Supporting Students’ Mindset

Once we help students understand their emotions we can support them in handling, knowing and being intentional in their mindset. Within education in particular, understanding a fixed vs growth mindset, has become hugely popular within the last few years. As educators, we first dove into these terms, when we were enrolled in a Mathematical Reform class in 2017. The class was heavily influenced by the work of Jo Boaler, and her book Mathematical Mindsets. Jo Boaler’s work, in part, focused on the groundbreaking research from Carol Dweck, and her famous book Mindset, The New Psychology of Success. Dweck was the first to coin the term “Growth Mindset” in her study of how the brain works and students learn. While we knew the class we were taking was different than other professional development opportunities we’d experienced, we were unaware of how this class, and the idea of supporting a growth mindset, would completely change our practice and upend the way we coach our students.

According to Dweck, we have either a growth or a fixed mindset. Growth mindset is the belief in one’s ability to learn, and the ability to improve one’s intelligence through effort and perseverance. There is power in coaching our students to believe they can become smarter through effort and time. When we believe deep down that they are capable, they are more willing to put in the hard work and the extra time. In turn, this results in growth, success and confidence. Many of our students come to us with a fixed mindset believing that they are the way they are, either intelligent or not, and even if they work hard, they feel they are unchanging. A negative mindset interferes with the growth and the goals we strive to achieve with our students. Our students struggle because they see their friends and classmates moving faster on assignments, raising their hands more, or making the team. Research proves that line of thinking to be unproductive in their efforts to move forward. The other problem that often occurs is that we, well-meaning teachers and parents, tell our kids that they are smart. While this is meant to be supportive, this is a confusing message because the first time a mistake is made or a failure occurs the first thought is “I am a failure and I must not be smart.” So, how do we support our students to believe in themselves? We begin with acknowledging all efforts. We embrace and celebrate student failures while guiding them in reflection when in “the pit.” For us, this looks like taking them back through the questions that helped them to identify their emotions. What are their body cues telling them? What does “the pit” feel like? What’s even more impactful is when you share your own experiences. Tell stories! Be vulnerable and share your failures both past and present. By doing so, your classroom becomes a place of courage and determination. A place that is safe to fail and where failures are lessons that move us all forward in our growth. A teacher from our district recently asked us, what do you say to your students when they are faced with a standardized test that does not fit them or the growth they have made? A test doesn’t define who they are or where they are going, but rather, it’s an opportunity to focus on perseverance, embrace the struggle, and to show what they know and have learned. Our students sense our emotions and thoughts, so it is important to acknowledge the struggle or frustration while remaining positive. We set the temperature for our classrooms.

So whether it’s a standardized test, or a new math strategy, when we have modeled having a growth mindset, and taught our students to approach life with a productive, problem solving lens, there is nothing they can’t do. Or maybe, they just can’t do it YET.