.e. improved outcomes- were found when comparing the mindsets and attainments of pre-med students in organic chemistry.
The ability of the GM students to recover from setbacks was also noted.

14. Questions
Do we recognisedany of the fixed mindset traits in our child(ren)?
What strategies do we use to support our children to embrace criticism
As parents have we been provided with strategies to help our children improve. Work harder is not a strategy, neither is hope!

15. Mindset Trait 2 : Responding to setbacks
Fixed Mindset: It’s about me HIDE MISTAKES & DEFICIENCIES BSE / BMW (SUMO)
Growth Mindset: It’s about learning
CONFRONT MISTAKES & DEFICIENCIES
Do we recognise any of these? Dads and DIY / map reading?

16. Mindset Trait 2 : Responding to setbacks
FIXED MINDSET:
Avoids trying something new
Finds it extremely hard to cope with setbacks
Seeks to blame others for their setbacks
GROWTH MINDSET:
Setbacks highlight issues/problems that need to be dealt with and learnt from
Actively seek out learning opportunities
In a study in 2007, Dweck compared the different responses of fixed vs growth mindset students after a setback- not doing so well on an assessment:
Fixed Mindset its about ME. It provides no recipe for handling difficulty
•Give up, retreat to comfort zone
• Become defensive
•Try to feel superior in other ways
(WOULD SOME OF THESE BE MORE APPROPRIATE TO GO ON THE FM SLIDE?)
Growth Mindset, its all about the LEARNING. They confront the mistakes and deficiencies- you can change to GM, you can teach it!
Fixed
Growth
“I’d spend less time on this subject from now on.”
“I would work harder in this class from now on.”
“I would try to cheat on the next test.”
“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”

17. Mindset Trait 3: Talent vs Effort
Fixed Mindset: IT SHOULD COME NATURALLY
Growth Mindset:
WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY

18. Mindset Trait 3: Talent vs Effort
FIXED
MINDSET:
Intelligent people are born that way
See further effort as undermining their genius
Talent and intelligence is everything
GROWTH MINDSET:
Understands that no matter what your natural aptitude, effort is essential to improve and achieve
Persistently committed and motivated
FM: It should come naturally. GM: effort, working hard, are key.
Anders Ericsson pioneered the term “deliberate practise”- not just doing the same thing again and again, but systematically addressing weaknesses. Relishing stretch and challenge. Dweck: “Easy is a waste of time.”
FM students have never learned how to work hard.

19. Potential
Potential - Someone’s capacity to develop their skills with effort over time. Benjamin Barber, eminent sociologist: “I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures …… I divide the world into the learners and nonlearners.”

20. Failure
As a New York Times article points out, failure has been transformed from an action (I failed) to an identity (I am a failure).
This is especially true in the fixed mindset.
Failure is not see as positive whilst is should be seen as a learning opportunity.

21. Fixed mindset
Risk and effort are two things that might reveal your inadequacies and show that you were not up to the task.
In fact, it’s startling to see the degree to which pupils with a fixed mindset do not believe in effort.

22. Mistakes & Mindset
A crucial aspect of having a growth mindset is not being afraid to make mistakes.
Mistakes are a fact of life and if we gave up after every one, we’d never get anywhere.
Mistakes are part of the learning process and help us to perform better next time.
Examples:
Taking a wrong turn
Learning a new language
Learning to drive
Handwriting/spelling
Nike Mistakes Video
What does this mean for us? Nobody likes making mistakes. But, unless you want to go through life as a complete recluse, you are guaranteed to make one every now and them. If you learn from mistakes correctly, they can propell will you forward.
You must also realise that mistakes are an essential part of self improvement. Don’t be overwhelmed with guilt and regret, analyze how you can learn from them.
From your own mistakes you can gain wisdom and accelerate self-improvement. Mistakes, because of their relationship with risk taking, are essential to success. The important thing is to view mistakes as a useful stepping stone to a higher reality and better outlook on life.

23. – Colin Powell (US Secretary of State 2001-2005)
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure”
– Colin Powell (US Secretary of State )
The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense”
– Thomas A. Edison (Inventor)
When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work”
– George Bernard Shaw (Playwright)
This goes against some of the views that we all have about talent etc
“Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating everyday. But I was completely committed to working out to prove to myself that I still could do it”
– Andre Agassi (Tennis Player)

25. Resilience + Hard work + Belief that intelligence can grow =
a growth mindset
How do we model this as parents?
What do our children see / hear?

