Growth Mindset

As a growth mindset school at St Andrew's we...

At St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, we hope to develop growth mindset to prepare children for the works in which they live.

What is Growth Mindset?

Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University

psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on achievement and success. Dr Dweck realised that there are two mindsets: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. A person’s mindset can profoundly influence behaviour.

People with a fixed mindset believe that their innate abilities and intelligence are fixed traits. You can either do maths or you can’t. You can either make friends or you can’t. They also believe that talent alone creates success- without effort. With a fixed mindset, there is a reluctance to take on new challenges.

The term growth mindset was coined by American psychologist Professor Carol Dweck. Her work explored how an individual’s underlying belief about their intelligence and ability to learn could impact their performance. 

Her studies show that those who believe they can develop their talents tend to achieve more than those who feel their abilities are innate and fixed. Those with a growth mindset see opportunities instead of obstacles, choosing to challenge themselves to learn more rather than sticking in their comfort zone. 

As Professor Dweck explains it: 

This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way—in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments—everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

Why is Growth Mindset important?

People with a growth mindset believe that they can learn, change and develop needed skills through dedication and hard work. They are better equipped to handle setbacks and know that hard work and effort helps them learn and achieve results. A growth mindset supports children to focus on the process and progress they make rather than the final product. Dweck’s findings suggest that students will learn more, as well as learn faster and more thoroughly with a growth mindset.

The idea of a growth mindset is based on the scientific fact that when we practise and repeat an activity, we literally grow our brain by strengthening the neural pathways inside the brain. This means that as we learn and practise, links are made inside the brain which strengthen it and support us to remember new skills and knowledge. Our brain is like a muscle – when we exercise it by working through challenges, it gets stronger.