Each year I tried to reflect on my school year and in what ways I am improving as a teacher. There are so many different elements to work on as a teacher and I have learned over my 22 years you can’t try to improve in all areas. Sometimes it is up to your school’s focus on what you are working on, other times it is up to you in what areas you want to grow. However, I have learned that nothing else matters if you don’t have a positive mindset.
Research shows that there is a link between a growth mindset and math success. Kids who have a growth mindset about their abilities perform better and are more engaged in the classroom. Students who feel successful in math class are happier and more engaged in learning. Check out The Bonus Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys for students to use in your classroom to cultivate a positive classroom community in mathematics. You can also sign up for other freebies from me Here at Easternshoremathteacher.com.
After reading the book “Mathematical Mindset” by Jo Bolar, I was hooked! It changed how I taught and looked at life in general. The book discusses a clear gap between what research has shown to work in teaching math and what happens in schools and at home. I began to work on my mindset and realized I needed to start teaching students about having a growth mindset.
Way # 1: Learn about Teacher Growth Mindset Practices
The first step is to learn about mindset. Reading about growth mindset teaching and becoming more aware of your mindset begins the process of improving your mindset.
What does having a Growth Mindset Mean?
The way we think is called our “mindset.” Mindset is present in virtually every aspect of our lives and heavily influences the lens through which we see the world. There are two different kinds of mindsets: fixed mindset and growth mindset.
Definition of a Growth Mindset
People with growth mindsets believe they can develop their skills, talents, and abilities over time with hard work, effort, and perseverance. Our qualities are not inherent, but our willingness to learn, effort, and persistence determine how well we do.
With hard work and determination, anyone can achieve success in any area. Failures are viewed as opportunities for improvement.
It doesn’t ignore the fact that some people have more inherent skills for some things. We are all born with potential, but we might have innate strength or capacity in one or more specific areas. Your skills can be improved with experience and effort, regardless of where you started.
It doesn’t matter how fast students master learning; it is about the perseverance and effort they put forth and the strategies they utilize. All children can be successful.
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
People with fixed mindsets believe that intelligence and talent are abilities that we are born with. They are fixed traits that cannot be significantly developed, and some people just have a talent for things that others do not.
People with a growth mindset believe our qualities are not inherent or natural but that our willingness to learn, effort, and persistence dictate how well we do.
Current neuroscience research emphasizes the concept of neuroplasticity and the ability of the brain to change and adapt throughout our entire life.
Everyone has both mindsets, and it’s more a matter of which mindset you’re prone to choose in certain situations. And with this new information, reframe challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth.
Teaching Mindset in the Classroom
First, you need to find the voice of a growth mindset in your head. Using your growth mindset means a change in self-talk and understanding that challenges are growth opportunities.
The most influential teachers are the ones who push and challenge their students and emphasize the process of learning, not just the outcomes.
| Fixed Mindset Teacher | Growth Mindset Teacher |
| Professional development is so boring. I never learn anything new. | I’ll listen with an open mind and try out new ideas. |
| This student is too far behind in math. | What can I do to help this student improve? |
| My class didn’t cooperate for my lesson. | What could I have done differently to make this lesson more engaging? |
Teach Kids What it Means to Have a Growth Mindset
Students must understand that intelligence is constantly changing based on effort, perseverance, practice, and the struggle they put forth. It grows as you use it.
Research has shown that teaching students the concept of a growth mindset and how they can harness its power can positively impact student achievement. They need to learn that they can achieve in all areas and that struggling is part of the process. We need to help them understand the connection between effort and improvement.
I like to give this Math Mindset Survey for students as a starting point before I start talking about growth mindset. Then again, at the end of the year, see how their mindset changed through practice and effort.
Introducing students to these ideas by reading books, showing videos, and having discussions throughout the year will foster a growth mindset classroom. Over time, students will start using the language of someone with a growth mindset. Here are 5 Ready to Use Lessons with google slides and worksheets to use with students.
Youcubed.org and mindsetkit.org have many resources and math tasks to get you started.
For more information, read…5 Powerful and Easy Lessons Teaching Students How to Get a Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset Books For Teachers and Resources
- Posters and Visuals with Growth Mindset terminology around the Classroom- Click Here for 6 Growth Mindset Classroom Display Free Posters
- Ready to Use Lessons to Teach Growth Mindset
- Mindset Survey for Students
- 5 Powerful Ideas to Help Students Develop a Growth Mindset in Mathematics
Way # 2: Model and Praise Mistakes as Ways to Learn
With a growth mindset, we know that failure is an essential part of learning. There are excellent chances for us to grow when we fail. What is important is how we react to and learn from these situations. Making mistakes is how we improve and get better.
