1. Growth Mindsets An introduction September 2015

2. Fixed mindset Believes: Intelligence is CARVED IN STONE Intelligent people shouldn’t have to WORK HARD Failure reflects a LACK of INTELLIGENCE

3. Growth mindset Believes: Intelligence is MALLEABLE Learning requires HARD WORK and EFFORT ALL individuals CAN LEARN and improve We CANNOT MEASURE a person’s POTENTIAL

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

5.  As Carol Dweck says “successful individuals love learning, value effort and persist in the face of obstacles”.  “Changing mind-sets is not like surgery,” she says. “You can’t simply remove the fixed mind- set and replace it with the growth mind-set.”

6. How to praise I liked the way you tried different strategies on that problem. I enjoy watching you stretch yourself and trying to learn more challenging things. That picture has so many beautiful colours in it. Tell me about them. You put so much thought into this story, I really could see all the settings and characters clearly.

7. I like the effort you put in, but let’s work together on the bits you didn’t understand. Everyone learns things at a different rate but if you keep trying like this you will get there. Everyone learns in a different way. Let’s keep trying to find the one that works for you.

8. What is growth mindset? For those of us who went to school a while ago this can be quite challenging. Recent research about how the mind works suggests that popular ideas that some people are just born smart and others are not are wrong. Instead, with the right opportunities and support, all of us can get better at learning. The brain, like a sportsperson’s muscles, gets better at something with practice. That doesn’t mean all of us can be Einstein, just as not all of us can be Usain Bolt, but we can all get better at things, and we’ll never know how much better until we try. Yes, brains and talent contribute to ability, but it’s dedication and hard work that develop them. That means that as teachers and parents, we should not be focusing on predicted grades and latest test scores, but on providing the support and opportunities that will motivate young people.

9. What does this mean for us at school? It means that we should expect excellence from every student. Our students all need to be faced with tasks with high challenge and which demand high skills. It means we need to give students feedback which is as immediate and as precise as possible to help students improve. It means that we always encourage students to be collaborative, to learn in groups and to help each other, but we also support them to take responsibility for as much as possible. It means that we need to give tough messages that improvement is not easy and dreams may not come true. However, that hard work will get one closer to ones dreams and just turning up and expecting to be taught will not. Education is not something that is done to you. Children have fires to be lit, not buckets to be filled. It means modelling an endless curiosity for life and a love of learning, so that students know lessons are just the beginning of what you learn. It means helping students to see the purpose in what they are doing and how it fits into the rest of their life. It means making sure that all students have the chance to make mistakes and to learn from these.

11. How can you help your child? As the most important adult in your child’s life it really will help if you: Encourage your child to be curious, to experiment, to use their imagination and to be messy. Praise their hard work rather than the marks they get. Make it clear that being hard-working and intellectually curious is cool. Praise them when they think for themselves, work well in teams and change their minds after thinking something through. Accept that failure is a really important part of learning. Encourage them to do activities such as writing, reading, watching fiction, solving puzzles, exchanging cultural views and debating.