Why is Growth Mindset important for Teachers: Decision Insights

It’s interesting how certain quotes influence and make us rethink how we USUALLY think about things. For instance, this one by Abraham Maslow is an interesting take on a growth mindset: 

“One can choose to go back towards safety or forward to growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”

Although it talks about general growth, I felt how relevant it is in education, where teachers face the daily choice between sticking to familiar methods and trying something new. This is what makes you do a bit of self-reflection and develop yourself as a growth-oriented professional. 

If you have ever dealt with this dilemma, you will love today’s blog post where we will discuss this approach and explore what exactly it takes to develop a growth mindset for teachers.

Understanding Growth Mindset in Teachers

Carol Dweck, a renowned American psychologist defines a growth mindset as a belief that your abilities and intelligence can be developed with dedication and hard work. This, however, is quite different from a fixed mindset where the abilities are static and unchangeable. 

For teachers, adopting a growth mindset is important not only for their personal and professional development but to nurture the same mindset in their students. Roberto Torres, Director of Revenue at Atomic Enrollment put this as:

Research shows that teachers who believe in the malleability of intelligence and abilities can significantly impact student achievement and growth mindset. This does 3 things: 

  • When students understand that their abilities can improve with effort, their motivation to engage in learning activities increases.
  • Students are more likely to engage deeply with learning materials and activities when they feel that these efforts are helping them grow.
  • Motivated and engaged students naturally achieve more and willingly take on challenging tasks.

Fixed vs Growth Mindset

But what exactly happens if you, as a teacher, carry a fixed mindset? How does this belief influence your student’s learning and development? One of Dweck’s experiments depicted this difference where children were either praised for their intelligence or their effort after completing a set of problems. 

The outcomes showed that children who were praised for their efforts were more likely to choose challenging tasks and stay engaged even when the problems became difficult. This turned out to be somewhat different from children who were praised for their intelligence as they would often choose a task to maintain their “smart” status. 

Growth Mindset and Decision-Making

A growth mindset directly impacts how you handle decisions, especially under pressure or in complex situations. I believe when you have a growth mindset, your fundamental understanding of how you approach challenges and setbacks doesn’t stay the same. 

For example, in decision-making, having a growth mindset encourages you to see difficult decisions as an opportunity to learn and grow rather than a danger to your competence or identity.

Did you see the silver lining here? With this mindset, you become more explorative because the fear of failure won’t hold you back as much as it used to. You will probably consider a broader range of options and strategies and not just the ones that guarantee a safe outcome. 

Research has shown that organizations with a growth mindset culture usually perform better in terms of innovation, collaboration, and overall employee engagement. For example, Microsoft transformed the operational ethos under leaders like Satya Nadella, who advocated for a learn-it-all culture over a know-it-all culture. This shift significantly encouraged continuous learning and adaptability among the employees, which made the organization more open to strategic decisions even during uncertain times.

Growth Mindset Pedagogy 

A prominent example of teachers successfully implementing growth mindset strategies in their decision-making is a study conducted in Finnish Elementary Schools. In this study, teachers incorporated Growth Mindset Pedagogy, which works on the belief that Intelligence and abilities are malleable. This approach focuses on 4 core educational principles:

  • Supporting individual learning processes
  • Promoting mastery orientation
  • Encouraging persistence
  • Fostering process-focused thinking among students 

The teachers shifted away from seeing student abilities as fixed traits and instead, focused on process-oriented teaching. They worked on identifying individual learning barriers and attributing the success and failures of students to variable factors rather than fixed abilities. 

The focus was on persistence and resilience to encourage the students to overcome learning difficulties with different strategies and of course, a mindset towards challenges. Not only did this help to nurture a growth mindset among students but it also improved the teachers’ own decision-making processes. 

