While driving home the other day, I noticed a new Kansas license plate reading “to the stars”. Our state motto is “To the stars through difficulty”. They left out the growth part. You can’t just skip to the end. Without the middle, there is no end. This is the opposite of growth mindset.
I think this decision smacks of one of the biggest problems today. Everyone wants an instant payoff. People, especially students, need to understand the value of having grit, stamina, and perseverance.
Why Do We Need to Teach Growth Mindset
Kids do not enter school today with these skills. You might not find the exact words, “grit, stamina, and perseverance” in your objectives. But, without them, your students will not learn. Some teachers spend a lot of time lamenting whose fault it is that our students lack these skills.
Is it the parent’s fault? Was it society’s fault? Is it because of trauma and anxiety? We could go on and one, but our time is better spent teaching and instilling the growth mindset in the next generation. Each year, school districts spend millions on new programs guaranteed to help students perform better in testing. Growth mindset is free. It is life changing. It sets students up for success.
How to Begin with Growth Mindset
In the beginning of the year during the “All About Me” unit, we need to make sure students name their talents and challenges. These should not be a secret, or a cause for shame. We are all working on something. No one has mastered everything.
Reading and Math goals are usually district mandated. Helping your kids add growth mindset goals are just as important. The first steps are: grit, stamina, and perseverance.
Grit
Kids aren’t usually born with grit. The formal term is “productive struggle”. In years past, I gave a mini-lesson on what grit is, and why it’s important. We talk about the brain being like a muscle that needs to be stretched and used. Some parts of the school day take more grit than others.
We talk about video games and how there are “boss battles”. These battles are hard. You need to try your best. Each time you fail, it gets a bit easier. But if feels so good when you win! If a student has trouble with numbers or reading, then those could be thought as boss battles. They can learn a bit more each time they try. Everyone needs grit at writing time, because it is the toughest activity in the primary grades.
Stamina
The easiest way to work on stamina in the primary grades is during read-to-self time. We set a goal together (usually 15 minutes) and then we celebrate when we reach it. (end goal is 30 minutes)
We have a mini-lesson on what reading looks like, sounds like, and feels like. The timer stays on as long as it is quiet, and most children are engaged in reading. We begin with 3 minutes. When the timer goes off, we go through the routine of choosing new books. In the beginning when the reading time is short, they need longer to choose new books, so it works out.
Perseverance is Growth Mindset
This is the toughest for young students. The definition is to continue toward a goal in spite of setbacks, or mistakes. The main goal in primary is to help kids see mistakes as a natural part of learning. Video games would be really boring if you got all the way to the end on the first try.
Here again, we talk about boss battles. Anyone who plays knows you never win the first time you try. You need to try again, and again. You try new things to see if they will work. If they do, you remember the new ideas and you change the way you play.
I hope you got a little food for thought. If you instill growth mindset in your classroom, you will never be sorry. It is not a quick fix. You must commit with your students. But, the benefits will be life-changing. It will show up in their academic career, and at home.
If you like what you read, check out my other blogs.
Happy Teaching!
