What is growth mindset?
Growth mindset in simple terms is the idea that we should not be limited by our talents and shortcomings but that we can instead change, develop and improve.
In essence, we can develop from our talents and shortcomings by making effort, learning from our mistakes and facing challenges.
The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset.
With a fixed mindset you’ll think and believe that you’re not good or clever enough. You’ll believe that you’re born in a particular way and cannot develop further.
It’s therefore important to teach your child how to have a growth mindset so that they can transform how they view themselves and their abilities.
Teaching your child how to be a resilient learner can help them in their 11+ and other academic and non-academic areas such as music and sport.
Having a growth mindset enables your child to be persistent even when facing challenges. This makes them more prudent at whatever they are doing.
Furthermore, research shows that children that are taught growth mindset techniques improve in their overall grades/scores within shorter periods.
How can use growth mindset to improve your child’s 11+ revision?
One of the most important strategies is to teach your child not to shy away from their weaknesses or shortcomings. Teach them to embrace their areas of weakness and make effort to improve on them. For example, rather than stating, “I’m bad at Maths,” they could say, “I’m not the best at Maths yet.”
The word “yet” is so powerful because it shows that the possibility of improving is still there.
Also, in order to develop a growth mindset in your child, you should be careful of the words you speak to them. Try not to use words that will make them develop a fixed mindset. For example, don’t use phrases such as, “you’re just not good at Maths,” or,“this is not good enough.” Doing so will cause them to believe that they can’t change or improve.
Having high expectations is another thing that can foster a growth mindset in children. Children who believe their parents think highly of them usually perform better. This is because high expectations lead to faster brain development. However, it’s important to note that high expectations should not be confused with pressure. Don’t put your child under any pressure. Whenever they fail, always encourage them and let them know they can do better.
Additionally, teach your child to face up to their mistakes and learn from them. Rather than hiding their mistakes, they should be encouraged to embrace them.
Let your child see mistakes as a learning process not as a judgment of their abilities.
It doesn’t matter the number of time ms they fail, give them the opportunity to learn and improve.
And finally, endeavour to teach your child how to deal with their emotions. Encourage them to focus on the positives whenever they are confronted with challenges.