Recently one of our 1^st graders was working on a math problem and realized she made a mistake. Instead of tears or frustration, she simply stated, “I made a mistake, but I made my brain grow.”

This mindset of perseverance and a positive attitude is something we purposefully strive to instill in each and every one of our students as they go throughout the first grade. Each fall, first graders are introduced to the idea of a “growth mindset,” a way to approach one’s attitudes about learning. This mindset, widely researched by Dr. Carol S. Dweck, is the idea that a “growth mindset leads to a focus on learning, increased effort, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.” What better way to encourage students, as they explore new concepts on a daily basis!

How a Growth Mindset is Introduced

Before we ever introduce the phrase “growth mindset”, we start with helping our students understand the basics of the human brain and how it works. A series of science lessons teach them about parts of the brain and how each part works together to help us learn. To introduce these concepts, we read “The Fantastic Elastic Brain: Stretch It, Shape It” by JoAnn Deak, which introduces the function of a brain in a kid-friendly way and discuss how brains get bigger as we grow. Our science lesson continues with diagraming a neuron and discussing how it passes messages throughout our brains. You’ve never seen a student so excited as when they discover there are 82 billion neurons in our brains! Most importantly though, they learn that as neurons make more connections, our brains grasp concepts, learn new things, and grow. The children are so excited to learn the brain is elastic and needs challenges to stretch and grow.

Making the Connection Between Challenges and Brain Growth

Once they have this concept of brain growth down and are faced with a challenge, they start to make the connection that even if they don’t know something yet, their brain grows with every challenge. They are more open to taking appropriate risks with their learning because failure becomes a natural part of the learning process. With a growth mindset, a child believes intelligence is not a fixed quantity, but achievable with hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude.

As we go throughout the school year, you’d be hard-pressed to have a day go by where students don’t hear about trying hard and persevering. As we read books about fears, challenges, and mistakes, the children start to spot a growth mindset in literature and begin relating to the characters and how they feel. One of our favorites is “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes” by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein.

The Power of “Yet”

Almost daily we talk a lot about the power of “yet”. We emphasize to our students that even if they don’t know how to do something, that’s okay because they just don’t know how to “yet”. Students are encouraged to turn “can’t” sentences into “can” sentences. In fact, we recently completed a growth mindset project around this concept after reading, “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andrea. Students wrote two “I can” statements and one “I can’t” statements, but the “I can’t” statement was of course followed by, “yet!”

Supporting Your Child’s Growth Mindset

As a parent, you play a vital role in helping to encourage your child’s growth mindset. No matter the age of your child, watch for opportunities to reinforce this concept at home and encourage them to think in a “yet” mindset. Here are a few things to consider:    

1. Praise their efforts. This helps instill in children the belief that hard work and effort will result in achievement.
2. Celebrate mistakes. Brains make more meaningful connections when a mistake is made, recognized, and corrected.
3. Help your child create and work towards personally set goals. 
4. Teach positive internal messaging. Change the words and you’ll change the mindset.
5. Hold high expectations. The brain grows stronger when the work is challenging.

We hope a growth mindset is something the whole family can benefit from. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, focus on what you can do. Try using this language at home and watch as your entire household feels more positive and encouraging!

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Heather Kerckhove

1st Grade Teacher 

hkerckhove@stanleyclark.org

 

 

 

 

 

Shelly Sharp

1st Grade Teacher 

ssharp@stanleyclark.org