26. Why do mindsets matter?
Consider Rowan and Naz, two classmates of similar achievement levels, and socio-economic background. They have been given the same task. It’s well-pitched, high-challenge, designed to stretch them.

27. Rowan sets to with gusto
Rowan sets to with gusto. He’s good at this sort of task and values his reputation as someone who gets things right, fast. He finds the task unusually tough and quickly becomes dispirited, worrying that he’s coming across as ‘slow’. He tells his classmates the task’s ‘boring’ and he disengages from it.

28. Naz sets to with gusto. He finds the task tough and his intellectual arousal is heightened. His initial attempts lead nowhere and he laughs when he realises he’s going down a blind alley. He tries a new strategy and engages classmates in a task-focused discussion. He shows curiosity and tenacity and steadily makes progress.

29. From a comparable baseline, Naz’s growth mindset will trump Rowan’s fixed mindset, and these effects will become increasingly marked over time.
Mindsets matter.

30. Prove my learning (show I’m bright)
Intelligence is fixed (eg Rowan)
Intelligence is growable (eg Naz)
Priority
Seeks out …
 Avoids ...
When things get tough…
Prove my learning (show I’m bright)
Quick wins, easy successes, less able competitors, as these all show that I’m intellectually well-endowed.
Tough challenges, effort, difficulty, higher-performing peers.
I become flaky, flustered and flounder, or simply walk away from the task, doubting my capacity to accomplish it. Or maybe I’ll cheat.
Improve my learning (become brighter).
Challenges, smart friends and other opportunities to learn and improve, as these all assist my development.
Tasks and situations that I’ve already mastered – no new learning there then.
I try harder or revise my strategy. Ishow resilience, creativity and grit – and thereby become a better learner.

31. Where do Rowan’s and Naz’s different mindsets come from
Where do Rowan’s and Naz’s different mindsets come from? Three candidates:
Fixed mindset
Growth mindset
1. Praise and other rewards
Rowan has always been praised for getting things right, and quickly – ‘Clever boy!’ He now does things in measured proportion to the praise he receives.
Naz hasn’t had much praise from his parents, but they do notice and comment on his hard work and show interest in his activities – ‘So why did you choose this colour?’ They give helpful feedback.

32. Fixed mindset
Growth mindset
2. Over-valuing ‘self-esteem’
Rowan’s parents are effusive about his every action. Why not? To be critical (or even neutral) would crush his fragile ‘self-esteem’
Naz’s parents don’t see it as their job to donate self-esteem. Instead they help him to see problems as intrinsically interesting, and to value effort not easy success.

33. Fixed mindset
Growth mindset
3. The ‘hidden curriculum’
Rowan notices how interested his parents are in his performance relative to his peers’. Labels like ‘clever’, ‘stupid’, ‘quick’, ‘slow’ are used to describe people.
Naz notices how his parents value the effort and dedication that go into people’s achievements, and how seldom people are described in terms of their ‘natural abilities’.

34. Challenge and mindset
But how does the concept of challenge relate to children’s mindset specifically?
We’ve already seen from Rowan’s aversion to a high-challenge task and Naz’s embrace of it, that challenges are viewed differently by different people.

35. For those with fixed mindsets, challenges carry with them the prospect of ‘failure’ and the consequent ‘exposure’ of a limited intelligence.
For those with a growth mindset, challenges are ideal learning opportunities – a chance to extend their knowledge and skills beyond their current levels.
When children learn that sticking at tough, challenging tasks leads to changes to their brains that make them smarter, we have a way of disrupting fixed mindsets and reinforcing growth mindsets.

36. Unpacking the evidence
In pairs identify where at home:
a growth mindset is helping to fuel success
a fixed mindset might be inhibiting success
Learning objectives:
Participants use the evidence to make sense of their own experiences / contexts.
Facilitator activity: Listen in to discussions, feedback after discussion either whole table/ group – elicit useful examples.
Participant activity: In pairs or small groups consider aspects of teaching and learning for staff and students where:
a growth mindset is helping to fuel success
a fixed mindset might be inhibiting success (10 min)

37. What can we do as parents?
Dweck’s work identifies some key strategies that parents and teachers can use to promote growth mindsets:
Modelling a growth mindset themselves
Modelling and encouraging positive self talk
Explicitly encouraging and developing resilient attitudes amongst our children
Using praise to separate task performance from self worth
Developing childrens’ skills in their conscious use of problem solving strategies to increase confidence and persistence
Last three are more tangible and relate to the tasters provided which will build on this

