Teaching growth mindset is not as much “showing students how” as it is a “changing the way we talk about what we already do”. If we are able to talk about learning differently, it becomes embedded in daily routines. Here are a few subtle changes I made to my syllabus this year.
Old syllabus
EXTRA HELP:
Get it when you need it!! After school! Before school! During class work time! From your friends! From me! From other teachers! From parents! From older siblings! From a tutor! From the internet! From Khan Academy! The possibilities are endless – YOU just need to make the effort. Just like life, math doesn’t come easy for most of us – you have to work at it!
New syllabus
GROWTH MINDSET:
Work hard and ask for help when you need it. After school or before school! During class work time! Browse the internet! The possibilities are endless – YOU just need to make the effort. Just like life, math doesn’t come easy for most of us – math is not about speed, it is about the struggle!
As you can notice, very little changed. Instead of implying getting help is an extra part of learning (making kids feel dumb if they need to get help), I express that hard work is part of the learning process and that asking for help is the norm. I like how the original paragraph emphasizes effort, but I tried to take it further by emphasizing that struggling is okay. If students are content with solving problems quickly we are robbing them of real learning.
I challenge you to choose your words carefully when creating documents and especially as you are talking with students. It is not easy at first, but soon enough it becomes a normal way to talk about learning.