Growth Mindset

KSA #3:

f) Teachers create and maintain environments that are conducive to student learning. Teachers establish learning environments wherein students feel physically, psychologically, socially and culturally secure...https://education.alberta.ca/media/1626523/english-tqs-card-2013_3.pdf

A personal passion of mine has always been neuroscience and studying how the brain works. When I got into education, I found myself particularly interested in how learning affects the brain. Reading the book Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck bridged both of these interests and spurred me to realize the importance of teaching the basic principles of how the brain works and empowering students with this knowledge. When I got the grade five assignment, I knew that division two kids would be a little more receptive to the science behind it and was excited to dive in.  I looked at the health program of studies and related the mindfulness teaching to the wellness outcome R–5.3 and the lifelong learning outcomes L–5.2 and L–5.4.

We started the year learning about the amygdala in the center of the brain that controls a person's emotions. They learned that "like elastic bands that stretch when you pull them, your brain stretches and grows as you take risks and make mistakes".  We talked about instances in their own lives when they felt frightened about taking a risk and how each time you find the courage to face your fear, your amygdala stretches a little more until it will help you overcome your fear altogether.  We then looked at the rest of the brain and the basic growth mindset principle that learning something new causes the brain to grow more connections among the neurons and with more connections the neurons can send and receive more messages.  In the classroom, we are constantly referring to these concepts and encouraging risk taking and brain growth.  Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak is a great picture book for teaching these concepts.

The other piece in teaching growth mindset that relates to KSA #3 f) and the above health outcomes is the concept of fixed mindset vs. growth mindset (see chart below for a quick overview). We read the novel Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt and observed and analyzed how the main character 'Ally' started with a fixed mindset and changed to a growth mindset.  Students made text connections to themselves and reflected on how they could make mindset changes in their own lives.

In bringing these two concepts together, students in 5A understand that they have a safe learning environment where they are encouraged to take risks and nurture their 'growth mindset' and to NOT indulge their 'fixed mindset'.  Just because they can't do something, just means that they can't do it YET.