New Teachers Explore Why A Growth Mindset is Important for Both Students and Teachers

In May 2022, we hosted a Twitter Chat addressing using a growth mindset to help increase student learning. Teachers who took part reported an increased familiarity with growth-mindset research and left the experience feeling inspired with new ideas to incorporate into their classrooms. Prior to the chat and learning module, only 16 percent of teachers felt very familiar with research on the topic. That percentage increased to 72 following the chat and module. 

A theater teacher from Bridgewater, NJ stated, “This is a fascinating theory and one that I had never heard of.  I can't wait to share the concept with my kids - and candidly, it's been interesting to consider from a personal perspective.”

In addition to citing an increased knowledge of the research, teachers also shared how they planned to incorporate the information from the chat and modules in their own classrooms.

Many teachers noted a benefit of the Twitter Chat was real-classroom examples from their peers. An art teacher from Bridgewater, NJ shared, “Colleagues had many insights for how to rephrase and encourage students, and assessment strategies to limit anxiety. That is my key takeaway, we need to foster/maintain our youngest students’ curiosity and confidence as they grow. Growth mindset will help students in all areas of their lives not just in academic settings.”

Two other highlights of teacher takeaways can be found below. 

Part of having a growth mindset is the belief that abilities and skills are not fixed but can be developed over time through dedication and hard work. Learning is a process and there will be times when students don’t master a concept right away or execute it perfectly, and that’s ok. To learn more about growth mindset, review the Wakelet, which curates the responses and resources from our Alternate Route teacher candidates and the expert guest commentators.

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