Growth Mindsets
Talbot Primary School has been developing Growth Mindsets with our staff and pupils for more than three years. This is the belief that people’s potential is enormous and we all have the capacity to achieve incredible things; however, those with Growth Mindsets also accept that this will not always be an easy or quick journey. We need to be prepared to work hard and work smartly. It is summed up in the phrase “effort and strategies equal success.” By contrast, a Fixed Mindset is the belief that people can do some things well (innate talent), but could never succeed at something else; therefore, they would tend to avoid the opportunities where they felt less confident.
How to develop a Growth Mindset
To support a Growth Mindset approach to learning, Talbot Primary School teaches specific learning characteristics. We want pupils and staff to develop the fundamental learning habits of effort, courage, focus, independence, perseverance and resilience. These ideas are represented by our learning heroes, which were created by pupils from every year group, and are now displayed across school. They are:
Busy Bee (effort): Character designed by Eva B (Year 1), with the name designed by Frankie K (Year 6)
“Bees represent effort, because they work tirelessly to collect the nectar for their hives. At school, we should make an effort too, so we can learn more.
Courage Climber: Character designed by Ada L (Year 2), with the name designed by Florence MM (Year 6)
“It takes great courage to climb a mountain, especially alone. We should also be brave, when trying to learn difficult, new things.”
Fancy Focus: Character designed by Etta C (Year 2), with the name designed by Ivy T (Year 6)
“Cameras can focus in on tiny details, which allows them to take clearer pictures. If we show focus in school, we will be clearer about what we are learning.”
Independent Incy: Character designed by Sami A (Year 4), with the name designed by Emma P (Year 6)
“Spiders make complicated webs by themselves and survive alone. Where possible, we should try to do complete our learning independently too, as this will check our understanding.”
Perseverance Penguin: Character designed by Tilly S (Year 5), with the name designed by Agam L (Year 6)
“Penguins struggle to bring up their chicks in the freezing Antarctic. When the learning gets tough, we should try and persevere too, rather than give up.”
Resilient Cacti: Character co-designed by Albie W and Binyameen A (Year 6), with the name designed by Lydia D (Year 6
"Cacti survive in the driest deserts, demonstrating fantastic resilience to the elements. When something goes wrong with our learning, we shouldn’t crumble and get upset either.
Learning Journeys: “Important learning takes time”
School has adopted the image of jigsaws to represent the learning process. The School Council voted for this design in September 2023, because they wanted people to understand that learning can be tricky, and sometimes a little overwhelming at the start – just like attempting a massive jigsaw.
Significant adults, friends or clever strategies, can help you solve a jigsaw more easily; for example, you can start with edge pieces, sort the colours into groups or use the picture on the box to copy from. This is very similar to learning, where listening carefully to a teacher, working with a friend or using a resource will make the learning easier.
Don’t put a ceiling on ambition: “The Power of Yet”
Growth Mindset expert, Caroline Dweck, explains how aspirations can be raised with a single word – “yet”. Click here to watch her explanation of this approach.
