At ICHK the development of a Growth Mindset is fundamental to the school’s approaches to learning. All students learn that it is effort, commitment, perseverance and resilience, rather than ‘intelligence’ or ‘talent’ which will lead to high achievement and success in life.
Believing that hard work, perseverance, risk taking and endurance pay off, is critical for academic achievement.
World-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck has conducted decades of research on achievement and success. Her work is centrally concerned with the question of how people’s beliefs about their intelligence affect their motivation and achievement in academic and other contexts. Her research indicates that people tend to develop one of two mindsets – fixed or growth.
She says: “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
In the primary years at ICHK, all students are taught that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. Some aspects of this can be seen in the interview with our teacher Mr. Brendan Lee, on the right hand side of this page.
In the secondary years, the development of a Growth Mindset is key to the 5+1 Model.