As the school year got underway, we created our Growth Mindset board for students and parents to become more familiar with language and ideas that promote building confidence in learners.  Phrases such as 'I don't know...yet!', and, 'I'm going to train my brain!' are meant to cause a shift in thinking from having a fixed mindset where students think 'I can't do this', to changing the messages sent to their brain with phrases like; 'I think I can...' and, 'I can try...'.  

Other actions we have taken as a staff in our efforts to teach growth mindset to our students are as follows:

• September:
  • Staff Survey to discover our own understanding of having a growth mindset in learning
• October:
  • Collaboration time with teaching grade groups to explore growth mindset strategies that help grow confidence and enjoyment in writing for students
  • Lunch ‘n Learn for Staff with our District Teacher Consultant to explore growth mindset tools and resource materials
  • Oopsie! School Performance that taught students about how the brain grows when we try new things, or use our creativity
• November:
  • Whole staff professional development with our District Coordinator of Mental Health, SEL & Counselling Programs to learn about building emotional literacy vocabulary, with an introduction to children's literature in the field
• December: 
  • Building a school 'Mood Meter' to showcase emotional literacy terms with a lens to build confidence in our learners
  • Currently developing survey questions to be conducted in January.  The purpose is to scan student understanding of how having a Growth Mindset might serve them in the learning endeavours

In Term 2, students will participate in a survey that showcases their developing understanding of what having a growth mindset means to them.  Student voice will inform staff as to what our 'next steps' might be in supporting progress in all aspects of learning (academic, social and emotional, personal, etc.).