How can you help students develop a growth mindset?

I agree with the above! Something else I have found to be valuable is both vulnerability and flexibility. I was never very good at math, so when I filled in for a math teacher and one of the students had difficulty understanding the concept, I explained that I had trouble learning math also. This created a different rapport with the students. I then explained the concept differently, to help the student who was having difficulty.

In my experience, the key is to find the right balance. If your expectations are too high, students migh get discouraged and won't even try. If expectations are too low, students will get bored or even resentful; they'll see the lesson as a waste of time. But there is no one-size-fits-all, and that is why it is vital to know your students well and adapt to their individual level and needs. As always with teaching, differenciation is key.

A practical approach to constructive feedback is to establish ground rules to allow it to be received appropriately. Provide the feedback but do not discuss it right away, schedule a time a day or two later to follow up. The problem with receiving feedback for most is feeling the need to justify, and all of the emotion that is wrapped up in the "why". When you provide time and space, it gives the emotion a chance to dissipate and you can discuss the "how" constructively. The "why" can be important, however, usually the "how" is the purpose of the conversation and what needs to adjust moving forward.

It is key to make sure our students understand that, without feedback, there is no improvement. That being said, the key to constructive criticism is to not only focus on the negative. Once again, we need to find a balance between challeging and not discouraging. I find that a good way to give feedback about a piece of work is to list two good aspects, one aspect that needs improvement, and a specific target to improve it.

Self-reflection is a crucial tool to develop critical thinking and help students become independent learners. However, the idea of evaluating themselves can be overwhelming or too vague at first. For this reason, it is a good idea to start by providing students with a structure, for example a mark scheme –which can be adapted to their age and level– that they can use to gauge where they feel they are at in each specific area. We can then review their self-evaluation and discuss each aspect with them and help them set their own targets for improvement.

Self-regulation and reflection should be taught at all grades to promote consistency and to develop the students desire to take ownership for learning. Helping students reflect on their learning process is essential to developing metacognition and executive functioning.

In my experience, it is not only children that need help to develop a growth mindset. Adult learners who have come through the traditional schooling systems also need support. For many adults, it can be challenging to discover that there are no failures or mistakes, only feedback and course correction. However, once they get the hang of learning and growing instead of the old school right and wrong approach, they quickly become curious and dedicated students ready to embrace a lifelong journey.

Students benefit from comfort with being wrong. And that begins with educators. Modeling a growth mindset means much more than saying the words. It means displaying comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty by showing our own curiosity vs. what we know. I see some post secondary educators display fear in not being the smartest in the room just as I see students display discomfort with the imperfections of their knowledge and experience. If you really want to get students to adopt a growth mindset, we must go first by not knowing and sharing that we don’t know. Look for activities that require student critique of your materials via their own research. More questions and less answers.

An easy way to do this is to celebrate discoveries and successes made by your students. When a student figures something out, share it with the class and make them the star. I freely admit that I don't know everything, but I'm here to learn side-by-side with my students. And I model what I teach, I show them things I just learned recently from a podcast or a PD offering.

Important reminder for all educators (especially undergrad and grad school faculty) - practical application of curriculum to the “real world”. More and more, I have my students looking to really understand how theory translates to practice. The “why do I care about this” question is vitally important and deserves exploration in the classroom so the students have a clear understanding of both the value of the instruction as well as how it can be applied post graduation.

Encourage students to notice things in the news or wider society which are relevant to what they are learning and reward them when they do. Stop the lesson a few minutes before the end of the lesson and share 'what went well' / what we have found interesting / what progress we have noticed. I love Maria's suggestion for 'catching people doing something good.' It reminds me of the way that people train dolphins. Ignore mistakes and reward / praise when you catch them doing well.

As teachers, we may sometimes fall into the trap of only praising, celebrating and displaying outstanding results, and forgetting about effort. This can be discouraging for those who are trying their hardest but not progressing as rapidly as others, and even more so for those who are already discouraged or have given up. One way to solve this is to have some sort of chart or graphic that shows individual progress, and make sure we acknowledge it publically when someone is making an effort, independently of the results. As for those who have "given up", I am a huge believer on the concept of "catch them doing something good". Praising even the tiniest example of positive attitude never hurts, and it can turn someone's mindset around.