Growth Mindset

Growth v. Fixed Mindset

  • We believe that when our students and staff develop, maintain, and nurture a growth mindset in themselves and in others, they will be cementing a pathway to continous academic, social, and emotional growth for all members of our school community. 

    Students with a fixed mindset believe that their own intelligence and talent are innate traits that don’t change (“I just can’t learn math.”). These students typically worry about not looking smart, get upset by mistakes, and give up sooner on tough tasks. Students with a growth mindset believe that ability can change as a result of effort, perseverance, and practice (“Math is hard, but if I keep trying, I can get better at it.”). Students with a growth mindset see mistakes as ways to learn, embrace challenges, and persist in the face of setbacks.  A broad body of research has shown that what students believe about their own intelligence can affect their effort, engagement, motivation, and achievement as measured by test scores, school grades, passing rate in post-secondary education, and other metrics (transformingeducation.org) 

Growth Mindset