Becoming a growth mindset school

The idea of becoming a growth mindset school has been over a year in the making. Our Headteacher bought each member of SLT a copy of Mindset for Christmas, and it was the main agenda item at our annual senior team conference. Today I launched the idea of becoming a growth mindset school to all staff at our INSET day. Our INSET session was for all staff – teaching, support, administrative, catering, site, network, technicians – everyone! What is Growth Mindset? Professor Carol Dweck and “Mindset” Growth Mindset is the idea Professor Carol Dweck, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Dweck’s approach to mindset was sparked by her own experience of education. Even as a child, I was focused on being smart, but the fixed mindset was really stamped in by Mrs. The Science behind Growth Mindset I have previously blogged about my tentative first steps into neuroscience. This video really helps to visualise the learning process in the brain. Changing Mindsets

Teachers toolbox - Dweck's Theory of Motivation Carol Dweck is Professor of Psychology at Columbia University. She is a leader in the field of student motivation and her research is widely recognised. Over many decades she has developed a highly influential theory of student motivation building on the work of others, notably on ‘attribution theory' – what we attribute for our failures and successes. She divides students into two types, based on the student's own theory about their own ability. Fixed IQ theorists: These students believe that their ability is fixed, probably at birth, and there is very little if anything they can do to improve it. Untapped Potential theorists : These students believe that ability and success are due to learning, and learning requires time and effort. About 15% of students are in the middle, the rest are equally divided between the two theories. It is possible to move students from the Fixed IQ theory to the Untapped Potential theory. Why bother with Dweck? Dweck's Questionnaire e.g. For example: How?