At Gade Valley, we are very passionate about developing pupils as learners – promoting growth mindsets is central to this.
A growth mindset is a belief that intelligence, ability and talent can be developed. The key principles include: understanding that your brain can grow; knowing that effort is important; making mistakes is a part of learning; facing challenges will move you out of your comfort into the learning zone; and perseverance is very important to overcome obstacles.
- I like my work to be easy
- I don’t like to try a challenge
- I want people to praise me for how clever I am
- I believe I cannot change how clever I am
- I don’t like to try new things because I won’t be very good at it
- I will only have a go if I think that I will succeed
- I give up easily
- I never give up
- I like my work to be difficult – it means I am learning
- I love challenges
- I want people to praise me for the effort I put into my work
- I believe I can get more intelligent by working hard
- I feel clever when I’m learning something new
- I learn from my mistakes
Some key aspects of Growth Mindset at Gade Valley School
- We remember it’s always OK to make mistakes – we learn from them
- We never give up! We try a different approach, or use a different strategy
- We don’t compare ourselves with others, but we do learn from others
- We challenge ourselves – which really helps us make progress
- We take risks – we don’t limit ourselves by taking the easy option
- We join in as much as possible – and we learn much more by being involved
- We remember that mastering something new feels so much better than doing something you can already do
- We remember that the brain is making new connections all the time – the only thing you need to know is that you can learn anything
How you can help at home
- Praise the amount of effort your child is putting into things rather than how clever they are;
- Talk to your children about their brain being like a muscle - the more they use it, the stronger it gets;
- Encourage your children to not give up if they are finding something difficult;
- Challenge your children to try something new or challenging.
If you like to know more please speak to your child's class teacher.