In addition, modeling yourself making mistakes and how to handle them is essential for students to see. Remember, we need to make mistakes to help us learn and grow, which leads to improving as a teacher.
Not Knowing Yet!
There are millions of stories worldwide of mistakes turned into great inventions and failures turned into success stories. Using some of these stories as valuable learning opportunities is key to normalizing them.
We might not know how to do something “Yet,” but with hard work and determination, we will. We need to keep this in mind in our own lives and model it in our classrooms.
Using Self-Talk and Improving as a Teacher
Our inner voices are constantly buzzing away in our brains, and what the voices are saying can have an impact on our success or failure. Self-talk is critical in our mindset and if we are thinking with a fixed or growth mindset voice. Once we determine if it is a fixed or growth mindset, we can work on if we need to reframe it.
So when you are experiencing a struggle, listen to your inner voice and devise a plan to use a growth mindset and persevere through the difficult time. Everyone has a fixed and a growth mindset, and it is about having tools not to get bogged down by failures. Improving as a teacher begins with having tools to handle difficult situations.
How to Teach Growth Mindset in the Classroom
- 5 Powerful and Easy Lessons Teaching Students How to Get a Growth Mindset
- Click Here for 6 Growth Mindset Classroom Display Free Posters
Way # 3: Be Happy and Improving Mindset
Mindset can have real and lasting effects on your physical health. People who go through life with a positive outlook not only feel happier but also experience better physical well-being because they experience less stress. When they face difficult situations, they use strategies to handle the situation.
Stress
Stress is unavoidable, but we can control how we think about or frame the challenges we experience.
Deep-breathing techniques are a simple relaxation approach designed to help people relax. You can find many different techniques on the internet. In addition, practicing yoga, walking, or exercising can help to relax and lower stress. We can’t control what life throws at us, but we can all practice reframing complex events as challenges we can overcome. Improving as a teacher begins with taking care of ourselves.
People who cut themselves slack when bad things happen are also better off and reduce the experiences of stress. Forgive yourself, be kind to yourself, and you will be happier.
The Power of Positive Thinking
People who approach life with a more positive mindset are happier regardless of their life circumstances. Even when people experience the same event, how they respond to and think about it significantly impacts how they feel. People who approach life with a positive outlook directly face and react to stressors. They keep moving forward and persevere in difficult situations.
People who approach life with a positive outlook have the ability to find some good in any situation by focusing on what’s good instead of what’s bad. So next time something is difficult, try to find the good in the situation.
Build Relationships, and a Positive Climate
Students simply don’t learn as much from teachers they don’t like. If you want students to develop a growth mindset and believe in their abilities, they must know that you believe in them.
Building strong relationships with your students is key to letting them know they’re valued classroom community members and improving as a teacher. We also need to be mindful of our attitude towards math. This should be a positive part of the school day. Try this Math Mindset Survey for Students to learn about their mindsets.
Setting up your classroom to be inviting and include positive messages will help to foster a positive mindset. Click Here for 6 Growth Mindset Classroom Display Free Posters
Having students do fun Math Puzzles or other engaging activities helps build a positive attitude toward math. You can also sign up to receive 71 Math Puzzles to try out HERE.
For more information, read…5 Powerful Ideas to Help Students Develop a Growth Mindset in Mathematics
More Ideas & Videos on Growth Mindset
- TeachingChannel.org (My Favorite No)
- Growth Mindset in Math video
- A New Pathway Through Your Teaching: The Wonder of Mindset Mathematics
- Why Jo Boaler Believes This Math Curriculum Is the Key to Promoting Growth Mindset
- 5 Powerful Ideas to Help Students Develop a Growth Mindset in Mathematics
- 5 Powerful and Easy Lessons Teaching Students How to Get a Growth Mindset
Teacher Mindset
The most important way for you to improve as a teacher is to improve your mindset. Teaching is difficult, with so many different components and stressors. However, if you are in a positive mindset, you can handle anything.
Students who feel successful in math class are happier and more engaged in learning. Check out The Free Ultimate Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys to use in your classroom.
So focus on developing strategies to help you handle difficult or stressful situations. As you develop these strategies, you can also support your students in developing a more positive mindset. These steps will increase your own happiness and those around you.
The goal of the growth mindset classroom is to develop the love of learning in each student. A happy, safe, positive classroom will encourage hard-working students with a growth mindset. Start working on your mindset and improving as a teacher today.
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