Growth Mindset for Staff

Carol Dweck is a psychologist who researches achievement and success. Her major finding is that those who have a “growth mindset”—those who believe that their abilities are developed through dedication and hard work, not innate talent—are more likely to be resilient when things get tough and persevere to achieve goals (Dweck, 2006).

Many teachers work to teach their students to have a growth mindset by:

• Celebrating mistakes as learning opportunities.
• Praising effort and hard work rather than praising students for being “smart.”
• Emphasizing that intelligence is malleable, and the brain is like a muscle that can get bigger and stronger through mental exercise.

School staff can apply this concept to themselves and their peers to help create a culture of growth and improvement throughout the school community. The activity below can be used during staff or grade-level team meetings to help staff begin a discussion about growth mindset.

Citations can be found in the School Guide Bibliography.