Fostering a Growth Mindset in the Home – Part One

Last week Adam Majsay and I ran a morning workshop to focus on bridging the gap between home and school learning.  A large portion of this workshop focused around a Growth Mindset and the dispositions that children need to flourish in this ever-changing world.

At Emanuel School we believe that to be effective learners a Growth Mindset is essential. Here are some ideas that may be useful as you assist to prepare your child for reaching their potential.

Working towards a Growth Mindset for yourselves

• We can’t expect our children to have a growth mindset if we don’t have one ourselves. Recognise fixed mindset thinking and talk in yourself and flip it into a growth mindset. This can be done out loud to model how you are changing your thinking. Eg. You might catch yourself saying: “I can’t figure out how to fill out this document”. You could rephrase this to “I think I need to check on the website so I can clarify what I need to do to fill this document out accurately.”
• Be aware of fixed mindset statements such as “I am a terrible cook”, “I was never good at Mathematics either,” or “I wish I could play the piano like you do” (You can, with practice and perseverance!)
• Be mindful of blaming genetics for anything – both positive and negative.
• Be careful about comparing your children to their siblings or other children.
• At Emanuel School we want our students to enjoy the learning process – not just be successful. It is helpful if you reinforce this concept at home. For example, after a less than successful attempt to bake something challenging you may say: “I really learned a lot making that cake”, rather than “What a waste of time. That was a big failure and I will never try that recipe again”.

Emanuel School endorses the work of Carol Dweck (world-renowned Stanford University psychologist) around developing a Growth Mindset. You may have heard, or even read her book Mindset, which we highly recommend.

More information can be found at Carol Dweck’s website:

http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html   

As part of the Parent Workshop we shared these clips that gave the group further insight into Mindset and the use of praise:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElVUqv0v1EE

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkE1lC4CpIE

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWv1VdDeoRY

Please look out for next weeks instalment outlining what you can do to foster a Growth Mindset in relation to praise and feedback.

Primary Parent Teacher Night

The Primary School’s Parent Teacher Night interviews will be held on Monday 12 September (4:00pm – 9:00pm) and Wednesday 14 September (4:00 – 6:30pm), Week 9 of this term.  Staff will be available to discuss your child’s progress.

As you are aware we are trialling something different this year to endeavour to improve this process. Specialist teachers in Art, Drama, Music and PE met with Years 3 to 6 parents in Semester 1 therefore will meet with Years  K to 2 parents in Semester 2.

Soon, you will receive an email with your code for the on-line Parent Teacher booking system.  I am sure most of you are now experts but please read the email carefully.

You must indicate:

• Which night and the times you are available to attend
• Siblings
• Which teachers you would like to speak with (preferential order).

Please keep the email as you will need the booking code again to retrieve your allocated times.

You only need to make a booking with the teachers with whom you would like to speak.  Remember to link all your children so we can create the best schedule for you.

We look forward to the opportunity to share further insights about your child’s learning and growth.

Helen Maynard – Director of Sutudies K-6