When students view their abilities as skills they can build through effort and practice, they become more resilient and engaged in learning. That belief is at the heart of a growth mindset, a way of thinking that can transform how students approach challenges and academic growth.
Abilities, in this context, aren’t about being naturally gifted or born with talent. They’re like muscles: the more you work them, the stronger they get. When students (and teachers!) embrace the idea that abilities can be developed like any other skill, they’re more likely to take on challenges, seek feedback, and keep pushing forward. Research even shows that students with growth-minded teachers report higher motivation and stronger academic performance.
Here’s what you need to know about this empowering approach and how you can help your students build a growth mindset in your classroom.
Definition of growth mindset
A growth mindset in education is a belief that abilities can be developed and improved upon over time. For those who embrace this way of thinking, challenges become opportunities for improvement. They value the process and the outcome equally since the process is where real learning happens.
Difference between fixed and growth mindset in education
Fixed mindset
Those with a fixed mindset about an ability view that ability as innate. For example, they might believe that some people are smart, others are not, and their capacity for learning won’t ever change.
Since they view success as integral to a person’s core, individuals with a fixed mindset about abilities are less likely to seek out challenges. Avoiding risks can limit growth, weaken resilience, and lead them to repeat familiar behaviors instead of pushing themselves to improve.
Someone with a fixed mindset about abilities might:
- Believe the abilities are inherent and cannot be changed or improved upon
- Equate failure with a lack of ability
- Avoid challenges for fear of failure
- Pursue opportunities that reinforce an ability
- Have difficulty enacting changes after receiving constructive criticism
- Give up when posed with a problem
- See others’ success as a threat
Growth mindset
Those with a growth mindset about an ability believe that ability can be improved through effort and dedication. They see failure as a natural part of the learning process and challenges as opportunities for growth, which makes them more apt to take risks.
Developed by Stanford University professor and psychologist Carol Dweck, growth mindset supports the idea that individuals can build their brains just like any other muscle in the body.
Research into brain plasticity and neural development already supports the idea of building our brains. Initial research shows that the brain isn’t a static organ that is unable to grow over time and effort. Instead, we can help our brains build new pathways through various experiences.
Someone with a growth mindset about abilities might:
- Believe that abilities can be developed through effort
- View failure as a learning opportunity
- Seek challenges as a chance to learn or improve
- Focus on effort, learning, and process (not on success or accolades)
- Learn from criticism and use feedback constructively
- Face challenges or problems with resilience
- See the success of others as inspiration
Why is a growth mindset so important?
A growth mindset in education is important because it builds resilience, improves self-confidence, and empowers students to seek continuous improvement.
Each step in the process is important in its own right. Failure is reframed as a chance to review mistakes and learn from them. Those who work through problems and learn from the experience are developing critical thinking skills and resilience.
Why does a growth mindset in education matter?
The National Study of Learning Mindsets, a landmark study involving over 12,000 ninth-grade students across the U.S., found that a short online intervention helped ninth-grade students, especially those who were struggling academically, improve their grades and enroll in more advanced math courses. The intervention taught students that, with effort and effective strategies, they could improve their abilities.
How can teachers foster a growth mindset in the classroom?
Incorporating a growth mindset in the classroom can be done with a series of small changes. Educators can use the following approaches to reframe the idea of abilities and unlock student potential.
5 tips for incorporating a growth mindset in the classroom
1. Emphasize effort over ability: Avoid saying things like, “Great job; you’re so smart!” Instead, say, “I can tell that you’ve been working hard on this problem!”
2. Treat the brain as a muscle: Explain to students that a problem will help them exercise their minds. For younger students, you can say, “The feeling that you have right now when you’re working through a hard problem is the feeling of your brain learning more!” Help them understand the reason behind any struggles they experience while working through a problem.
3. Embrace challenges and highlight mistakes: Help challenges and errors become a normal part of the learning process for students by discussing them and explaining their significance. If you make a mistake, call it out and work through it as a class.
4. Utilize cooperative activities in the classroom: Cooperation reduces emphasis on individual success and focuses on the importance of seeking assistance and finding other avenues for a solution. Here are fun team-building activities for elementary, middle, and high school that you can try.
5. Set goals: Creating incremental goals helps students understand and break down goals that at first seem unattainable.
A growth mindset is a free tool with real results
Adopting a growth mindset in education requires no special equipment or cost to implement, but it pays dividends when adopted in the classroom.
When implementing a growth mindset for the first time, remember to follow the same principles that you will be teaching. Understand that setbacks will happen and are a natural part of the learning process. Build incremental growth and celebrate the process as much as the end goal.
Fostering this new understanding of abilities can lead to more engaged, motivated, confident, and resilient students.
This article was adapted from a blog post initially developed by the education technology company Classcraft, which was acquired by HMH in 2023. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.
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