How to support those with SEND growth minDset Questionnaire with staff How to support those with SEND

What is growth mindset?

What is growth mindset? Growth mindset is defined as “students understanding that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence” (Dweck, 2012) What does this mean?

How is this different to other key terms? Growth mindset is different to previous education buzzwords such as ‘grit’, ‘resilience’, or ‘self-efficacy’, although it does encompass some characteristics of these concepts. It is the opposite to a ‘fixed mindset’; the belief that your abilities and intelligence are set or predetermined. Grit: but, goal orientation is not in and of itself, an indicator of learning – GM includes the belief in the the development of intelligence; praising effort rather than achievement. Resilience: built through the idea that your current ability is not the finite amount

Key term definitions Grit: passion and persistence for long term goals Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Self-efficacy: the beliefs in your capabilities to exercise control over your own activities Key term definitions

Grit Resilience Self-efficacy Growth Mindset

How do I spot growth mindset?

How do staff recognise growth mindset? Working hard (taking initiative, reading independently, taking notes) Showing interest and curiosity in the subject Completing further research, often reading original texts Asking questions eg. ‘What can I do to get to the next grade?’ Showing confidence Being organised (colour-coding notes, having revision timetables) Attending all possible lessons and revision activities Engaging in self-discovery

What about in students with send? Depending on the level of SEND, students in this category may exhibit a growth mindset slightly differently: They may: Be curious and ask lots of questions Repeat a task multiple times until they feel they have mastered it Be willing to try new tasks

How does this benefit the student? They have a greater knowledge and can give synoptic links throughout the topic They feel prepared to meet both challenges and failure. They show resilience. They can reflect on failure and success and see the path they took and mistakes they made. They show improved study skills They have better questioning skills, they are more likely to ask how to improve. How does this benefit the student?

What can I do To help?

Reflection and thought processes The most effective method is to teach students to reflect on successes and failures and learn from them: Challenge negatives; thought and speech patterns Model positives; mindset and speech patterns

Teaching reflection: ideas At the end of a task, get students to list any challenges they faced and how they worked around them. Also get them to list the successes they achieved as this teaches resilience Look up answers if you are not sure, model academia Explain how you worked past previous failure (if relevant) Accept failure and bad days, model how to work through them

Pair with a growth mindset student Lesson planning DIRT/Feedback Differentiate Pair with a growth mindset student

Lesson planning ideas Focus your feedback on improvement not ability Give time for students to improve work and mark their improvement. Show them how much they have improved (give a second mark) Instruct students on what they need to achieve Where possible give students a choice on how to achieve the aim (boosts confidence)

Getting lost story

Visual pathway to the goal Goal setting Set goals Visual pathway to the goal Motivating events

Goal setting ideas Students feel more motivated if there is a goal to aim for Some students need a visual pathway to their goal, this could be a private card with their pathway on or a classroom display External speakers Work experience Attend 3 revision sessions Get 5 Cs at GCSE Apply for VI Form Start the year with the correct equipment