Successful people do not see failures as failures. They see them as important learning lessons. Lessons that are capable of giving them insights to prevent such mistakes from happening again. By adopting this mindset of turning each failure into a learning lesson or opportunity, you can never fail until you yourself quit.
A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and talents can be developed through dedication and hard work, rather than being set in stone.
The theory of a growth mindset was first introduced by Stanford University professor Carol Dweck in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She defines it as “the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.”
The growth mindset emphasises that people can change their own attitudes about their intelligence and talents and become more motivated to work hard.
The growth mindset has been shown to improve academic performance and career success. It also has benefits for mental health, physical health, and social relationships.
Nurturing A Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset for students & children
While watching your children or students, you have probably noticed that while some children are motivated by challenges, they grow in the face of adversity. They relish the opportunity to take on new tasks, other children do not want to face challenges, they become stuck in the face of challenges. The fear of failure causes them to avoid tasks that are a priori more difficult because they believe they will fail and that others may notice that they do not have as much intelligence as they believe they do.
Do you realise that each of them has a sort of attitude that may contribute to their reactions? According to the experts, when confronted with life’s obstacles, we may choose one of two mentalities either one or the other:
Fixed Mindset: Because it is something that cannot be modified, when individuals think that their fundamental talents, including their intellect, are fixed objects, that they have a limit that cannot be surpassed, and that everything relies on how fortunate you have been with the distribution of intelligence and abilities,
Growth mindset: A growth mindset entails believing that even the most fundamental talents can be enhanced via training, skilled instructors, and resources, that everything needs a learning process, and that we can always learn and develop. People that have this sort of thinking are conscious that they have the ability to improve their abilities.
Fixed mindset students do not want to face challenges that they perceive to be difficult because they believe that doing so will demonstrate that they are less intelligent than their peers. They believe that if they fail and do not know how to solve the problem, it will be obvious that they are less intelligent than their peers. They reject tasks that seem to be more difficult because they believe they are more difficult.
Students that have a growth mindset, on the other hand, view it as a source of inspiration and a chance to learn, and if it is something challenging, they see it as an opportunity to expand their abilities and train their brains.
How to teach children and students to develop the growth mindset?
- Teach them that making a mistake is not the same as failing, but rather is a source of learning. Incorrectness does not constitute a negative characteristic. Please keep in mind that the role model that we provide as adults is critical; thus, kids must see that we evaluate our errors and grow from them rather than beating ourselves up. And, of course, do not chastise them for making a mistake, but rather educate them to identify the source of the error so that they do not make the same mistake again.
- It is important to approach new activities not as a problem, but as a challenge. A chance to learn and grow as a result of this experience.
- Acquire the ability to deal with difficulties. Teach them to believe in themselves and be conscious of their own abilities and what they can do to overcome adversity.
- Remind them about the moments when they effectively overcame a new assignment, a difficulty, or adversity. Allow children to know that we believe in them so that they may learn to believe in themselves.
- Encourage proactive resilience in your organisation. We’ve said in previous articles that we can teach our children and kids to be resilient if we work together as a team.
- Teach them that if they don’t understand it right away, nothing will happen, but that they will be able to achieve it with time, effort, and study.