Our ‘mindset’ can be the way we approach a challenge or task, how we think and feel about our ability, and how we behave due to the beliefs we hold.
The research of Stanford University professor, Carol Dweck, suggests we all tend to lean towards one of two mindsets, and this can affect our capacity to learn.
People with a fixed mindset believe that we’re born with an innate level of natural ability and intelligence – nothing we do can make us smarter or better at something if it isn’t in our nature.
In contrast, people with a growth mindset believe our level of success is determined by factors such as effort, application and skills development.
Unsurprisingly, people with a growth mindset tend to have a much higher ability to develop their own skills and abilities over time, as well as being much more confident and resilient when faced with difficult situations.
That’s why we believe creating a growth mindset culture in Scotland is so important. We achieve this mainly through Mindset in Education, a professional learning programme for teaching professionals. We give teachers and educational leaders support, skills and knowledge to apply and embed a growth mindset culture in their schools and learning communities.
We support hundreds of schools in Scotland with growth mindset learning.
Our professional learning programmes improve staff knowledge and confidence, encourage good pedagogy and help pupils become more resilient and persistent in learning.
We have also seen some indicators that growth mindset can help raise attainment and close the attainment related poverty gap.
Mindset Teams is our recommended approach for schools. The approach supports classroom teachers and school leadership to work together in teams to create a growth mindset learning environment across subjects and throughout whole schools. Mindset Teams offers a choice of learning journeys for teaching professionals. We are working closely with hundreds of schools across North Lanarkshire, Dundee, Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire and the Forth Valley and West Lothian, South West and Northern Alliance regional improvement collaboratives to deliver Mindset Teams.
