When you’re so wrapped up in making sure that you’re helping your students develop a growth mindset, I challenge you to take a second to reflect on the importance of a growth mindset for teachers.
Fostering a growth mindset in students is well-known in education circles. This skill helps both younger and older students face difficult problems with new approaches and value their effort along the way.
Have you ever considered whether you have a growth mindset as a teacher? Fostering this skill can have immeasurable benefits on teachers’ mindset and benefit the learning experience of their students.
Let’s take a look into what it is, and why it may be important as part of ongoing professional development.
The Power of “Yet” on a Growth Mindset for Teachers
To get started thinking about the importance and impact of having a growth mindset, I encourage you to check out this TED Talk from Carol Dweck that I love.
In it, she talks about the difference that can happen from something as small as labeling a grade as “not yet” versus failing, and the power of finding creative ways to foster a growth mindset in students.
There are some really powerful examples of the difference a growth mindset can make (especially around the 5-6:30 mark.)
The work of Carol Dweck centers on mindsets and how our beliefs about our intelligence, skills, and more are shaped by how fixed our mindset is or is not.
Check out the TED Talk Here:
What Does Your Mindset Look Like?
What if, as an educator, your true potential hasn’t been found yet? According to Dweck, who’s a positive psychologist from Stanford 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 let the stress, workload, and overwhelm make me feel negative and resentful about the job.
But what I’ve realised is that to truly thrive as a teacher and handle the big changes that inevitably come our way, I had to challenge my thinking.
I decided that I had to develop a growth mindset. I knew that I had to alter my fixed ideas about my career, students, and situation, and release some of the negativity I had been holding.
Not only is this type of mindset essential to prevent ongoing burnout, but it also helps build resiliency.
Basics of a Growth Mindset for Teachers
Not all that long ago, it was believed that once our brains develop, they were fixed, and that in adulthood, our brains were hardwired. You may sometimes still hear this sentiment echoed by people who like the phrases “I am who I am” or “that’s just the way I am.”
However, that line of thinking has been disproven. The research around neuroplasticity and the mindset work of Dr. Dweck shows us that, even as adults, we have the ability to choose new thoughts that have a positive effect on our habits, mindsets, and lives.
When I was first dipping a toe into mindset work, I had heard of this phenomenon, but I didn’t really understand it.
What it all boils down to is this:
- 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 we are thinking, doing, and feeling new things, the old pathways get used less and become weaker.
This is neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity. And while it’s something that many teachers may have heard about in terms of student achievement of their full potential, we haven’t always given enough credit to how it can benefit us as teachers as well.
We are not any different from our students. We CAN learn and change at any stage of our lives.
Why a Growth Mindset for Teachers is Necessary
This concept of a growth mindset for teachers can help us become much more resilient and flexible, which is essential with how teaching evolves.
All the different curricula that come and go; the new technologies that must be learnt and implemented into the classroom; having more engaging resources for lessons; understanding how students learn, along with supporting their social and emotional needs, are abundant.
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.
And if you don’t see your growth potential as a teacher, it’s easy to focus on the difficult parts of educational settings, and close down to different approaches to these challenges.
But instead of wallowing in negativity and moaning how hard teaching is, we’ve got to alter our thinking.
A Growth Mindset Can Develop Resiliency
If we’re going to cope with all of this change, we must learn to become more adaptable and flexible.
What you’ll find, as I did, is that the longer you teach, the more that, if you don’t take time to consciously change it, the negative thinking and poor self-talk will impact your wellbeing.
We become what we think about. And if we think and believe that the changes are too hard, or we shouldn’t have to mess with them, it will reflect in everything we do in the classroom. (And eventually start showing up outside the classroom too!)
But when we shift our beliefs to be ones like:
- I can learn new things
- This may be challenging now, but I can overcome it
- I gladly learn to better support my students
The narrative shifts. It becomes easier to flourish and thrive. And that’s what I finally decided that I had to do. I had to do my own work to grow and change my mindset to be a more resilient and impactful teacher.
I know teaching is tough, but if we can face the challenge of learning to keep up 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
A growth mindset for teachers starts with the science of changing your mindset. In the classroom, that means treating mistakes as part of learning, using effective feedback in lesson plans, and helping younger students build critical thinking.
Teachers who use a genuine growth mindset for their own development give students clearer messages about effort, skill, and progress, which can improve academic outcomes.
There are SO many ways to practice a growth mindset for teachers. Here are some different solutions and best practices you can implement, as well as some quotes/affirmations for when you’re having to work extra hard to make positive change.
Don’t let this overwhelm you!
These are important steps to take toward a long and happy career as a teacher, so just choose one to start practicing and work from there.
Tips to Develop a Growth Mindset for Teachers
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, and reframing something from an impossible mountain to overcome to an opportunity for progress and continuous improvement can ease the pressure and help your brain be more creative in coming up with solutions.
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.
Celebrate your growth with others
We are all on our own personal learning journey. Start sharing your wins with like-minded friends and family.
This will help you track your movement forward in your life. It also helps you develop your own sense of accomplishment, because if you know that you’re going to have to tell them something you’ve accomplished, you’ll pay more attention to your progress.
This gives your brain an evidence base that you CAN grow and achieve things.
Reflect on your growth
The act of reflecting often comes as a natural part of teaching practices. It’s part of what we do every day to improve our practice and a necessary component of learning something new. 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 you’re working towards. Reflection of hard work can help you realize how far you’ve come, and see any struggles you faced along the way as natural parts of the learning process.
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.
This can give you an opportunity for important growth and to receive invaluable mentorship from others.
Start goal setting
What is it you would like to achieve in your life? Goal setting is an important part of growing, and for any good change to happen. If you struggle to get motivated by a very large goal, set goals that act as progress points that are a smaller part of the larger task or goal.
This will give you a positive sense of purpose as you try out new strategies and work toward something that you are passionate about or interested in.
Take ownership of your attitude
Make sure you own your attitude, and if it stinks, do something about it. Use your newfound growth mindset to move forward with positivity and see what good things are in store for you in your life as a teacher.
Growth Mindset quotes 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 and develop a growth mindset, and throw the fixed mindset out.
- My persistence has paid off! I’m working towards my goal, which is worth all the effort
- Mistakes help me grow
- It’s okay if I haven’t figured it out yet
- I am on the right track
- I can do hard things
- This might take time and effort
- I stick to things and don’t give up easily
- I strive for progress
- My dreams are waiting for me
- I am a problem solver
- Trying new things is safe and a good learning opportunity
- I embrace new challenges
- I ask for help when I need it
- When I don’t succeed right away, I try again
- I learn from my mistakes
- My effort makes a positive difference in my students’ lives
- I am proud to be a teacher
- The work I do every single day matters
- I am a valuable asset to my school
- I am a competent and capable teacher
Related Article: The Best Inspirational Quotes for Teachers
Conclusion: A Growth Mindset for Teachers Impacts More Than Your Career
Join me to be more open to a new way of thinking. Decide that a positive growth mindset can be 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
Your Blog on the Growth Mindset has been extremely helpful to me. I have been searching for such article. I will apply it in my teaching pattern and I am sure it will help me grow a lot as a teacher.
I’m so pleased this has been helpful for you. Having a growth mindset is sp crucial as a teacher as we continually need to grow, adjust and be flexible in our jobs. Good luck and keep striving to be your best self. Michelle x