The MIND looks at the intellectual growth of a student. As we continue to acquire knowledge and ask questions, the mind ventures into new areas of thought and exploration. Alongside this though, students must be equipped with the skills to adequately care for their mind and mental wellbeing. Teaching students about mental health on an intellectual level is essential. Students have the opportunity to understand their mental health as a spectrum between illness and wellness—something that is fluid and that experiences ongoing change and movement (Ministry of Education, 2013). Equipping students with the facts and resources to understand mental health for themselves first, is essential as it broadens their awareness and overall understanding of their mental wellbeing.
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In addition to this, teachers must also go beyond pure content transmission, and deliver mental health curriculum in manner that inspires students to think and reflect first. This begins with fostering a growth mindset attitude that aims to persevere and grow from challenging tasks (Dweck, 2014). More specifically, this mindset focuses on learning as an ongoing experience that encourages students to strive for ongoing improvement and growth, rather than perfection (Saujani, 2016). In addition, it also examines the importance of making mistakes and learning from episodes of failure as opportunities for growth—not shame. Learning occurs from all experiences—success and failures.
With a growth mindset attitude, students will focus less on the negatives of their failure, but instead, recognize their progress and evaluate how they can improve overall (Dweck, 2015). Therefore, in conjunction with acquiring knowledge, learning intellectually also involves being consciously aware of mistakes and understanding how you can grow from them. When we teach to the mind of the students, we are not only teaching them knowledge to acquire, but also essential skills that will equip them for lifelong learning!
