Purpose: Cultivating a growth mindset in students is essential for enhancing their learning potential and resilience. To effectively integrate this approach into tutoring sessions, consider the following strategies.
| How to… | Begin | Continue |
| Create Opportunities for Success | Start with Achievable Tasks Begin sessions with problems or questions that align with the student's current understanding to build confidence. | Provide Immediate Positive Feedback Acknowledge correct responses promptly to reinforce successful learning experiences. |
| Acknowledge Effort and Praise Progress | Recognize Increased Effort Highlight instances where the student demonstrates perseverance or takes initiative in their learning process. | Celebrate Growth Point out improvements, no matter how small, to show that progress is valued and achievable. |
| Use Intentional Language | Emphasize the Learning Process Use phrases like "You're improving because you're practicing consistently," to connect effort with outcomes. | Avoid Fixed Mindset Language Steer clear of labels such as "You're a natural at this," which can imply that ability is innate rather than developed. |
| Set Realistic, Incremental Goals | Break Down Larger Objectives Divide complex tasks into manageable steps to prevent overwhelm and promote a sense of accomplishment. | Monitor and Reflect on Progress Regularly review goals and adjust them as needed, encouraging students to reflect on their learning journey. |
| Foster a Supportive Learning Environment | Encourage Risk-Taking Create a safe space where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities, reducing fear of failure. | Model Growth Mindset Behaviors Demonstrate resilience and adaptability in your own actions to serve as an example for students. |
Choose Your Words Intentionally!
Frequently acknowledging effort or praising growth and mastery are not enough. The specific language tutors use when acknowledging effort and praising students impacts how those students will receive and interpret the message. Showing students how their effort leads to growth is more important than praising effort alone. Consider the examples below:
| You might reinforce a Fixed Mindset by saying… | Instead, cultivate a Growth Mindset by saying… |
“You got an 80% on your quiz this week. See? I told you you were good at math!” In other words, this student was always innately good or bad at the subject area. If this student struggles in the future, they may now think “I guess my tutor was wrong. I’m bad at math after all, and there’s nothing I can do.” | “You got an 80% on the quiz this week. I’m so proud of you. See how much better you did when you asked lots of questions? I knew you could do it.” In other words, this student’s hard work led to success. If this student struggles in the future, they may now think “I’d better ask more questions so I can improve at this.” |
“Why don’t you talk with your classmate about what she wrote. She got the theme, and she can explain it to you.” In other words, you don’t believe this student can be successful on their own. The student may come to self-identify as “less than” the classmate they now rely on. | “I’m going to come back in two minutes to see how you’re doing on that question. You’re really close. You just need to think more carefully about the theme in the prompt.” In other words, you believe this student can be successful with concerted effort and adequate time to think about it. |
“Okay. This one is wrong. You forgot to subtract from both sides. You need to watch your work more carefully.” In other words, despite their best effort, what the student is doing just isn’t good enough. Maybe it never will be. | “Okay. You got the first four steps of this problem correct. That was some good effort for getting that far. The last step is wrong because you forgot to subtract from both sides. Why don’t you try that step again?” In other words, the student is already making progress, and can continue to do so if they just take one more step. |
“Good job, you finished your entire practice sheet!” In other words, the most important result of the student’s work was this filled-in piece of paper. Student success is measured by work completion, not growth and improvement. | “Good work! All your practice paid off. You got so much better at solving this kind of problem on the exit ticket!” In other words, the paper was just a byproduct. The true end result of the student’s work was within the student. |