Growth Mindset
A learning psychology, developed by Stanford researcher Carol Dweck, that holds intelligence and ability are not fixed: they grow with effort, strategy and feedback. The opposite is a 'fixed mindset'.
Fixed vs growth
A child with a fixed mindset says, 'I'm bad at Math.' A child with a growth mindset says, 'I haven't cracked this kind of Math yet.' That single word, 'yet', is the heart of growth-mindset language. It reframes failure as data, not identity.
How schools build it
Teachers praise effort, strategy and improvement rather than only marks. Mistakes are normalised: even celebrated as 'mistakes of the day' that everyone learned from. Display boards show drafts and revisions, not just polished final work. Report cards comment on persistence and risk-taking, not just outcomes.
What parents can do
Replace 'You're so smart' with 'You worked hard at that' or 'I like how you tried a different way.' Avoid comparing siblings. When a child says 'I can't', add 'yet' aloud. Over a year, these tiny language shifts visibly change how a child approaches challenge.
Related terms
Differentiated Instruction
An approach in which the teacher plans different tasks, materials or supports for different learners in the same classroom, so each child works at the right level of challenge.
Life Skills Education
A WHO-defined set of ten psycho-social skills, self-awareness, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, interpersonal skills, communication, stress management and emotion management, taught explicitly in school.
Value Education
A broader, umbrella term for the deliberate teaching of personal, social and constitutional values, extending Moral Science into citizenship, financial responsibility and digital ethics.