growth mindset dhs conf

Mindset – a whole school approach

Shaun AllisonDeputy Head, Durrington High school@shaun_allisonhttp://classteaching.wordpress.com/

• Curious• Experimenting• Learning• Tackling really hard

tasks….• ….again and again

• “I can’t do it”• “I’m stuck”• “I can’t be bothered”• “It’s too hard”• “I’m not clever enough”• “He’s a boff, I’m not”• “Can I do something easier?”• “I’m at my MEG so I’m alright”• “What’s the point in showing me that,

I’ll never be able to do it”

Mindset

• Fixed –intelligence is fixed and can’t be changed.

• Growth – intelligence can be developed through effort & practice

• Fixed – Look smart at all costs

• Growth – No risks about looking smart, so dive into challenges

• Fixed – Achievement should come naturally

• Growth – Hard work and effort is key

• Fixed – Hide mistakes and deficiencies

• Growth – Capitalize on mistakes and learn from them

“Dweck's research falls into the category of most of the best of our research into education, in that it merely ends up confirming the eternal truths of the classroom: turn up, work hard, study, do well; work harder, do better; believe you can improve and you probably will, believe that you can't and see what happens.”

Tom Bennett, TES

The standard approach

Posters

Assemblies & INSET

McEnroe Excuses:• Temporary Insanity• My friend was in love and I wasn’t• Too hot• Too cold• I was over-trained• I was too chunky• I was too thin

A GIFT? HARD WORK AND SACRIFICE?• Starting playing tennis aged 2.

• Practised 5 days a week; every week.• By aged 5 playing in tournaments for under 10s.

• By 8 he was allowed to play against adults in competitions.• Had few friends in secondary school and trained in all of his

spare time.• Aged 15 asks his mum to move to Barcelona so he can be

trained with the world’s best.

Taking it further

Caution - Changing behaviours is hard

Nick Rose – Turnford blog

Caution – The False Growth Mindset

• Don’t oversimplify it.• Effort = Growth Mindset = success.• Everyone can be excellent at everything!• Posters + assemblies = job done.• “Yes, I have a growth mindset”

Self aware

• Legitimise our fixed mindset – know your triggers, embrace them, overcome them:

– Facing Challenges: Anxious– Struggling: Frustrated, worried– Setbacks: Discouraged, defensive– Being criticised: angry, defensive, ashamed

• Support students to do the same….

Tell students the message…

Start the message early

Nudge – don’t shove

I succeed because…

No Lesson Observation grades

Assessment Without Levels

No KS4 target grades

Set themselves long term goals

Benchmark of Brilliance

Here’s one I prepared last year

Focus on effort

Catch them working hard

Don’t use learning objectives like:

•All…•Most…•Some…

Rethink differentiation

Make redrafting normal

Share excellence

Share excellence

Share excellence

Make feedback manageable & meaningful

Gallery Critique

Practice it

Use academic language

Change your language

Fulfil your academic potential

Change your language

You’re naturally talented at this

Change your language

Top end challenge

Change your language

If you get stuck, go on to the next

one

Change your language

You’ve done really well, you must be

so clever

Change your language

Never mind, you tried your best

Change your language

I won’t do that with this class,

they’re low ability

End

Instead of:• Low ability• Middle ability• High ability

What about:• Low starter• Middle starter• High starter

Is there any evidence to suggest it’s worth focusing

on?

1FIXED 2 3 4 5 6

GROWTH

1FIXED 2 3 4 5 6

GROWTH

Whole school average = 3.9

1FIXED 2 3 4 5 6

GROWTH

Student A, 2.5

57% on or above

1FIXED 2 3 4 5 6

GROWTH

Student B, 2.8

57% on or above

1FIXED 2 3 4 5 6

GROWTH

Student C, 5.5

100% on or above

1FIXED 2 3 4 5 6

GROWTH

Student D, 5.6

83% on or above

Student E

TP4 Projections

Student E

TP4 ProjectionsTP5 Projections

Student E

TP4 Projections

1FIXED 2 3 4 5 6

GROWTH

TP5 Projections

5.4

Growth MindsetGrowth Fixed

“Success nourishes them. They succeed because they think they can”

- Virgil

@shaun_allison

http://classteaching.wordpress.com/