Growth Mindset Research Project 2016-17
Along with our LPAP partner schools, we are involved in a LEEP Funded Research Project to develop the concept of Growth Mindset to our school.
Our research is based around the work by Professor Carol Dweck, an American psychologist, who found that we all have different beliefs about the underlying nature of ability.
Children (and adults!) with a growth mindset believe that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort, persistence, trying different strategies and learning from mistakes.
On the other hand, people with a fixed mindset believe that our intelligence and abilities are fixed traits; something that you are born with and that you can’t really do anything about.
Our project will involve separate action research projects undertaken by two classteachers in each of the nine schools, which will then lead towards a collaborative approach to developing best practice. The project has 5 key aspects:
Aspect 1: All staff to understand the concept and its impact on practice
Objectives:
Aspect 2: Measurement of impact.
Objectives:
Aspect 3: Classroom practice and children’s understanding
Objectives:
Aspect 4: Focus group of children
Objectives:
Aspect 5: Collaborative approach to leading within school network
Objectives:
Our research is based around the work by Professor Carol Dweck, an American psychologist, who found that we all have different beliefs about the underlying nature of ability.
Children (and adults!) with a growth mindset believe that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort, persistence, trying different strategies and learning from mistakes.
On the other hand, people with a fixed mindset believe that our intelligence and abilities are fixed traits; something that you are born with and that you can’t really do anything about.
Our project will involve separate action research projects undertaken by two classteachers in each of the nine schools, which will then lead towards a collaborative approach to developing best practice. The project has 5 key aspects:
Aspect 1: All staff to understand the concept and its impact on practice
Objectives:
- For Growth Mindset to become a shared priority across school endorsed by SMT
- For staff to have a secure understanding of the concept of a Growth Mindset
- To have a growth mindset ethos embedded within behaviour for learning
Aspect 2: Measurement of impact.
Objectives:
- To have created an appropriate, accurate measuring tool to identify entry and exit points for pupil attitudes and mindset
- To have created an appropriate, accurate measuring tool to identify entry and exit points for staff attitudes and mindset
Aspect 3: Classroom practice and children’s understanding
Objectives:
- Pupils to have improved attitudes towards learning and challenge in all contexts
- To promote the concept to parents and carers and the wider school community
Aspect 4: Focus group of children
Objectives:
- To target vulnerable groups of pupils
- To closely track the attainment and progress of target pupils
- Barriers to learning, that are created by having a fixed mindset, are removed
Aspect 5: Collaborative approach to leading within school network
Objectives:
- To have a strengthened understanding of research skills
- To have a deeper collaboration in line with the Hargreaves Model across the whole academy group as well as within individual schools
- To establish a stakeholder representative working group
Find out more about Growth Mindset
