Counselor’s Corner: Happy New Year and welcome back! In our counseling classes, students will be learning about developing a growth mindset. The following information comes from research by Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University.
GROWTH mindset-WHAT IS IT?
We used to think that our intelligence was fixed – meaning we were either smart or we weren’t. Scientists have proven again and again that simply is
not true. Our brain acts like a muscle – the more we use it, the stronger (and smarter) our brain becomes.
A person with a fixed mindset may do these things:
- avoid challenges
- give up easily
- ignore feedback
- feel threatened by the success of others
A person with a growth mindset
may do these things:
- embrace challenges
- give their best effort
- learn from feedback
- become inspired by other
people’s successes
- believe their intelligence can
change if they work hard
How you can help your child to develop a growth mindset?
Talk with your child about their day, but guide the discussion by asking questions like:
- Did you make a mistake today? What did you learn? What did you do that was difficult today?
Instead of saying, “You’re so smart!” praise effort, goal setting, persisting through challenges, or being creative.
You can say something like:
- “Wow! You must have worked really hard on this!”
PRAISE THE PROCESS
Remind your child that their intelligence is not fixed. Remind them that when things are difficult, their brain grows if they persist through the challenge. Each time they learn something new, their brain is making new connections. Your child needs to know this is possible! 3
HELP THEM CHANGE THEIR DIALOGUE
The way your child talks to themselves makes a huge impact on their mindset. If they say, “This is too hard!” help them change that to “I can’t do this yet, but I
will keep trying.” Give them the words to say when they are feeling defeated by modeling it yourself! Your child needs to know that failure can (and often does)
happen and it is okay! Remind them that each time they fail and try again, their brain is growing stronger! Don’t step in to prevent your child’s failure – this is how they learn to persevere in the face of challenges.
GROWTH mindset-WHAT IS IT?
We used to think that our intelligence was fixed – meaning we were either smart or we weren’t. Scientists have proven again and again that simply is
not true. Our brain acts like a muscle – the more we use it, the stronger (and smarter) our brain becomes.
A person with a fixed mindset may do these things:
- avoid challenges
- give up easily
- ignore feedback
- feel threatened by the success of others
A person with a growth mindset
may do these things:
- embrace challenges
- give their best effort
- learn from feedback
- become inspired by other
people’s successes
- believe their intelligence can
change if they work hard
How you can help your child to develop a growth mindset?
Talk with your child about their day, but guide the discussion by asking questions like:
- Did you make a mistake today? What did you learn? What did you do that was difficult today?
Instead of saying, “You’re so smart!” praise effort, goal setting, persisting through challenges, or being creative.
You can say something like:
- “Wow! You must have worked really hard on this!”
PRAISE THE PROCESS
Remind your child that their intelligence is not fixed. Remind them that when things are difficult, their brain grows if they persist through the challenge. Each time they learn something new, their brain is making new connections. Your child needs to know this is possible! 3
HELP THEM CHANGE THEIR DIALOGUE
The way your child talks to themselves makes a huge impact on their mindset. If they say, “This is too hard!” help them change that to “I can’t do this yet, but I
will keep trying.” Give them the words to say when they are feeling defeated by modeling it yourself! Your child needs to know that failure can (and often does)
happen and it is okay! Remind them that each time they fail and try again, their brain is growing stronger! Don’t step in to prevent your child’s failure – this is how they learn to persevere in the face of challenges.