Love the growth mindset concept but unsure how to introduce it to your students? We’ve got you covered! For those of you who haven’t looked at the growth mindset section in our school planners (pg.8), we’ve got some words of wisdom for you.

Read our growth mindset tips for teachers below:

1. Teachers are still learners

It’s important to understand that as a teacher, you will need to learn and embrace new ways of thinking.

If your students see that you are willing to open yourself up to new learning strategies then this will encourage them to do the same.

So think about how you can improve your own teaching methods with a growth mindset before focusing on your pupils (i.e. adopt the ‘put your own oxygen mask on first’ approach).

2. Encourage mistakes in class

Part of the beauty of the growth mindset is that it opens doors to trying new things. Often pupils stick to what they know to avoid making mistakes. Reassure them that mistakes are necessary and a healthy part of personal growth.

This is one of the most important growth mindset tips for teachers so take note!

3. Don’t ‘over-praise’

Yes, encouraging students is vital but teachers should be praising students’ effort and growth, rather than their attainment. This doesn’t mean that you ignore the fact a pupil got an A on an essay – you just need to be careful with how you congratulate them.

The growth mindset style of praise means praising the work that the student has put into that essay, rather than the grade itself.

This means that they won’t be ashamed to get a lower grade sometimes because they will be more concerned with their own learning and effort.

For examples of the types of comments you could try, read our ‘Wrong Kind of Praise’ blog post.

Drop us a tweet if you’d like more growth mindset tips for teachers or contact us here 🙂