www.growthmindsetmaths.com
@helenhindle1
Why I became interested in growth
mindset
• Underachievement among our pupil
• What their teachers were saying
What we did….
• The big launch
• Improving their skills as learners
• Praising Progress
• Talking to them about the progress of their peers
Year 11 Engagement – The Big Launch
To be a better Maths learner
you need to develop these
attributes:•Team work
•Resilience / Determination
•Problem Solving
•Risk Taking / love of challenge
•Motivation
•Creativity
The big launch
• We asked pupils to reflect on their experience in Maths
lessons and provide their teachers with some constructive
criticism of what we could do to improve our teaching.
They did this by completing ‘what went well’ and ‘even
better if’ spider diagrams.
• We then asked pupils to reflect on what they could do to
improve their skills as learners by completing the same
spider diagrams.
• We then got them to take part in team building activities
and discussed how their Maths lessons were going to be
different in future, what we as teachers would do
differently and what we expected of them as learners.
Recognising and Celebrating Growth
Celebrating progress in assemblies, names and
pictures of pupils on displaying the Maths Corridor.
Constantly reaffirming that the best students are
the ones who make the most progress not
necessarily those who attain the highest grade or
level
Using other pupils as models of a growth mindset.
Success Stories – Who is this?????
Target Grade D
Year 10
ATL 3
Unit 2 exam result U
Projected grade
E
Year 11
ATL 6
November Exam
Projected Grade
C
B
If Dan can do it, so
can you!
Carol S. Dweck: Mindset
‘IQ tests can measure current skills, but nothing
can measure someone's potential. It is
impossible to tell what people are capable of in
the future if they catch fire and apply
themselves.’
Guy Claxton –
The Learning Powered School
Alison Peacock –
Creating Learning without limits
Mindset is often more important than your initial
ability in determining whether you succeed in the
long run.
Believe that talents can be
developed and great
abilities can be built over
time.
Are fearful of making
mistakes
Think about how they
learn
Believe that talent alone
creates success
Well behaved pupils
Reluctant to take on
challenges
Resilient
Prefer to stay in their
comfort zone
View mistakes as an
opportunity to develop
Believe that effort creates
success
Higher Attaining Pupils
Think it is important to
‘look’ smart in front of
others
Believe that talents and
abilities are set in stone,
you either have them or
you don’t.
Lower Attaining Pupils
Hard Working Pupils
Growth Mind-set
Fixed Mind-set
Believe that talents
can be developed
and great abilities
can be built over
time.
View mistakes as
an opportunity to
Growth
develop
Mind-Set
Resilient
Believe that effort
creates success
Think about how
they learn
Believe that talent
alone creates success
Well behaved
pupils
Higher Attaining
Pupils
Hard Working
Pupils
Lower
Attaining
Pupils
Reluctant to take on
challenges
Prefer to stay in
their comfort zone
Are fearful of
making mistakes
Fixed Mind-Set
Think it is important to
‘look’ smart in front of
others
Believe that talents
and abilities are set in
stone, you either have
them or you don’t.
You are either good at Maths or you aren’t and you can’t change it.
You can only do well in Maths if you are clever.
Your memory affects how good you are in Maths.
Learning new mathematical skills does not mean you are changing your ability.
You can do a lot to change how clever you are.
You can do a lot to change how well you understand mathematics.
If you can answer a question quickly you are good at Maths.
How many answers you get right on a test shows how good you are at Maths.
Practice exercises are the best way to learn new mathematical skills.
Watching a teacher do examples is the best way to learn new mathematical
skills.
Trying a problem you don’t know how to solve is the best way to learn new
mathematical skills.
The set you are in tells you how good you are at Maths.
I prefer to work on questions that challenge me rather than questions that I
find easy.
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Statement
Which Mindset do you model in your
classroom?
Promotes a fixed mindset
Praising pupils for being smart
Formative comments that emphasis
achievement
Praising students for achievements that
come easily
Spending time documenting intelligence
and ability
Directing pupils to which tasks to
complete
Boosting self esteem
Place importance on grades / levels rather
than learning
Promotes a growth mindset
Which Mindset do you model in your
classroom?
Promotes a Fixed Mind Set
Promotes a Growth Mind-Set
Praising pupils for being smart
Praising effort and strategies
Formative comments that emphasis
achievement
Formative comments that emphasise
effort and application
Praising students for achievements that
come easily
Building robust self confidence
Spending time documenting intelligence
and ability
Spending time developing intelligence
and ability
Directing pupils to which tasks to
complete
Giving pupils a strong voice in the
learning process and a sense of purpose
Boosting self esteem
Providing constructive criticism
Place importance on grades / levels
rather than learning
Place importance on learning rather than
grades / levels
What fixed mind set pupils might say
I'm so stupid.
I'm brilliant at this.
I just can’t do Maths, I’ve never been any good at
Maths.
This is too hard.
I’m happy with my current grade
You didn’t explain it properly.
What grade / level did I get?
What we could encourage them to say
'Meaningful learning tasks give students a clear sense of progress
leading to mastery.
This means that students can see themselves doing tasks they
couldn't do before and understanding concepts they couldn't
understand before.
Work that gives students a sense of improvement as a result of
effort gives teachers an opportunity to praise students for their
progress.
That is, teachers can point out that the students' efforts were what
led to the progress and improvement over time.'
(Dweck 2010)
Sharing Strategies
How do you make progress visible to your
students?
