The Benefits of Fostering a Growth Mindset for Teachers

Inside: Read about the benefits of developing a growth mindset for teachers to build resilience and cope with an ever-changing job.

It is well-known in education circles that developing a growth mindset in students can positively change the way they learn.

But what about a teacher’s growth mindset?

Have you ever considered if you have a growth mindset or is it more fixed?

To get you thinking about growth mindsets, here is a TED talk by Carol Dweck that I really love.

She talks about challenging students to become more positive in their mindset and what they can achieve by changing their thinking.

Watch this and consider it in terms of yourself as a teacher – “The Power of Yet.”

Growth mindset for teachers

What if, as an educator, YOUR true potential hasn’t been found yet?

According to Dweck, who’s a positive psychologist from Standford University, you can know your learning potential and develop yourself with JUST your mindset.

Think about this in terms of you and your teaching life.

The teaching profession is tough and we know it’s becoming more difficult each year. And sometimes knowing this can make you feel negative and frustrated about what you do.

I know this was true for me for a while. I allowed the stress, the workload and the overwhelm to make me feel negative and resentful about the job.

But what I’ve realised is that to be able to truly thrive as a teacher and to handle the big changes that inevitably come our way, I needed to challenge my thinking.

I wanted to develop a growth mindset and alter my fixed ideas to help stop me from getting stuck in the negativity.

It’s about learning to become more resilient in the face of difficulty.

Let’s look at the basics of a Growth Mindset

So to be able to explain what I’ve been learning about challenging my own thinking, I thought I’d share the basics.

Carol Dweck coined the term Growth Mindset, as it relates to how the brain is able to grow and change.

Once upon a time, the old idea was that the brain developed and changed while a child was young. But, by the time they became an adult, it was thought that the brain was hardwired and fixed and didn’t develop anymore over a lifetime.

This has now been found to be incorrect because of the studies and research on brain neuroplasticity.

I’d heard of this phenomenon, but I didn’t really understand it.

The science of brain neuroplasticity has proven that the brain CAN grow and change.

The brain is such an amazing thing.

The brain has the ability to grow, change and adapt over our lifetime and becomes better and stronger, the more we learn.

The brain rewires itself by strengthening the new connections that are made in the process. These pathways between brain cells rewire themselves the more we do, think and feel new things. While the old pathways get used less and become weaker. This is neuroplasticity.

This is such an interesting topic and many of you would probably have heard about it in terms of what our students can achieve.

But how does this theory relate to us as teachers?

We are not any different from our students. We CAN learn and change at any stage of our lives.

What is a growth mindset for teachers?

This concept of growth mindset can help us as teachers to become much more resilient and flexible, which is so needed the more teaching evolves.

All the different curriculums that come and go; the new technologies that must be learnt and implemented into the classroom; having more engaging resources for lessons; understandings of how students learn, along with supporting their social and emotional needs is abounding.

Each year, as the classroom environment changes, you also seem to find yourself needing to modify your methods of how you approach classroom management.

The problem with this is, the longer you’re teaching, the more you can succumb to a negative way of thinking.

I don’t know if it’s just all the stress or because education is so dynamic.

There are so many things that never stay the same.

But instead of wallowing in negativity and moaning how hard teaching is, we’ve got to alter our thinking.

Related Article: How to Improve Teacher Mental Health: A Personal Story

A growth mindset can develop resiliency

If we’re going to cope with all of this change, I’ve realised that we must learn to become more adaptable and flexible.

The longer I have taught though, the more I’ve realised that my negative thinking and talk has impacted my wellbeing. I’ve ended up becoming what I thought about.

Well, no more! I want to flourish and thrive in my life.

How about you?

Well, to move forward, I’ve discovered to become more positive I’ve got to develop my mindset – to grow and change and push the negative thoughts to the kerb. To be much more resilient teacher!

I know teaching is tough, but if we can evolve with the changes that come our way, I think we’ll cope much better.

Related Article: How to Thrive as a Teacher Throughout the Whole School Year

Growth mindset strategies for teachers

If you’re open to considering new ways of thinking, you’re in the right place.

Here are some practical ideas to help you to develop and open your mind for change; and to build resiliency in this modern world of teaching.

Related Article: 15 Funny Teacher Memes – Only Teachers Will Get!

Consider these – tips to alter your thinking:

1. See challenges as opportunities – teaching is full of challenges. If you change your attitude about problems and see them as opportunities, your mindset will benefit. Life is all about how you look at things.

2. Cultivate a sense of purpose in your life – without purpose in life, you can often feel lost. Knowing your purpose is also a big factor in your happiness. Decide on your purpose as a teacher, revisit it often to know where you’re headed. Then you will feel more purposeful every day you go to school.

3. Celebrate your growth with others – we are all on our own personal learning journey. Start sharing your wins with your friends and family and celebrate your growth. This will help you track your movement forward in your life.

4. Reflect on your growth – The act of reflecting often comes naturally to many teachers. It’s part of what we do every day to improve our practice. Start to use your daily reflections to think about your own personal growth. This will help you make improvements where you need to and then you can reinforce the positive changes.

5. Learn from other teachers mistakes – If you’re open to learning from others, this will stop a whole lot of grief. Sometimes we don’t like to be vulnerable or even ask for help. But if you regularly connect with others and ask for advice, you’ll become more productive and not make the same mistakes as others.

6. Start goal setting – What is it you would like to achieve in your life? To move on, goal setting is an important part of growing and for any good change to happen. Once you’ve achieved your goals, don’t forget to replace it with a new goal. This will keep you moving forward.

7. Take ownership over your attitude – Make sure you own your attitude and if it stinks, do something about it. Use your new-found growth mindset to move forward with positivity and see what good things are in store for you in your life as a teacher.

Related Article: How to Improve Teacher Wellbeing with Gratitude Journaling

Growth mindset activities for teachers

I’ve included 20 growth mindset quotes that you can use to help change your thinking and draw positivity into your teaching life.

Say these affirmations on a daily basis to foster change in your outlook to develop a growth mindset and throw the fixed mindset out.

Growth Mindset quotes for teachers

1. Your persistence has paid off! You’re working towards your goal, which is worth all the effort
2. Mistakes help me grow
3. I haven’t figured it out yet
4. I am on the right track
5. I can do hard things
6. This might take time and effort
7. I stick to things and don’t give up easily
8. I strive for progress
9. I go after my dreams
10. I am a problem solver
11. I try new things
12. I embrace new challenges
13. I ask for help when I need it
14. When I don’t succeed right away, I try again
15. I learn from my mistakes
16. I make a positive difference in my students’ lives
17. I am proud to be a teacher
18. The work I do every single day matters
19. I am a valuable asset to my school
20. I am a competent and capable teacher

Related Article: The Best Inspirational Quotes for Teachers

Join me to be more open to a new way of thinking. Decide that a positive growth mindset can better for you as a person and help change your teaching life. Here’s to a future of resiliency.

“With a positive mindset, you can feel empowered to make choices that protect your well-being and contribute to a healthy mind and body in a positive way. This will increase your confidence and sense of self and will help determine your future direction.”

Viki Thonley – Mind Body Food Institute 2019

Remember, you’re worth it!

Michelle x

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