Growth mindsets can be pivotal in developing who we are and what we can achieve. We continue to explore these ideas with our class.

After our discussions around our backgrounds and where our mindsets and ideas come from,(see previous post ‘Unpacking me and my mindset) we moved on to the actual mindsets and how the brain works. When we taught this topic in our class, we talked about the learning pit, and what strategies we can use to come out of it. This led into discussions about our choices, and our mindsets. Having a positive, growth mindset can be a strategy for us to get out of the learning pit.

We watched parts of both of these videos, on growth vs fixed mindset and how the brain works, and neuroplasticity.

The idea of the brain as a muscle that we need to use, and push, and make stronger was helpful to refer back to.

We reflected on a time that something was difficult for us, and how we overcame that struggle. The handout we used (follow this link) also had an opportunity to share what they learnt with someone.

Discussions, examples and scenarios around mindsets and learning struggles were helpful in this unit, but it should be tailored to suit whatever group of young people you are with.

At the end of this unit we gave them a sheet with structured options for inquiry projects. Sometimes just telling kids to choose a topic and do a project on it can be overwhelming. Similarly, asking them to show their learning on the whole unit could have been too large a scope. Instead, I picked out aspects of what we had covered, and formed them into inquiry topics. Having them printed visually gave them something to refer back to as they chose and then carried out, their inquiry.

I found this a useful resource to form our own lesson plans and handouts. Link to the Kahn academy lesson plan idea.

All of my resources are available to download on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.