How to Use Growth Mindset to Make Learning More Exciting (Part 2)

In Part 1 of my Growth Mindset series, I introduced the two types of mindsets - fixed and growth - and explored how they influence the learning experience. I explored how a growth mindset can have a positive impact on learner progress and help learners take ownership over their own learning process.

In this second part of the series, I’ll take a look at the ways in which the facilitator can tap into a growth mindset to build incredible learning programs that inspire and motivate learners. I’m covering three essential aspects of a learning experience – facilitation, learning culture, and assessments – and discuss how to enhance them with a growth mindset approach.

Here’s what to keep an eye out for (and what to avoid) when incorporating a growth mindset into your learning programs:

Facilitation and Communication

• Communicate the positive role of failures, mistakes and challenges?
• Highlight learners’ efforts and development throughout the course.??
• Have high expectations of learners and encourage them to do their best

As a facilitator, the ideas and perspectives you communicate with your learners are incredibly important and can help you set up the ideal learning environment.?

One way to emphasise the growth mindset is by showing an example. For instance, as a facilitator, you could share your own learning struggles and talk about how you got through them. What did that require from you and what did you learn during the process? This can lead to an encouraging experience for learners that makes them realise that they’re not alone with their struggles, and to a deeper discussion, which creates trust between you and your learners.

Another way to educate and communicate with students about a growth mindset is to include a YouTube video on the topic, such as this one, into the course. Follow it up by asking learners whether they identify with the mindsets and have an open discussion on the subject. Share your own thoughts and experiences too!

Lastly, remember that learners thrive in an encouraging environment. Which is why it is essential to convey high expectations of your learners and regularly recognize their efforts, courage and development throughout the course. Over time, learners begin to understand that the purpose of the learning program is for them to grow and develop, not compete and perform.

Creating an Active Learning Culture

• Encourage mastery orientation. Remind learners of their personal learning goals and challenge them to evaluate their own progress.?
• Encourage collaboration and participation by sharing knowledge through questions, comments and discussions.?

A growth mindset can also be fostered in a learning experience simply by shifting from a passive to an active learning culture.?

So, what do I mean by an active learning culture?

In an active learning culture, learners oversee their own learning. In other words, part of the responsibility of the overall learning process is moved to the learner.?

As a facilitator, you can evoke this responsibility by giving learners opportunities to decide for themselves. Perhaps they could propose their own questions based on their interests, or choose tasks from a set of choices. This gives learners a sense of autonomy and ownership, which is a requirement of an active learning culture.

You can also, in addition to course goals, ask learners to choose and focus on a few personal goals that are important to them. Throughout your course, you can remind learners to keep not only the course learning goals but also their personal goals in mind. Challenge them to honestly track, assess and define their own progress with respect to these goals. Using self-assessments is a great way to make the learning process more concrete: succeeding is not related to their innate qualities, but to their strategies and effort.

Collaborative learning is a wonderful way to encourage the growth mindset. Have learners learn from each other in collaborative activities where they explore open-ended questions or a case.

Recent research has shown that learning programs that explore open-ended questions collaboratively can have a tremendous effect on the mindset. When the focus is shifted from an individualistic learner to a collective learning community, also the way intelligent activity is seen changes towards one where “diversity overcomes ability”. That means the learners understand that the group cannot succeed without everyone’s input and see the value of everyone’s collective efforts. This on the other hand creates a sense of contribution: the feeling that you are participating in something worthwhile.

Collective projects also relieve pressure from an individual learner and may provide opportunities of creative failure. When exploring topics that are complicated and the process is new, failing together is actually a natural, and an important part of the learning process.

Using Assessments and Giving Feedback

• Use formative assessment and give feedback often?
• Provide opportunities for learners to improve their work based on feedback??
• Give honest critical feedback when needed?

When it comes to creating learning experiences, there are many ways to approach the topic of assessments and feedback. But if fostering a growth mindset is your goal, here are a few key things to keep in mind.?

Let us look at the two most common types of assessments included in learning experiences across various fields: summative assessments and formative assessments.

Summative assessments, also known as end-of-course assessments, are found in many contexts from basic education to corporate training. They occur at the end of a course. You know, that big (sometimes scary) test that covers everything you learned throughout the course? That one.?

Formative assessments, on the other hand, are when learning is constantly evaluated, and feedback is provided during the span of the course.?

The problem with summative assessments is that they usually end up being a learner’s one and only chance of demonstrating their competence. But then why should learners be limited to a single chance to demonstrate their knowledge and skills?

With formative assessments, however, feedback is a continual part of the assessment process. This can be a far more effective approach since research has shown that feedback helps learners reach the gap between where they are now and where they want to be.?

If, for example, you focus on teaching the value of mistakes and failures, you can create learning opportunities where learners can freely explore and take risks. This means that learners are not penalised for wrong answers but learn to appreciate the value of trial and error. By giving frequent feedback, you enhance the learning process and give learners space for mistakes and failures, both of which can be important learning opportunities. Constant feedback has proven to be a crucial part of instilling a growth mindset in learners as it enables them to evaluate their learning fairly and more effectively.?

Apart from receiving frequent feedback, learners must also get opportunities to use that feedback and keep making attempts to put the feedback into practice. As a facilitator, you can do this by allowing learners to submit their assessments more than once. The only difference? This time they get to make corrections based on the feedback given by you or their peers.

Lastly, when giving feedback, remember to be honestly critical when necessary. The idea is not to lower your expectations of learners but to help them understand where they need to be going. Balance critical feedback by telling learners what they are doing well and providing suggestions on how they can improve their work in the future. Feedback should be taking them forward.

What to Avoid

Now that we’ve taken a little tour of the things that you should do to foster a growth mindset in your online learning experience, it’s time to go over a few things that, while well-intended, can have just the opposite effect.

Dont’s for Growth Mindset

1. Make comparisons or highlight learners who have performed the best?
2. Praise for effort when that effort isn’t producing any outcomes
3. Forget to provide learning tools

At this point it should be clear why highlighting performance is detrimental for learners: It creates unnecessary pressure on learners and instills a fixed mindset.?

When giving feedback it might be tempting to praise your learner’s effort especially if you can see that they have invested a lot of time. Nevertheless, if that effort is put into the wrong things and does not produce the wanted results, it’s just going to be demotivating for the learner. Rather, give them honest critical feedback and concrete suggestions for improvement and let them try again.

Finally, a growth mindset truly helps when starting a new challenge, but it doesn’t go a long way if learners don’t know how to study, work or learn. Mindsets are a great starting point, but they’re not magic. If you see learners struggling, you can give them practical tips on how they should be working and learning.?

Parting Words: Be Patient

As a facilitator you have a huge impact on your learning community in the ways you communicate, structure your course and provide feedback and use assessments. It’s a great opportunity to instill some light and hope for learners.

However, mindsets develop from a combination of things so be sure to be patient. Changing the mentality from a passive and probably individualistic learning culture to an active and collaborative one can be difficult for you but also for your learners. Change doesn't happen over night and it requires many baby steps.