News From Your School Psychologist
January: Growth Mindset
Growth Mindsets
The teachers at Sprague do a remarkable job weaving in "growth mindset," concepts into the curriculum.
But, what exactly is growth mindset?
The concept of a growth mindset was first coined in 2007 by psychologist Carol Dweck. A growth mindset is the belief that you can learn anything and that your abilities aren’t fixed. By working hard you can get better at whatever you want. This also means that failures do not define you; they are just a sign that you need to learn more or change your strategy.
Think back to the first time you drove a car. It may have seemed like a hopelessly complicated process: position your hands at 10 and 2, brake at the right times, follow all traffic laws, and keep an eye on other drivers. I remember how I had to concentrate so hard to stay in my defined lane at the start.
You could have said, “I just don’t have it in me. Driving isn’t my thing.” This would be a FIXED mindset way of thinking. But instead, you took the GROWTH mindset approach: you practiced, and practiced some more. Now, driving is probably second nature, something you can do while singing along to the radio.
This is neuroplasticity at work.
Neuroplasticity is the science behind growth mindset. It is the reason we can develop skills and knowledge through effort, practice, and persistence.
Like a physical muscle, the brain gets stronger the more you use it. The brain is a “pattern-seeking device.” When the neurons in your brain are activated in a particular pattern, it’s faster and easier for your brain to follow that same pattern in the future.
This means when you use your brain to complete a task, the brain “remembers” the task, so next time it becomes a little easier. The time after that, it’s even easier, and so on.
The bottom line is that our brains aren’t static. Through repeated practice and continual challenges, we can build pathways that make our brains stronger and smarter.
My child avoids things that are hard
What can you do??
1. Brainstorm past successes
Brainstorm some ways your child has successfully learned how to do "hard things" in the past.Generate a list of activities that used to be hard, but with practice, have become easy.
For Example -Crawling/walking, Talking, Finding your mouth and feeding yourself, Riding a tricycle
2. Let them know they aren't supposed to know
"You’re in charge of your brain and you can learn anything you want, no matter how difficult it seems at first—you just have to go over it again and again. You aren't supposed tot be good at new things right away."
3. Discuss the value of mistakes.
Mistakes help us learn, and they make our brains grow. "When you were a little baby and you started to pull up on furniture and walk, you fell down a lot. But you got back up and kept trying. What if you expected to walk after the first try and gave up!?"
4. Teach by example.
Parents make mistakes too. Next time you make a mistake, own it. Laugh at yourself. Or remark on how you made a mistake and you will do it differently next time.
5. Explain to your child that mistakes make the brain grow.
In fact, the brain does NOT grow just from getting the answers right. To keep strengthening neural pathways, we must continue challenging ourselves and going to the next level of difficulty. This is going to involve mistakes, and that’s great!
6. Model doing something you are not great at and still enjoying it
(i.e. I have been told on many occasions that I cannot carry a tune. But I still sing and try to follow along as my family laughs lovingly)
7. Don't push too hard at once.
Try to abandon and come back later. You may find your child is more receptive, especially if it is his or her idea.
8. Find some old artifacts.
Is there an older sibling in the house? Find one of their old journals or workbooks or drawings from school to show younger sister or brother that the older sibling didn't always know how to read or write in the way they do now.
9. Try not to talk in absolutes.
This is hard. As adults, we are so used to talking about "good" and "bad." When our kids come home from school, we say, "Did you have a good day?" Try to talk about "glows and grows." What was a glow or something you did well or liked and what is something you didn't like as much or something you need to grow/learn more about."
Self Talk
Black and White Thinking
In order to discourage black and white thinking, and encourage some gray areas....or "rainbow thinking," as I like to phrase it to kids....I like to present the following examples.
1. First, watch as Pinkalicious struggles with a Fixed Mindset
2. Now watch, as Pinkalicious realizes there is no right or wrong way to draw a nose
Wendy the Whale
Test Their Thinking
From Blunder to Wonder....
The following inventions were made due to mistakes?
PLAY DOUGH
MICROWAVE
POST-ITS
POTATO CHIPS
PENICILLAN
SLINKIES
MATCHSTICKS
Why Doesn't the teacher want me to help my child spell words correctly? The purpose of Invented Spelling
Gene Oulette and Monique Sénéchal published a study on invented spelling in 2017. In it they state that “Allowing children to engage in the analytical process of invented spelling, followed by appropriate feedback, has been found to facilitate learning to read and spell, not hamper the process.” That’s right, we help students’ future success as readers by giving them the freedom to invent their own spellings when they write. Instead of worrying about conventional spelling, we should praise children for their spelling attempts. There will be plenty of time for them to master conventional spelling in the years to come. For many kindergarteners and even some first graders, they will learn far more from employing their own phonics strategies and principles and spelling a word incorrectly, then they will from asking a parent how to spell a word. If your child asks you a word, you can always say, "stretch it out. What sounds do you hear?" Most of all, it fosters a sense of independence and self reliance for learning, while sending the message that your work doesn't have to be perfect.
Big Life Journal Presents: Best Movies to promote grit/growth mindset
Book Corner
Beautiful Oops
Mistakes that Worked
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
Previous Newsletters
Sprague School Calm Down Kit
Contact Me-Susan Elbaum, NCSP; Sprague School Psychologist
Email: selbaum@d103.org
Website: https://linktr.ee/selbaum
Phone: 847-945-6665