Benefits of Growth Mindset for Teachers

Keeping a growth mindset is good for your professional development as we know it. But how does it exactly benefit you? Let’s get a deeper understanding of this:

Improved Problem-Solving Skills

When you adopt a growth mindset as a teacher, you are open to seeing your capabilities as something that can continually improve with effort, strategies, and help from others. Practically, this involves applying mindset interventions for educators where you are not afraid to try new methods or innovative teaching tools.

For instance, if a lesson doesn’t go as planned or students struggle with a concept, instead of feeling defeated, you see this as an opportunity to adjust your approach. To do this, you can try different teaching techniques or ask your colleagues to help to understand and address your students’ needs better.

Increased Creativity And Innovation

Imagine you are trying to engage your students in a difficult topic. In this situation, if you have a growth mindset, you would experiment with interactive digital tools or incorporate arts into your lessons to make the learning process interesting. This willingness to innovate comes from the understanding that every attempt, whether successful or not, is an opportunity to learn and refine your approach. 

A growth mindset makes you think out of the box and connect different subjects to solve problems in unique ways that may not always sound familiar. Similarly, by continuously pushing the boundaries of your regular practice, you create a dynamic learning environment that inspires students to embrace their own creativity and curiosity.

Better Collaboration And Communication With Colleagues And Students

A growth mindset makes you value learning from others and understand that collective efforts can inspire better solutions and ideas. In team meetings or planning sessions, you will be more open to listening to different viewpoints which will expand your own understanding. In my opinion, this openness is not only good for your own growth but also the relationship you have with your colleagues.

Similarly, with students, a growth mindset lets you openly engage and develop mutual respect and understanding. You will become more attentive to your students’ needs and learning styles which will allow you to adapt your communication and teaching methods more effectively. The best part? It will enhance the learning experience and prepare your students for the future! 

Implementing Growth Mindset in Teacher Education and Professional Development

Let’s look at some strategies you can use to develop a growth mindset as a teacher for professional development!

Encourage Experimentation And Innovation 

As a teacher, you might have heard that there is no one-size-fits-all method for teaching. But did you know it can help you develop a growth mindset? One way to do this is to adopt design thinking in your lesson plans which involves brainstorming, prototyping, and testing ideas. This method will help you creatively address educational challenges and improve student engagement for better learning outcomes.

Studies have shown that when teachers are encouraged to innovate and try new teaching methods, it improves student performance and their satisfaction. One of the studies by Edutopia highlighted the same as it discussed how teachers who tried to innovate their usual teaching methods saw better student academic achievement among their students. 

Facilitate Inquiry-Based Learning

Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is a great way to enhance your approach to teaching, especially in the STEM fields. A compelling case study from the Greater Sydney region highlights the benefits of integrating real-world industry partnerships into IBL strategies. These partnerships focused on major local infrastructure projects, such as Sydney Metro and Parramatta Light Rail. 

Teachers used the project as practical examples to apply STEM concepts which improved their teaching methods to a great extent. All in all, these partnerships provided the teachers with practical contexts that improved how classroom knowledge connects with real-world applications. 

Focus On Neuroplasticity And Continuous Learning

A major part of a growth mindset comes from your understanding and knowledge of neuroplasticity. A 2022 research article based on the empirical model of teachers’ neuroplasticity knowledge, mindset, and epistemological belief system revealed some interesting findings. 

In this study, teachers learn about the brain’s ability to change and grow with learning and experience. This knowledge was connected to a growth mindset approach in teaching, which focussed on abilities and their flexible nature. 

The results indicated that teachers who gained deep knowledge about neuroplasticity adopted more sophisticated educational beliefs. They moved away from thinking that student abilities are fixed and started believing in the potential for academic growth with better teaching methods. This shift positively impacted their interactions with students and helped in creating a more supportive and dynamic learning environment. 

Conclusion

Developing a growth mindset for teachers is a lifelong journey of learning and self-improvement, both for you and your students. It’s about showing yourself that every challenge is a chance to learn something new and that every setback is a step forward, not backward. The more you will push your boundaries, the more you will open yourself to new experiences. So, keep pushing the boundaries, questioning the old ways, and stay curious!

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