Growth Mindset

We used to think that our intelligence was fixed – meaning we were either smart or we weren’t. Scientists have proven again and again that simply is not true. Our brain acts like a muscle – the more we use it, the stronger (and smarter) our brain becomes.   The belief that brains are capable of changing and developing is known as a growth mindset.

A person with a growth mindset is more likely to do these things:

•  embrace challenges
• give their best effort 
•  learn from feedback 
• become inspired by other people’s successes 
• believe their intelligence can change if they work hard 

In our classroom we have been talking about "growing our brain"  and the power of "yet".  One of the books that has contributed to our learning is Not Yet.  It includes a powerful message about working towards goals.  The class also enjoys the pattern and rhythm of the book.  We have even written a class book focused on our reading habits that includes the repeated phrases from Not Yet.  "Are you there? Not yet! Will you get there?  You bet!"

How can you support a growth mindset at home?

• Praise the process of learning.  Instead of saying, “You’re so smart!” praise effort, goal setting, persisting through challenges, or being creative. You can say something like: - “Wow! You must have worked really hard on this!” or "You've really improved on _______."
• Remind your child that her intelligence is not fixed. Remind her that when things are difficult, her brain grows if she persists through the challenge. 
• Help your child to change his dialogue.  The way your child talks to himself makes a huge impact on his mindset. If he says, “This is too hard!” help him change that to “I can’t do this yet, but I will keep trying.” Give him the words to say when he is feeling defeated by modeling it yourself! 
• Reinforce mistakes as a part of the learning process.  Your child needs to know that failure can (and often does) happen and it is okay! Remind her that each time she fails and tries again, her brain is growing stronger! Ask questions like "What strategy are you going to try now?" or "What will you do to solve this problem?".