Nurturing a Growth Mindset

As time goes by, teachers are seeing a change in the resilience of children.  They are quick to come to a member of staff when they are stuck on their work, or give up when they find it too difficult, or maybe when they can’t do their school tie perfectly.  The immediate reaction of some children is to ask for help without at least attempting to do it themselves.  Is it a learned behaviour? Are the adults in their life too quick to do things for them because it’s easier and more efficient than letting them try, fail and try again? Could the lack of exposure to failing affect their mental wellbeing in the future?

We feel it is vitally important to support pupils in developing different aspects of emotional and social skills. Caroline Dweck’s research into a pupil’s attitude to failure, shows that this can be a large part of building resilience in children.   The research suggests there is a strong correlation between a growth mindset and success.  If a child has their effort praised, “well done, you tried really hard”, they are more likely to keep trying to gain more success.  They are also happy to take risks and can learn from their mistakes.  Whereas, a child who has the outcome praised, “well done, you’re so clever”, is less likely to try a harder task and could develop a fear of failure.  This is because the fixed mindset child believes you are born talented and you can’t get any better, whereas the growth mindset child understands that effort can lead to success, you aren’t born a certain way, and your brain can change with experience.  We, as teachers, are trying very hard to nurture all pupils at school to have a growth mindset.  Praising the process and not the outcome, encouraging pupils to reflect on their mistakes, and learn from them in every aspect of school life.  Are there times outside school that a growth mindset can also be encouraged?

Resilience is defined as, ‘The ability to overcome difficult experiences and be shaped positively by them’.  Or, ‘The ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity’. Resilience is not something you are born with, therefore the response of our brains to the environment around us, suggests that resilience can be taught, modelled and fostered from a young age. 

Resilience, as mentioned, forms a large part of our emotional skills as humans, and we can help our young children become more resilient. Resilience is related to the capacity to activate your prefrontal cortex and calm the amygdala.  Professor Steven Peters explains this in relation to a chimp in your brain, along with the human and a computer. He explains that the chimp inside our brain is the part that takes the fight, flight or freeze option, whereas the human inside uses the computer to rationalise and make an informed decision. The concept is based on the human being able to ‘manage’ the chimp in situations that might bring about an unwanted response.  I liken it to seeing a doughnut, and the chimp in me wanting to eat it because it looks lovely and I don’t know when I’ll eat again(!) - however, the human inside me is learning to manage the chimp by explaining (self-talk) that I don’t need the doughnut as I’ve just had lunch and I am trying to be healthy.

Although, with modelling good habits and building secure relationships, resilience is also linked to self-esteem.  A lack of self-esteem in people could lead to a lack of confidence in their ability to ‘bounce back’ from a negative situation.  Therefore, at St. John’s, we are always looking for opportunities to not only praise effort, but also to instil confidence and belief in all pupils. Every pupil will have strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes it’s the adult’s job to ensure they know what these are, and have the resilience and self-belief to overcome the inevitable obstacles that come their way. 

Children need to face failure and be supported through it, not protected from that failure all the time. Next time your child is struggling with their homework, or can’t do up their top button, think about how you might be able to talk them through how they might be able to help themselves, enjoy the success if they do it, but also give them the tools to persevere and not give up too easily. These are, of course, not the only skills a child needs in order to become resilient, but we think it is a good start on their journey through life.

Lisa Duncan, Designated Safeguarding and Pastoral Lead