14 things a teacher with a growth mindset doesn’t do

Success is not the result of mere talent and intelligence. In fact, success is the result of how we fuel our skills with attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and habits. It is the result of cultivating a growth mindset.

Teachers have a major role in setting a child for success. Teachers who practice a growth mindset culture, follow certain processes, beliefs and practices that help them to cultivate a growth mindset in their students.

Between two students, one who says, “This is hard. I don’t want to do it now” and the other who says “It is hard. But, I am going to figure it out”, who has got a better chance to succeed?

According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, one thing that determines the success of a child (and an adult) is having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the result of carefully cultivated attitude, thoughts, behaviors and habits that sets a child on the path of developing abilities and courage over a period of time.

Take a look at the chart below to find how different a person with a growth mindset thinks compared to a person with a fixed mindset.

Check out these things that growth mindset teachers don’t do so that you too can boost your classroom’s growth mindset culture.

1. They don’t let their students forget their failures

At the same time, they do not let their students beat themselves up for their failure. They teach their students how to look at failures constructively. They teach them how to find valuable lessons from their failures.

2. They don’t label their students

They would not make comments such as “That was a clever answer” or “Don’t be so lazy” or “Don’t be shy.” A label is an attitude setter. A label, set by self or by others, has the power to make a person believe that is what they are. It has lifelong effects. They will develop a habit to protect that label instead of taking steps to come out of their comfort zone or taking up challenges. They encourage students to encourage each other and themselves with process-based praises rather than outcome based labels. I have written about how I strived to live up to my label of “Math-dumb” in my book Infinite Possibilities.

3. They don’t let their students feel superior for a great result

Since the students are on a journey to achieve more than the results at school, it is important for them to understand the process that leads to better results. A great result is the opportunity to learn more about the process of reaching that result. A great result is the result of hard work, planning, strategies, various learning styles, multiple mistakes or failures, practice routines, habits and behaviors.

4. They don’t punish students for making mistakes

Instead, they encourage students to take a closer look at those mistakes and provide them with the strategies to learn from those mistakes. They encourage them to look at it from various perspectives such as the approach they adopted, the understanding of the topic, thinking patterns, emotional factors, routines and so on.

5. They don’t control the Growth Mindset culture

In a classroom where growth mindset is celebrated, it is not the teacher who is actively driving it, students are also enthusiastically involved in suggesting and leading activities related to growth mindset.

They let their students have a say in the resources and activities needed to help them reinforce and practice growth mindset in and outside the classroom. They let your students learn how to communicate and brainstorm to find solutions for tough challenges, both academic and non-academic.

6. They don’t consider growth mindset as an additional chore

They truly believe in what they are doing since they are practitioners of growth mindset too. Hence, they find personal growth and collective growth in incorporating a growth mindset into their pedagogy and classroom.

7. They don’t preach to students about growth mindset

In a classroom, you see students of multiple intelligence. Teachers who practice growth mindset use various auditory, verbal and kinesthetic methods to make students understand the neuroplasticity elements that outline why growth mindset works. They incorporate effective thinking routines and projects in the curriculum to enable these concepts stick.

8. They don’t give unattainable goals to students

Taking up challenges is something children need to feel comfortable with practice. In order to create a risk-taking culture in the classroom, it is essential to make the students tolerant to taking challenges. Teachers who are passionate about creating a growth mindset culture in their students, start with attainable goals and then gradually increase the intensity of those challenges. They believe in creating an environment for consistent, incremental progress.

9. They don’t ask students to just sit down and follow what they ask them to do

They provide opportunities for students to verbalize their thoughts. They give their students pointers to verbalize different aspects of their progress, challenges, mistakes, self-reflection and feedback for other students’ growth mindset efforts and so on.

10. They don’t use words that reflect a fixed mindset

They actively practice a growth mindset in their lives. They use vocabulary that reflects they are persistent, confident, lifelong learners and enablers. They do not use phrases such as “I wish I were young enough to do that” or “I wish I had picked up that skill when I was younger.” Instead, they use phrases like that reflect their ability to be a continuous learner such as, “I am not good at it yet, but will some practice I am sure I will be able to get better at it.”

11. They don’t shy away from receiving feedback

They demonstrate genuine grace and kindness when they receive a feedback. In fact, they create a culture in the classroom where the students have the right to give feedback to them. They teach them how to receive a feedback with grace and kindness. Moreover, they teach students how to make any feedback a ‘helpful feedback’ by asking questions to know more about the reason and the situations behind the feedback. Such teachers also present themselves as exemplary feedback recipients by incorporating feedback into their attitudes and behaviors. In addition, they find time to they share with their students how their feedback have been useful in becoming a better teacher or a person.

12. They don’t cultivate a one-sentence-feedback culture

They teach students how to give and receive constructive feedback. They believe in the power of constructive feedback. They create an environment which focuses on process-oriented feedback. In such an environment, both areas of excellence and areas for improvement comes into discussion. And they ensure that such discussions are focused on the process that led to excellence and the process that will lead to excellence.

13. They don’t just focus on individual learning

They make students understand the value of collaboration. They promote a collaborative learning culture where students learn in groups and understand how their efforts and participation results in the success of their group. This helps them to take responsibility for the group and to encourage each other to work hard for the group’s performance. They learn from each other’s learning and working styles, gain confidence and feel a sense of accomplishment from these group activities. Moreover, they will be able to carry these learnings on other areas of their lives as well.

14. They don’t create a culture of downplaying successes

They encourage students to celebrate another student’s achievement. They encourage their students to praise the achiever with process-oriented praises. This provides an environment where other students gain the courage to ask the achiever for their tips than feeling jealous or intimidated by their achievement. This also fosters a culture of success mantras being shared for collective excellence.

Have you read my latest book Infinite Possibilities: Unlock your real potential with the secret recipes from superachievers? It comes with 10 case studies, 11 manifestos and 55 steps to unleash your own real potential. Furthermore, it will show you how you can apply Infinite Possibilities in your personal, professional and academic lives by boosting your own growth mindset. You can get a copy of it here or at Amazon for yourself, your team, your student or child.

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Sindu Sreebhavan is an Innovation Igniter and the CEO of As Many Minds. She speaks and writes about growth mindset, innovative mindset and innovation. She is passionate about innovation in education and youth development. Sindu is the founder of International Youth Leadership and Innovation Forum (IYLIF). She is also the founding editor of The Kidz Parade magazine — a publication that helps children develop growth mindset and showcase their creativity. She is the author of Infinite Possibilities and a lead author of Breakthrough. She was awarded ‘Exceptional Woman of Excellence’ by Women Economic Forum. She speaks at major conferences about Innovation, Creativity, Innovative Mindset, Growth Mindset and Youth Leadership. If you would like to invite her to one of your events to speak, connect with her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ssreebhavan.