How can you communicate with parents to foster a growth mindset and positive attitude?

1 Explain the growth mindset

The growth mindset is the belief that abilities and skills can be improved through effort, feedback, and practice. It contrasts with the fixed mindset, which assumes that talents and intelligence are innate and unchangeable. Research has shown that the growth mindset can boost motivation, resilience, and academic achievement in students. To communicate this concept to parents, you can use examples from your classroom, such as how students overcome challenges, learn from mistakes, and celebrate progress. You can also share resources, such as books, videos, or websites, that explain the benefits of the growth mindset and how to foster it at home.

2 Use positive and specific feedback

Feedback is a powerful tool to communicate with parents and to reinforce the growth mindset. However, not all feedback is equally effective. To promote a positive attitude and a focus on learning, you should avoid vague or generic praise, such as "good job" or "well done". Instead, you should use positive and specific feedback, such as "I appreciate how you worked hard on your math project" or "You showed great creativity and curiosity in your science experiment". This way, you can acknowledge the students' efforts, strategies, and achievements, and encourage them to keep improving.

3 Set realistic and meaningful goals

Another way to communicate with parents and to foster the growth mindset is to set realistic and meaningful goals for their children. Goals can help students to monitor their progress, to identify their strengths and areas of improvement, and to celebrate their successes. However, goals should be realistic, meaning that they are challenging but attainable, and meaningful, meaning that they are relevant and aligned with the students' interests and values. To set realistic and meaningful goals, you can involve both the students and the parents in the process, and use tools such as rubrics, checklists, or portfolios to track and share the outcomes.

4 Address challenges and difficulties

Communicating with parents is not only about sharing positive feedback and achievements, but also about addressing challenges and difficulties that their children may face. Sometimes, parents may have unrealistic or negative expectations, or they may react with frustration or criticism when their children struggle. This can undermine the growth mindset and the positive attitude, and affect the students' self-esteem and confidence. To prevent or resolve these issues, you should communicate with parents regularly and proactively, and use a supportive and empathetic tone. You should also explain the causes and consequences of the challenges, and offer suggestions and resources to help the parents support their children.

5 Invite collaboration and participation

One of the best ways to communicate with parents and to foster the growth mindset and the positive attitude is to invite collaboration and participation. This means that you should treat parents as partners in their children's education, and value their input and feedback. You should also provide opportunities for parents to get involved in the classroom activities, such as volunteering, attending events, or contributing to projects. By inviting collaboration and participation, you can build trust and rapport with parents, and create a positive and supportive learning environment for their children.

6 Model the growth mindset and the positive attitude

Finally, you should model the growth mindset and the positive attitude yourself, as a teacher and as a communicator. This means that you should demonstrate your own willingness to learn, to improve, and to overcome challenges. You should also show your enthusiasm, curiosity, and appreciation for your students and their parents. By modeling the growth mindset and the positive attitude, you can inspire and influence both the students and the parents, and create a culture of learning and growth in your classroom and beyond.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?