Growth Mindset Plan

Maintaining a growth mindset is vital to professional and personal success. But, it requires one to have the ability to not only look at one's challenges and weaknesses, but to embrace and create an opportunity for learning. 

By having a growth mindset, I feel as if I can reach new heights in my career through adjusting the way I think. This will allow me to one day reach my full potential. It is important to implement hard work, perseverance, and healthy challenges to help me achieve and exceed professionally and personally. 

Not only do I feel it is important for me to continuously improve on my skills, but it is also as important for my students. Students can benefit from having a growth mindset because it can serve as a motivational tool to help them when they face challenges. Establishing an environment that promotes growth will support working towards common goals, even when there are challenges. The students will be less likely to be discouraged by challenges because they will reframe their challenges as learning opportunities.  

The four stages

Step 1: Teach the students to learn to hear and fix the VOICE inside: This is a critical first step. Due to their age, it is imperative to be positive when teaching them to not only hear their voice, but replace any negative talk with positive talk. We would have many opportunities to discuss challenges and how to acknowledge and accept them until they are capable of resolving.  This is also the time we would discuss the power of the word “yet”.  Step 2: CHOICE: During this stage, the students will be taught that they have a choice in their responses and their thinking. Although pre-kindergarten students are very young, I would use age appropriate resources to teach to their degree of maturity. At this stage, we will focus on their empowerment in taking charge of their thinking.  Step 3: Internalizing the growth mindset: During this stage, we would practice reflective and response sentences. I would reintroduce the power of yet, and provide samples. For example, if a student says, “This is too hard, I can’t do it”, I would suggest replacing those statements with something like, “I’m having a hard time right now, but I can ask for help and keep trying my best”. We would demonstrate mistakes and celebrate corrections, normalize it is okay to struggle at times, and embrace the word “yet”. ​Step 4: Follow through: During this stage, we will actually work on putting everything into action. Even at the age of 4-5 years old, students can begin to take on new challenges and set goals. They will be provided with many opportunities to receive feedback and to review their challenges. I will teach them to interpret their mistakes as learning opportunities. As they overcome the challenges, I will teach them to take action and work on their own individual growth.

The purpose of having a growth mindset plan for myself, as well as my students is to foster a continuous learning environment. This type of thinking will help myself and students to reach greater heights and achieve aspirations.

WE DON’T GROW WHEN THINGS ARE EASY; WE GROW WHEN WE FACE CHALLENGES.