GROWTH MINDSET What is it? Why spend time discussing it in the classroom and at home? Click the brain!

Why Discuss Growth Mindset With Young Learners? Years of Neurology Research shows: Hard work, not inherent talent, brings success to our young learners. Praising how talented and smart a child is does not foster self-esteem. Teaching children about how their brains works raises tests scores and productivity and boosts focus. Students with a fixed mindset will avoid new challenges because their worst fear is failure. Students who develop a growth mindset don’t see failure as something to fear; they see it as a natural step in the learning journey.

Connecting the Way Our Brain Works to Practice Click the baby steps!

What Can You Do At Home? Try removing “smart” from your vocabulary when speaking to your child and replace it with words like “hard working,” “focused,” “driven,” and “effort.” Swap “You worked so hard!” for “You are so smart!” Start thinking about your child’s brain like a muscle. When a task is difficult, let your child take a break to rest their mind muscle and then get right back to the task. The more reps you do the more gains you see. Let your child know that saying “I can’t do it,” is a statement from a person with a fixed mindset. Someone with a growth mindset tells themselves, “I can’t do it, yet.” Celebrate focus-driven hard work, not just achievement. Fight the urge to solve problems for your child and let him or her come up with their own solutions.

Interested In Reading More? The findings and research presented here can be found in Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.