Growth Mindset

At Benton Dene School, we know that pupils who have a positive attitude towards their learning will make good progress and be successful. Consequently, instilling all our pupils with 'growth mindsets' has become a key priority for the school over the last few years and as we continue along our path of learning. We have introduced the theories of Dr Carol Dweck to staff and pupils and are determined to embed its ideas within our school ethos. 

We want all our pupils to relish challenges, embrace their mistakes as part of the learning process, value the importance of effort, respond carefully to feedback and take inspiration from others. This will help them to achieve, not only with us, but also in their future lives as adults

The Power of Yet

To help us develop a Growth Mindset we need to understand the importance of the word 'YET'.  It is about knowing that with grit, determination, perseverance, and practise we can turn ‘can’t’ into ‘can’t YET’ and then into ‘CAN!’

We are very excited about the prospect of nurturing a growth mindset culture at Benton Dene School.

Encouraging children to become confident and resilient learners

Valued, Challenged, Supported and Successful. These are what we embed in all of our pupils here at Benton Dene School. We know that in order to fulfil the potential of our pupils and encourage them to become confident and resilient learners we, as a team of parents and staff, need to be modelling the mindset of a learner who is not afraid of making mistakes but who thrives upon them, knowing that this is all part of the learning process. The way in which we encourage children to learn and explore is vital to their success, not only at school but at home as well.

At Benton Dene, we consistently endeavour to challenge and develop the attitudes of all pupils and staff towards learning by considering what makes a successful learner. Our assemblies give a focus to the key traits of Growth Mindset which we then build into our daily learning. We seek to develop our abilities as learners as we positively approach challenges, inside and outside the classroom. When we are faced with a challenge we may not be able to do it yet.

We have dedicated sessions in class, alongside our assemblies, which address what kind of learners we want to be and how we can positively approach challenges inside and outside the classroom. The school is buzzing with talk of perseverance, challenge, risks and celebrating mistakes.

Central to this attitude and approach to learning, are the theories and proven evidence of Growth Mindset. This is a term coined by psychologist Carol Dweck and her research has identified the characteristics of learners with a fixed and a growth mindset:

For more information please read the attached document

The following video explains the concept in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUWn_TJTrnU

Key aspects of growth mindset at Benton Dene School:

• We celebrate making mistakes – we can learn from them;
• We never give up – perseverance is the key if we are to succeed;
• We learn from each other;
• We don’t compare ourselves with others;
• We challenge ourselves and take risks;
• We remember that our brains are making new connections and growing all the time.
• We talk about the tasks that we find difficult or challenging and strategies to help us to improve, learn and achieve. Through hard work and perseverance we can learn, achieve and do things that we never thought we would ever be able to do. Instead of saying “I can’t do this” we should say “I can’t do this yet”.

For further information on how to encourage confident and resilient learners at home, have a look at some of the links below.

https://www.mindsetworks.com/parents/growth-mindset-parenting https://www.oxfordlearning.com/growth-mindset-tips-for-parents/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-try-new-things