As teachers, one of our main goals is to help students reach their full potential. However, this can be challenging for some students, especially if they struggle with a particular subject or skill. When students struggle, it can be easy to give up and adopt a fixed mindset – believing their abilities are set in stone and cannot be changed. This can lead to a negative self-image, decreased motivation, and decreased performance.
On the other hand, a growth mindset – the belief that abilities can be developed and improved through hard work and effort – can lead to greater motivation, increased performance, and a positive self-image. This is why it is so important for teachers to help struggling students build a growth mindset.
One of the best ways to help students build a growth mindset is to encourage them to embrace challenges and see mistakes as opportunities for growth. When students struggle, giving them the answers or taking over and doing the work for them can be tempting. However, this robs students of the opportunity to grow and learn from their struggles. Instead, encourage students to embrace challenges and see mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve.
Another way to help students build a growth mindset is to praise their efforts, not just their results. When students receive praise for their hard work and effort, it reinforces the idea that they have the power to control their success through hard work and determination. On the other hand, praise focusing solely on results can lead students to believe that their success is based on innate abilities, which is not conducive to a growth mindset.
Finally, helping students set goals and track their progress can also help them build a growth mindset. Students can see their growth and improvement over time when they set achievable goals and track their progress. This can be a powerful motivator and help students develop a growth mindset. Helping struggling students build a growth mindset is important to their education. By embracing challenges, praising effort, and setting and tracking goals, teachers can help students see that their abilities are not fixed but can be developed and improved through hard work and effort. This can lead to greater motivation, increased performance, and a positive self-image –which are essential for success in school and life.
