Fostering a Growth Mindset at Home

One of my most vivid memories from my late elementary school days is the day I got a math test back from my fifth-grade math teacher, Mrs. Johnson, with an F on the top of the paper.  To say I was devastated would be an understatement.  At the age of 11, this was quite possibly the most traumatizing event that had happened to me in school.  Fast forward eleven years later, and I ended up graduating summa cum laude from Miami University (OH) with a degree in Middle Childhood Education, with concentrations in math and English, and a job teaching sixth-grade math and reading.

So what happened following my moment of failure in fifth-grade math that allowed me to bounce back rather than continue down a path of academic strife?  Although the term "Growth Mindset" had not yet been coined, that is exactly what my parents and teachers helped me employ to move past my mistakes and to realize I had the great capacity to learn and grow, despite what I felt was a tragic setback at the time.

Carol Dweck, PhD., a professor of psychology at Stanford University, coined the phrase "growth mindset" after spending years researching students' attitudes about failure.  Ultimately she and her colleagues found that students who rebounded from failure and were resilient did so because they embraced failure as an opportunity for learning, which is now known as having a growth mindset.  On the other hand, students who seemed devastated by setbacks and struggled to bounce back had what is called a fixed mindset approach, meaning they believed their learning potential was fixed.  The sketchnote above by Sylvia Duckworth  shows a great comparison between statements showing a fixed versus growth mindset.

Many teachers now integrate growth mindset conversations into their classroom in conjunction with goal setting and reteaching opportunities.  But how can a growth mindset be supported at home?  There are so many learning opportunities presented outside of school, which means there are a plethora of ways that parents can help promote a growth mindset in their children.

Parenting "Say This Not That" from MindsetWorks

As a starting point, it is important to let children make mistakes, whether this is related to chores, homework, or handling conflict.  Providing guidance and support through mistakes, as well as praising efforts for improvement and hard work, are all opportunities for parents to foster a growth mindset in their children.  The MindsetWorks website provides a helpful parent resource page, including an interactive list of "Say This Not That" statements that can immediately begin to transform the way conversations occur at home.  When you hover over each statement on the list, an explanation appears of why each statement may be helpful or a hindrance.  In addition, it is important for parents to model how they work through mistakes and setbacks for their children since it is important for kids to understand the growth process continues into adulthood as well.  MindsetKit offers a free 30-minute "course" for parents on the Growth Mindset, which consists of 10 online lessons to provide additional information on the topic, as well as how to model mistakes and how to use growth mindset language in conversation with children.

I am going to leave you this week with the video below of Carol Dweck's 10 minute TED talk, titled "The Power of Believing that You Can Improve."  It is a great starting point for understanding some of the basic brain research behind the growth mindset, as well as an overview of how to start transforming fixed mindsets into growth mindsets.  Pleasantdale District 107 appreciates the partnership we have with our parents as we strive "to create a community of inspired learners" together!