LearnStorm Growth Mindset: Dave Paunesku on teacher modeling of growth mindset

Teachers can play a tremendously powerful role in creating a growth mindset culture, and there are a variety of different strategies and approaches they can use to do that.

One way the teachers can powerfully role model growth mindset is to really have a growth mindset about each one of their students. To really authentically believe and communicate to their students that they expect each and every one of them to be successful. Um, that they believe that with um, with the right strategies and the right effort, each one of their students can be successful in their class and reach really high levels.

Just as important as communicating that idea is as a teacher to communicate the idea that they’re there to support them in that process. Not that I believe you can do this, you know, and good luck, but rather I'm here to help you. I'm here to help coach you and to help you learn how to really learn how to grow and be successful in my class.

I think another strategy that teachers can use to create a growth mindset culture is to focus on the process of learning. To focus not on the outcomes, not on the grades that students get, but rather on the process of growing and of what strategies they can use to improve their work.

But it can be really helpful and encouraging for them. It can build their sense of self-efficacy and help them see that they are in fact growing, even if they’re not getting the best grade. If their teacher really calls out the specific things they’re doing well, now that can be challenging and time-consuming for teachers.

That means really reviewing the work that students are doing to be able to recognize and call out those good strategies. But it can really pay off because it directs students' attention to making sure that they're using those good strategies. It helps them see, you know, success in whatever that discipline is, whether it's math or science or literature, as a combination of learning and mastering these different strategies.

And they can see themselves growing and being acknowledged for being successful in those kind of mini-steps along the way to becoming really great in that subject. I think another really important way that teachers can role model a growth mindset is through the way they talk about themselves, about their own learning journey, and in the way they approach mistakes.

Creating an environment in which mistakes are celebrated is really, really powerful. An environment in which students don't have to worry about making mistakes because they understand that their teacher won't look down on them. The contrast is that if they pay attention to those mistakes, they are like important hints as to what they can do to ultimately improve.

Some teachers will actually make a point to make mistakes themselves. Um, they'll kind of inject mistakes into their own teaching in order for their students to really be on the lookout for mistakes. And so then they can model how you should react when you do make a mistake.

So, for example, when their students catch them making a mistake, the teacher shows, isn't defensive at all in the face of that mistake. They don't try to sweep it under the rug, instead they might say, "Thank you! You know, thank you so much for fixing my mistake. Let's think about why I made this mistake. Let's think about what strategy I can use to prevent myself from making that mistake again."

And in that way, the teacher is kind of modeling. They're providing the kind of mental scaffolding that students ultimately need to engage in themselves. That way, when they make their own mistakes, they'll understand what's a healthy way to react to that mistake.