Thursday 29 January 2015

Growth Mindset

Developing Growth Mindset

One of the foci of my school this year is to help develop the growth mindset.  After searching my reliable places such as Pinterest, blogs and a reliable google search, I was not quite satisfied with how to start this with my intermediates. 

Day One: (yesterday)

With out any prompting, I asked the students to type up what they believed they were "good" at. I also asked them to let me and the readers in on their "secret" to how they got so "good".  I asked them very specifically to not put their name on their thoughts. I explained to them that they would be using this as their exit ticket out of class.

We don't have access to the computers that often so it was a very simple task to do in the final minutes of the period. 

Day Two: (Today)


I put two questions up on the board for them to answer during our language block.

If you could be good/great at anything, what would it be? (Explain)

If you could learn anything/take any subject you wanted what would you learn? (Explain)

While students were very busy writing, I was busy circulating. Reading responses and gaining insight to the students in the class. I also was busy taping up red paper around the room.

The red paper has their exit statement from day one tape on it with a number.  Students recognise and are curious but I do not answer any questions.

Following their own writing time, we watched a video.


Students were excited now as they had just answered a question about what they wanted to learn. I then asked them if they believed that they genuinely could learn anything by showing thumbs up, down or in the middle. Most had in the middle.



We discussed in small groups and with a partner what fixed vs growth mindset means. After that students were given a sticky note. They circulated around the room looking at the statements with each number from the previous day. They read and decided to themselves if they believed the thought was one with a fixed mindset or one with a growth mindset.


It was an eye opening experience for the students. We will continue with more growth mindset over the next few days. 

Have you taught the growth mindset in your classroom?

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