38. Positive Self Talk
Add John Tomsett slide

39. Parent message You have permanent traits and I’m judging them - fixedOR
You are a developing person and I’m interested in your development - growth

40. Parent - messages about success
You learned that so quickly! You’re so clever!
Look at that drawing. Martha, is he the next Picasso or what?
You’re so brilliant, you got an A without even studying!
These are familiar supportive, esteem-boosting messages

41. Feedback Do these sound familiar? Have you used them?
Are they fixed or growth mindset?

42. What might a child hear?
If I don’t learn something quickly, I’m not clever
I shouldn’t try drawing anything hard or they’ll see I’m no Picasso
I’d better quit studying or they won’t think I’m brilliant

43. Dweck’s Research
Praising children’s intelligence harms their motivation and it harms their performance
Children love to be praised for their intelligence and talent. It gives them a boost but only for the moment.
When they hit a snag, their confidence goes and the motivation falls. If success means they’re clever, then failure means they’re stupid = a fixed mindset

44. Dweck’s advice to parents
Teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.
Children then don’t have to be slaves of praise
They will have a life-long way to build and repair their own confidence

45. Over to you
My son of eight is doing badly at school. I know he’s clever, but he just can’t be bothered. He’s so lazy….. His teachers are getting fed up too… He can do the work, it’s just that he won’t. is there anything we can do? – written to a national newspaper

46. Can you suggest problems with this part of the response?
Tell your son that he’s clever…..look at his homework with him and praise him to the skies when he gets the right answers. Take his side against the ‘idiot teachers’ who are scolding him…..Find out if it might not be a good idea if he’s m oved from his class – either up or down…..Sometimes, particularly with people who are basically bright, confidence can make them brighter.
How would you respond?

47. Mindset response
Leave off this ‘clever’ stuff! Whatever you do, don’t say things like, ‘You should find it easy – you’re a bright boy!’ Look at his homework with him, and show interest in it. Express delight when you find things puzzling and challenge: ‘Wow – this is tough – we should learn something useful here!’ When the task is easy, express mild disappointment and find ways to make things more interesting.

48. Talk to his teachers and see if they can personalise the work sometimes. If he can do the work already, could they relate the homework to a real-life project or problem, and/or get him to do it jointly with a good friend? Go easy on the praise, stickers and rewards, but don’t stint on the feedback or interest in his activity. Look to change of class or school only as a last resort.

49. Unpacking the evidence
You are in a growth mindset home; what does it look like feel like… sound like…?

50. No Praise?
Not at all. But avoid praise that judges their intelligence or talent. Or praise that implies that we are proud of them for their intelligence or talent rather than for the work they put in.
Praise for the growth-orientated process – what they accomplish through practice, study, persistence and good strategies.

51. What is the message? Wow you did that so quickly!
Look, you didn’t make any mistakes

52. Question
What might our children be hearing from this?

53. We are telling them that what we prize are speed and perfectionism.
Child’s response?
If you think I’m smart when I’m fast and perfect, I’d better not take on anything challenging

54. Question
What could we say?

55. What should we say? Whoops, I guess that was too easy
Let’s do something you can really learn from!
Help them learn ways of doing things better next time
Develop new or better skills
Encouraging think and learning
Foster their interests, growth and learning

56. Praise should deal not with personality attributes but with efforts and achievements
We can praise them as we want for the growth-orientated process – what they accomplish through practice, study, persistence and good strategies
Ask them about their work in a way that admires and appreciates their efforts and choices

57. A Task For You
Reflect on a personal goal or ambition you’ve achieved in your lives to date, and capture the ‘how’ of your achievement in a single word or phrase.

58. And the research results..
Effort
Coping with obstacles
Thinking about times I’ve achieved difficult things before
Proving others wrong
Support from others
Practice
Advice
Constructive feedback
Perseverance
Planning
Bounce-back-ability
Modifying my goals
Determination
Persistence
Interest in it
Breaking it down into small steps
Risk-taking
Making a strategy
Imagining myself doing it
Having a vision
Having a go
Encouragement
Working to repay others’ faith in me
Sacrifice
Enjoying the process
Self-belief
Self-discipline
patience
Positive self-talk
Trying a different approach

59. Show your child this