Developing a growth Mind-Set
through the use of learning journeys
The role of Learning Journeys in
promoting a growth mind-set
Learning Journeys….
• Give pupils a sense of purpose
• Give pupils a strong voice in the learning process
• Take pupils out of their comfort zone
• Encourage pupils to challenge themselves
• Place an emphasis on progress rather than
attainment
• Indicate to students what skills students need to
work on in the future.
Grade
F
E
Shape
Space
Measure
I understand
and can
explain the
difference
between
area and
perimeter.
I can find the
area and
perimeter of
shapes by
counting
squares.
D
I can find the
area of
rectangles,
squares,
triangles,
compound
shapes and
circles using a
formula.
C
B
A
I can find the area and
circumference of semicircles.
I can calculate the
volume and surface
area of cuboids.
I can calculate
the volumes
and surface
area of prisms
and cylinders.
I can calculate
the volume of
cones.
I am starting the lesson on grade _____________________
By the end of this lesson I want to be able to _____________________
A
B
C
D
E
G
F
H
Level
3
4
5
6
7
Sequences
I can draw
the next two
patterns in a
sequence.
I can find a term
to term rule for
a linear
sequence. I can
describe a linear
sequence in
words
I can find the
position to term
rule for a linear
sequence and
explain how I
worked it out.
I can use a
position to term
rule to find any
term in a
sequence and also
to decide whether
a number is part
of a sequence.
I understand the
difference between
a linear sequence
and a quadratic
sequence. I can
find the position to
term rule for a
quadratic
sequence.
I am starting the lesson on level _____________________
By the end of this lesson I want to be able to _____________________
Algebra
Level
3
I am
beginning to
understand
the role of
the = sign
4
I can find missing
numbers.
I can match a formula
expressed in words to
a calculation.
5
6
I can solve linear equations
with unknowns on one side
including negative numbers.
I can solve linear
equations with
unknowns on both
sides including
with negative
numbers and
brackets.
I can match a formula
expressed in words to an
algebraic expression.
7/8
I can construct
and solve
simultaneous
equations.
I can construct and
solve linear
equations
I am starting the lesson on level _____________________
By the end of this lesson I want to be able to _____________________
Level
True or false?
Level 4
Find the missing numbers
Level 5
Solve these equations
3+7 = 8+2
? + 20 = 27
5y + 20 = 70
How do you know?
3 x ? = 15
3y - 4 = 11
27 ÷ ? = 9
2y + 5 = 25
? - 7 = 15
Y -6= 2
2
Level 6
The length of a rectangle is
three times its width. Its
perimeter is 24cm.
What is its area?




3c – 7 = 2c + 3
4(z + 5) = 84
4(b – 1) – 5(b + 1) = 0
12
21
(x+1) = (x + 4)
Level 7
Solve these simultaneous
equations using an algebraic
method:
3a + 2b = 16
5a - b=18
Level 8
By formulating the area of the shape
below in different ways, show that
the expressions
a2 - b2 and (a - b)(a + b) are
equivalent.
Key Words
Equation
Expression
Formula
Substitute
Term
Solve
Unknown
Never
heard
before?
Heard of but
not sure what
it means?
Know what it means and can explain it in context
Jot down your ideas here...
Changing your Mindset
If you have a fixed ‘Minsdet’ now, don’t worry,
you can change your ‘Mindset.’
If you hear yourself thinking
I can’t do this…
Tell yourself
I can’t do this
yet…
If you hear yourself thinking
I’m no good at
this…
Tell yourself
I can become
better at this…
If you hear yourself asking
What grade
did I get?
Ask instead
What can I do
to improve…
Progress Pyramid
One question I would like
answered…
Two things I am not
sure about yet….
Three
things I
have
mastered…
Colour in the arrow, up to the statement which best describes your
current understanding.
I’m so confident - I could explain this to someone else!
I can get to the right answer but I don’t understand well
enough to explain it yet.
I understand some of this but I don’t understand all of it
yet.
I tried hard and I listened but I am finding this challenging.
I will make sure that I get help with this next lesson.
I do not understand any of this yet. There are things I
could do to be a better learner next lesson.
My Favourite MISTAKES
Means
I
Start
To
Acquire
Knowledge
Experience
Skills
A mistake that moved my
learning on……
Understanding
Self Assessment………….
Understanding
Teacher Assessment
I’m confident enough to explain this to
someone else.
You made excellent progress in
today’s lesson.
I understand most of this but not well
enough to explain it to someone else
yet.
You made good progress in today’s
lesson.
I’ve really struggled with this, I need
help to move my understanding on.
You did not make enough progress
in today’s lesson.
Effort
Self Assessment……….
Understanding
Teacher Assessment………….
1. I have put a lot of effort into my
learning today.
1.
You demonstrated excellent
determination and resilience. You
made an effort to show your
working out.
2. I have put some effort into my
learning today but I know I could have
pushed myself further.
2.
You demonstrated good
determination and resilience. You
made some effort to show your
working out.
3. I was not a good learner in today’s
lesson. I can do better.
3.
You gave up too quickly.
Colour in the person that represents your mindset in today’s
lesson.
‘You must learn to fail intelligently.
Failing is one of the greatest arts
in the world. One fails forward
towards success.’
Thomas Edison
‘I think and think for months and
years. Ninety nine times out of a
hundred I am wrong. The hundredth
time I am right.’
Albert Einstein