The Importance of Developing a Growth Mindset

The phrase “growth mindset” is one that you will have heard teachers and school staff use, but are these just buzzwords? What really is a growth mindset? Why does it matter and what does it look like at RSM?

What is a growth mindset?

Let’s start by describing the opposite; a “fixed mindset”. No matter how talented a person is, if they remain within their comfort zone and give up easily when meeting an obstacle, then their potential is severely limited. Somebody with a fixed mindset won’t strive to improve, partly due to fear of failure, and partly due to their belief that they are stuck with the hand that they’ve been dealt.

By contrast, an individual with a “growth mindset” realises that intelligence and achievements are not pre-determined but can be grown and developed with practice and effort. With the right attitude and application, every one of us can do better and reach higher. Here, the sky – and not one’s own negativity – is the limit.

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”

Look at the difference that one incredibly powerful three-letter word can make:

I don’t know how to do that.

I don’t know how to do that. Yet.

That three-letter word is the essence of a growth mindset.

Why does it matter?

Young people who have developed a growth mindset will keep an open mind when faced with difficult questions or tasks and won’t be afraid to admit that they need guidance. Their motivation will come from inner fulfilment rather than a quest for external validation. They will know that mistakes are not a sign of weakness or of failure. Instead, they are an essential part of the learning process and a sign that boundaries are being stretched and new information and techniques are being absorbed.

Beyond school, a growth mindset is highly valued by employers. Professor Lauren Keating from the Emlyon Business School in Lyon, France points out that ‘it’s not just the skills you currently possess that define your potential, it’s the belief that you can continuously develop them’. Eighty percent of companies say that a growth mindset amongst employees directly drives profits and creates an environment where everyone feels empowered to be bold and to reach out of their comfort zones.

What does growth mindset look like at RSM?

We don’t have head boys or girls and you won’t see RSM children weighed down with badges or collecting awards at prize givings. Instead, the children are praised richly and regularly: they know when they’ve done well and when they should be proud of themselves.

We celebrate every child for his or her unique strengths including those with quieter and less traditionally recognised talents who may have been missed in the past. Positive feedback is provided around the hard work and tenacity behind an outcome rather than the outcome itself so that all are celebrated, not only the highest achievers.

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary”

We know that children and young people who have a growth mindset are likely not only to do better, but also to cope better. As schoolwork gets tougher and life’s challenges increase in complexity, the ability to bounce back from failure, to dig deep and keep going, and to know when and how to ask for help becomes ever more valuable.

Our job at RSM is to send the young people in our care onwards with such a strong sense of self and of self-belief that they will thrive in even the most challenging of environments. Ultimately, we believe that developing a growth mindset within each one of them provides a springboard to a happy, healthy and successful adult life well beyond junior school.