Tips To Help Students Develop A Growth Mindset In The Classroom

Here is food for thought. Who do you think is more likely to be successful? The one who has a higher IQ or the one who tries harder?

Unquestionably, one would choose the latter. In the zeitgeist, The importance of education can’t be specified more. A school which focusses on quality education with world-class facilities is considered to be a fabulous one, and it is at the top of every parent’s wishlist. Imagine a situation: your child attends a school of your dreams, but what if there is no growth? The whole purpose would be derailed.

Before school comes the child when growth & development are the points of concern. More specifically, his mindset in the classroom. According to Google, mindset is the ‘set of attitudes’ held by someone. Attitudes induce action, and long-held aphorism & actions have consequences.

The bottom line, the way children perceive how their brain works can impact their performance in the classroom.

At Meru, we work on fostering a learning attitude in children that helps in developing a growth attitude. Some many tips and tricks are handy in getting the students to build up their foundation for supporting a growth and learning attitude. There are two types of mindsets found in children. Those with a “fixed mindset” believe that their skills, talent & intelligence are fixed, which results in their resistance in working harder & improving themselves. On the other hand, those with a “growth mindset” believe that they can improve their skills and performance through perseverance and hard work. Carol Dweck is a Stanford University psychology professor who has been involved in research about personality and development. She found that suggesting students for keeping a growth mindset towards learning, and emphasising that their minds can get stronger by pushing them can result in quantifiably higher test scores. She also elucidates about students that if one can shift towards “growth mindset”, the frequency of his achievements can be improved as mindset plays a leading role in self-motivation. The question is how to instil such mindset in a classroom? Here are some brain development tips:

1. Ask students to maintain a “success file”. The file would contain stories and records of their previous achievements and learning. Pasting pictures which act as a memoir of their success even in small activities, assignments & tasks can be better. When children look through them, they develop a growth mindset in the classroom.
2. Infuse the habit of using “yet” in children. This looks tiny yet is a great brain development tip. Usage of sentences like ” I can’t do it now yet” instead of ” I can’t do it”, “I don’t understand yet” instead of “I don’t understand.” According to Dweck, this can change negative sentences into positive ones, thereby promoting a growth mindset in the classroom.
3. Set achievable micro-goals for them or divide a bigger one into smaller tasks. Suppose, an assignment is about writing a structured essay. The smaller components of the essay can be asked to be submitted within deadlines. Micro goals are effective as recurring & consistent wins can help in increasing confidence & growth mindset in the classroom.
4. Another easy brain development tip is making them read or watch movies & stories with characters overcoming their difficulties and roadblocks who later make strategies to overcome them. Then discuss them in the class. So that when children are faced with problems they can refer to these stories, take inspiration & stay motivated to perspire.
5. Plan classroom activities that involve collaborative efforts rather than individualistic work. Researches are suggesting that students are more motivated and driven to achieve goals when working as a group. Students get a sense of reliability by the group & therefore give their best. This results in a positive feedback loop of perseverance and achievement, galvanising the mind development in the classroom.

At Meru International School, we make every subject, lesson, topic interesting in such a way through our teaching that children enjoy being a part of the class. This approach indeed helps them develop a learning attitude through which they grow. A growth mindset helps in boosting student’s interest, creativity and gives them many reasons to fall in love with learning. Meru’s teachers always encourage and support their students’ success and help them maintain that streak.