By Andrew Wilkinson and Jane Fisher
Andrew.Wilkinson@farsleyfarfield.org.uk Jane.fisher@farsleyfarfield.org.uk www.ffgrowthmindset.primaryblogger.co.uk
Context
At Farsley Farfield Primary school (FFPS) we have recently rebranded and updated our school
ethos. This is embedded across the school with children, teachers and parents. We are in our
second year of working with Growth Mindset (Dweck, 2006) approaches to teaching and
learning. We are seeking to build upon current pedagogy and understanding of Growth Mindset
approaches to inspire children, teachers and inform parents. Blogs are part of Farfield’s online
presence in each class. Children’s work is showcased on the blogs and parents are encouraged
to share their children’s learning via regular blog posts.
RESULTS AND FINDINGS
BEFORE THE ASSEMBLIES How much
do you understand about…
AFTER THE ASSEMBLIES
How likely are you to…
AFTER THE ASSEMBLIES How much do
you understand about…
…challenge yourself with your learning
Discussion / Conclusions
One of the more difficult aspects of this project was finding a true baseline to use as a
barometer for the effectiveness of the assemblies - Growth Mindset messages had already
been shared inside classrooms (and occasionally through assemblies).
Having said this, the quantitative data collected from the KS2 survey monkey, displayed
opposite, clearly shows the children believed that they learned a lot about Growth Mindset
approaches through the assemblies and the work carried out in follow up sessions in class.
‘Brainology’ assembly in action!
Engagement with Growth Mindset learning across the school increased; teachers and children
began to see their learning through the paradigm of Growth Mindsets.
The aims of this project were as follows:
• Further promote and embed the message of Growth Mindsets with children at FFPS
• In Y3 for example, learning poetry was introduced through the context of ‘Brainology’ and
‘growing your brain’ http://ffyr3.primaryblogger.co.uk/category/growth-mindset
• Transform the meaning of effort and difficulty so that children understand the process of
struggle and challenge as a pathway to success and becoming a robust learner
…persevere when the going gets tough
• Develop a dedicated Farsley Farfield Growth Mindset Blog to host web content, showcase
assembly ideas and effectively share responses with children, staff and parents
• In Y5/6, participation in the Winter Youth Games was presented in the context of a Growth
Mindset http://ff56d.primaryblogger.co.uk/search/Growth+Mindset
Children relished learning about how their brains stretch and grow.
We view this project as the first stage in a longer term goal of educating parents and carers in
the language of Growth Mindset learning. In this way parents and carers will be able to more
fully understand and share in the vision of Farfield Primary School – this will further empower
them to more effectively support their children’s education. We hoped that carrying out an
action research project would help us better understand the impact of our interventions
• In Y4, children completed homework about the brain – two children published their own
‘Brain Show.’ They used the class blogging platform to share their work with their parents,
peers and the wider school community. http://ff34g.primaryblogger.co.uk/category/growthmindsets
Y3 children comment on the
‘Brainology’ assembly
…look for and welcome feedback from
peers and teachers
Materials and methods
Evidence of parent involvement was limited but through visiting class blogs and the dedicated
Growth Mindset blog, they became more aware of the approach the school is taking. This is
evidenced by several parent comments on the blogs. One parent commented, “I like the idea
of positive encouragement for children and aim to use it with mine. It is easy to slip into a habit
of ‘giving up’ when things are tough. I think that this is a very positive approach.”
The higher profile of learning with a Growth Mindset also contributed to changes in the way
that teaching is organised in classrooms across the school:
Participants: All children and staff across KS1 and KS2. Process: Each week for 5 weeks in
Autumn 1 the Y1-3 and Y4-6 phase leaders delivered a Key Stage assembly which addressed an
aspect of Growth Mindset learning. These assemblies were presented to 119 children in KS1
and 218 children in KS2. All teaching and support staff across the school were also present at
the assemblies
The assemblies were as follows:
• Mixed ability groupings where children choose their own level of differentiated challenge is
becoming the norm.
Collaboration and feedback fabulous artwork and a sense of
achievement
• Teachers have commented on how children are more resilient and enjoy challenging
themselves with their learning.
• They have also commented on the children’s propensity to collaborate and provide one
another with constructive and focused feedback.
How do you feel about making mistakes?
The power of ‘YET’ - practice
makes permanent with
Cat’s Cradle
All of this has been facilitated by teachers helping children develop these skills. Indeed,
teachers have shown a growth mindset approach to developing their teaching and pedagogy.
Next Steps
1. Ensure that Growth Mindset approaches to teaching and learning are built upon and
become consistent across the school. #FFPSGROWTHMINDSETFIZZNOTFIZZLE
2. Look at ways in which FFPS can engage parents and get them onboard with a Growth
Mindset approach at home
Each assembly was hosted on the new Farfield Growth Mindset Blog:
www.ffgrowthmindset.primaryblogger.co.uk. Follow up lesson resources and collated web
content were also available to teaching staff, so that they could plan subsequent class
assemblies to reinforce the Growth Mindset message for that week. Several of the assemblies
were explicitly planned to raise the profile of the Growth Mindset message. In KS2 ‘Brainology
Week’ involved each child making a brain hat back in their classroom and wearing it to special
mention assembly on Friday. ‘Yet Week’ involved promoting string games such as Cat’s Cradle
across the key stage.
Data Collection: Data collection focused on two main areas:
• Quantitative – a survey asking children to compare their knowledge of Growth Mindset
learning before and after the assemblies. This helped to determine the impact of the
assemblies in the minds of the children. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PXL6CRM
• Qualitative – evidence in the form of comments collected from class blogs and the Growth
Mindset blog in response to the assemblies.
Comment left on the Growth Mindset blog from a Y2 child in response to the assemblies
If you stretch yourself and exercise your
brain, how much progress could you make
with your learning?
3. Investigate ways in which Growth Mindset approaches can be incorporated into Farfield’s
reporting procedures
To find out more visit http://www.farsleyfarfield.org.uk where you can gain access to the
dedicated Growth Mindset blog as well as class blogs which host more of this work.
Wordle of Y6 children’s word association
responses to the word ‘challenge’
Comment left on the Growth Mindset blog from a parent in response to the assemblies
Acknowledgements
Dweck C. (2006) Mindset: the New Psychology of Success.
An enormous thank you to the staff and children of FFPS who wholeheartedly embraced the
project and continue to develop a Growth Mindset