Growing LearnersParents’ Briefing

• What are Mindsets?• Our work with your child.• What you can do at home to help.• The next steps.• Time for questions.

What I will cover.

What we think intelligence is’:  

Growth Mindset• Intelligence can be increased.• Just takes effort, persistence.• Mistakes and challenge are a way to grow

better.

Fixed Mindset• Something you are born with.• Can’t change it much.  

What are Mindsets?

Fixed GrowthFocus on performance Focus on learning

Failure and/or effort perceived as being sign of low ability

Not threatened by hard work or failure

Don’t recover well from setbacks Mistakes are perceived as part of the learning processes

Unstable self-esteem Stable self-esteem

Choose activities to maximise performance (easy ones to feel clever)

Seek new challenges for a sense of achievement

Decrease efforts, withdraw or consider cheating (self-protection)

View effort and persistence as a necessary part of success

Disengage, misbehave in class Pay attention in class- especially when learning something new or challenging

What impact do Mindsets have on our children?

• Growth Mindsets = higher attainment.• Mindset is developed by the way we give

praise to children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXrV0_3UjY• Mindsets last into adulthood.• We can change children’s Mindsets.

Evidence from the US.

1. Growth Feedback

2. Celebrate Mistakes

Promote Growth Mindset

Resilience, motivation &

success

How can you help at home?

“You are not good at this”“Never mind you are good at others

things”“Let’s try an easier one”“You are such a smart boy!”“You are really good at maths”“This is definitely one of your talents”

We may encourage fixed Mindsets without

meaning to

 • OK if perform well = high self-esteem. • When challenged or fail = don’t know

how to put it right/re-evaluate ability.• Low self esteem/feel bad about

themselves• Avoid task in future.• Attainment will drop.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGTk6yeh9qE

This type of person/ability focused feedback causes...

Give ‘process praise’. • Effort• Strategy• Interpret setbacks as lack of effort, or

inappropriate strategies.

Use also ‘task praise’. • ‘All the labels are correct' • ‘There are hardly any spelling mistakes

this time.'

Growth Feedback

“You really tried hard and it’s getting better every time”.

“That is the best one that you have done yet!“That was a good way to do it”. “The sky in your painting is so realistic”.

“Try different ways until you find the right one for you”.

“Practice makes perfect”. “Try to do even better next time”.

“See if you can make the sky more realistic”.“That approach might not be the best”.“You can try harder than you did that time”.

• When challenged or fail they know they know what to do – work harder or a different way.

• They keep trying – resilient.• Self-esteem remains stable

Children praised this way ...

• Talk about mistakes and what they will do differently next time.

• Explore the difficulties that have to be overcome to achieve.

• Discuss challenge/failure/mistakes as part of learning for everyone, a normal part of learning.

• Use role models as examples – celebrities, family, local people.

Being proud to learn from Mistakes