Growth Mindset Thursday 3 November 2016

“Intelligence is not a fixed quality, determined at birth by genes. Rather, it is a variable that can be developed at every stage of life.” (Reuven Feuerstein)

Why Growth Mindset? In order to develop the children as learners we must look at their mindsets. Teach children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. It has been proven that having a growth mindset can improve children’s progress and attainment. As a result, we are teaching our children that by having a growth mindset they can grow their brains and intelligence and achieve anything they want!

Bearwood Growth Mindset Language

What are Bearwood doing to promote Growth Mindset? Age appropriate teaching about the brain, how it works and what a growth mindset is. Teaching of strategies to enable independent learning. Planning lessons which allow for choice and challenge. Classroom displays. Modelling growth mindset language. Use of stories to introduce and discuss growth mindset. Gerald Awards and certificates to reward children who demonstrate a growth mindset in their learning.

Bearwood Gerald Award

Modelling the language through stories

What can parents do?

Give your child the growth mindset workout As a parent you can grow your own mindset at the same time as teaching your children the growth mindset message, by encouraging and embedding the right attitudes and behaviours at home and, crucially by modelling them for your children, every day.

Giving feedback to develop a growth mindset Sometimes we do not realise that words which we think encourage and praise can actually undermine our children’s ability to become the best learners they can be.

Questions you could ask your child at the end of the school day What did you learn today that surprised you? Did you make any good mistakes today? How did you learn from them? What did you do today that was so hard it made your brain grow? How did you help someone else learn something new today?

Bearwood as a Growth Mindset School As a Growth Mindset school we are developing learners that use ‘thinking on purpose’ strategies for growing resilience and as such creating a powerful lever for school improvement.

What does that look like? It may include; Classroom teaching that celebrates the struggles and processes and strategies inherent in learning. Teachers who encourage your child to be a flexible, confident learner - try new things out if they get stuck. An inclusive atmosphere with zero tolerance of ‘put downs’, and one that encourages children to give unconditional support to others.

All staff model a growth mindset by being outstanding learners themselves, and share this attitude with their classes. Children are rewarded for effort as well as their attainment. Children are challenged to stretch their own comfort zones academically, physically and personally, to promote resilience, confidence and flexibility. Children know what their strengths are and what they need to do to improve.

Parents beware Do not overprotect your children. Be brave, all our children will have trials ahead of them: They will fall out with friends They will find learning hard They will fail some tests They will feel sad at times and possibly anxious They will have to face all the rest of life’s highs and lows.

Working together to : Give our children the gift of independence and the courage to grow.

Do you have any questions?