​
Here are some easy ways to foster a growth mindset in the classroom:
​
Change your language—Focus less on the final result and more on the progress made. This also includes acknowledging the effort put in and attempts made after making mistakes. For those students who need a bit more help and make statements like, “I can’t do this” simply add the word, “yet” to the end of each statement (Dweck, 2014). This implies that they will get it, and just need more practice.
Reframe Failures—teach students to view failures as opportunities for growth and improvement that can be easily corrected—not as downfalls that blur progress and success. Giving students an opportunity to correct/redo their work eases anxiety, and allows students to think more positively about their work and abilities (Dweck, 2015) (Dweck, 2014).
Encouraging Risks—Encourage students to seek challenges and take risks in their learning—regardless of how messy the process may be (Saujani, 2016). Reminding students that mistake will happen, but to focus more on what they’re learning and how they’re progressing forward (Dweck, 2014). This focus is much healthier than constantly seeking perfection--something that can be very exhausting (Saujani, 2016).
​
While educating students on the importance of mental health is essential, teachers must be role models and demonstrate a positive, growth mindset attitude in the classroom. Carol Dweck, a prominent figure in the field of education, is known for her work on fostering a growth mindset attitude (Dweck, 2015, pp. 1-2). Dweck(2014) explains that a fixed mindset has a fixed position in learning where the student believes he/she is born or already possesses the skills to complete a task. A growth mindset however believes that students can grow and adapt to learn new concepts (Dweck, 2015, pp. 1-2).
Fostering a growth mindset therefore is essential as students become more comfortable with what they can and can not do, and learn to persevere when learning new things. While the learning process is messy as it is full of uncertainty and mistakes, with a growth mindset attitude, students are less intimidated by these daunting ideas, and subsequently become less critical of themselves, their abilities and failures (Savage & Busch, 2018). With this mindset, students will strive for ongoing improvement instead of perfection, and celebrate their individual success. While a growth mindset is not at the root of mental health, it can however change our thoughts, reframe how we view ourselves, and influence the way we choose to face our challenges (Savage & Busch, 2018).
By altering our approach in the classroom, and integrating these simple techniques, teachers can initiate a growth mindset culture that is fluid throughout their classroom.