Encouraging a Growth Mindset

Friday 6th May 2011

As pupils in Year 11 face their final month of revision before the exam season starts, many parents will be looking for the words to motivate their children. But could they be mistakenly praising the value of ability over effort? Matthew Syed, the author of “Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice” asks whether parents encourage their children in the right way. Take a glance at these expressions of encouragement:

"You learned that so quickly, you're so smart!"
"Look at that drawing. Are you the next Picasso or what?"
"You're so brilliant - you passed that exam without really studying!"

They come across as precisely the kind of confidence-boosting statements that should be given to children or, indeed, anyone else. Such phrases are used in homes every day, particularly with exams looming.

The question of talent versus effort influences the way we think, feel, and the way we engage with our world. To see how, consider a youngster who believes excellence is all about talent - labelled the "fixed mindset". Why would she bother to work hard? If she has the right genes, won't she just cruise to the top? And if she lacks talent, well, why bother at all? And who can blame a youngster for this kind of attitude, given the underlying premise?

But where does excellence come from? For a long time, it was thought the answer to this hinged, to a large degree, on genetic inheritance. Or, to put it another way, it is all about talent. But dozens of studies have found that top performers - whether in maths, music or whatever - learn no faster than those who reach lower levels of attainment - hour after hour, they improve at almost identical rates. The difference is simply that high achievers practise for more hours. Further research has shown that when students seem to possess a particular gift, it is often because they have been given extra tuition at home by their parents. Over time, with the right kind of practice, we can change dramatically. It is not just the body that changes, but the anatomy of the brain. A study of pianists, for example, showed that the area of the brain governing finger movement is substantially larger than for the rest of us - but it did not start out like this; it grew with practice.

If, on the other hand, she really believes that effort trumps talent - labelled the "growth mindset" - she will persevere. Those with a growth mindset do not regard their abilities as set in genetic stone. These are the youngsters who approach tasks with gusto. "I may not be good at maths now, but if I work hard, I will be really good in the future!" Intelligence-based praise orients the receiver towards the fixed mindset - it suggests to them that intelligence is of primary importance rather than the effort through which intelligence can be transformed.

It all means that those pupils who say “there is no point revising” are wrong and that, perhaps, practice really does make perfect.

Tim Connole
Deputy Head