How To Grow Your Child s Mind
Areas we will cover: Growth Mindsets Philosophy for Children (P4C) Mindfulness Special Announcement.
You are so clever. You seem to be able to turn your hand to anything. Never mind you are good at other things. Maths just isn t one of your talents, you re more creative. Let s try an easier one You are such a natural at Maths. This is definitely a gift of yours. We may encourage fixed mindsets without realising it.
You tried really hard and it s even better than the last one. Try different ways until you find the right one for you. That was a good way to solve that. You are getting better and improving every time you do this. I know that you can do better than this with a little more focus. Why not take some more time to improve this bit. Everyone has to work at it. That approach might not be the best for you. There is a mistake here, but what can you do to put that right, how can you avoid it next time?
Our teaching and learning is developed around growth mindsets to promote: a love for learning and self-improvement a desire to be challenged & motivated a curious nature a willingness to work for positive results a belief that you can control the outcomes in your life with effort and practice the ability to learn from mistakes and failures emotional resilience & buoyancy.
: Increase attainment Improve motivation Reduce problem behaviours Conquer stereotypes Improve reports of life-satisfaction We can change children s Mindsets.
Empower your children at home and help them to succeed 1. High Expectations Focus expectations on: Effort Improvements Resilience Experimentation Persistence Not just outcomes Focus on learning goals (rather than performance goals) Expect children to develop a Growth Mindset!
2. Building Resilience The key is being willing to try and not giving up If children believe they have control over their learning, they are more likely to persevere despite challenges Requires the ability to overcome negative feelings when finding a task difficult and keep going Talking about negative feelings helps to off-load anxiety so mental resources can focus on task in hand Help them to link positive feelings to a hard task This is exciting but challenging! This is exciting and challenging!
3.Celebrate mistakes The fear of making mistakes can stop children from trying Discourage blaming others for mistakes instead try to encourage celebrating mistakes! A normal part of learning process for everyone Create space to make, discuss and learn from mistakes Use role models: when you have good examples of success, explore the process, effort and mistakes
4.Growth Feedback Give process praise Effort Strategy Interpret setbacks as need to persist, needing more effort or result of inappropriate strategies Use task praise What is better/worse than the last attempt? What is good/is not good, realistic, neat, correct etc. about the product?
Further suggestions
Philosophy for Children or opens up children s learning through the exploration of ideas. P4C is designed to get everybody thinking Creative thinking -The willingness to speculate, take risks and imagine Critical thinking using reasoned thoughts to build arguments Collaborative thinking the sharing and challenging of ideas Caring thinking - everything is set up in order to foster consideration and respect for everyone
Philosophical discussions around topics like truth, fairness and knowledge can improve progress in maths and reading by an average of two months.
Benefits for Children A way to open up children s learning through enquiry and the exploration of ideas. Children realise that there is not always a right answer and all ideas are valued. They have the confidence to ask questions and learn through discussion. All learners (including teachers) have opportunities to genuinely enquire. A chance to speak and be heard without fear of getting an answer wrong. Intelligence and respect for others grows. Gives all children a voice and a chance to flourish. Gives all children a chance to think outside the box and to celebrate others inspiring ideas. Raises children s self esteem and social responsibility.
How often do our children stump us? "Hey, I have a question, could the whole world be nothing but a dream?" "When I went to the dentist and he gave me an injection, it really hurt. I didn't cry, but I was really scared. Does that mean I wasn't really brave? How do we know that colours are that colour?
I wonder what might happen if.? I wonder why that happened? What do you think about that? I wonder what other people think about that. What do you like or what do you not like about What is the same or what is different Would you rather Give me a because
Involves learning to direct your attention moment by moment, with an open mind, not thinking about what has happened in the past or what might happen in the future. It trains us to respond skilfully to what is happening right now, be it good or bad. Research indicates mindfulness can help children improve their abilities to pay attention, focus, to calm down when they are upset, improve relationships and to make better decisions. In short, it helps with emotional regulation and cognitive focus.
1. Listen to the bell. An easy way for children to practice mindfulness is to focus on paying attention to what they can hear. You can use a bell, a set of chimes or a phone app that has sounds on it. Tell your children that you will make the sound, and they should listen carefully until they can no longer hear the sound (which is usually 30 seconds to a minute). 2. Practice with a breathing buddy. Using a soft toy and then your child lies down on their back with their buddy on their tummy. They focus their attention on the rise and fall of the stuffed animal as they breathe in and out.
3. Make your walks mindful. Take a noticing walk. When walking notice things you haven't seen before. Designate one minute of the walk where you are completely silent and simply pay attention to all the sounds you can hear. 4. Establish a gratitude practice. Gratitude is a fundamental component of mindfulness, teaching children to appreciate the small things in their lives, as opposed to focusing on all the things they want such as toys. At dinner, try sharing one thing to be thankful for.
5. Try the SpiderMan mindfulness! (in your pack) This practice teaches children to activate their "spidey-senses" and their ability to focus on all they can smell, taste, and hear in the present moment. Great for boys! 6. Check your personal weather report. Encourage your child to summon the weather report that best describes [their] feelings at the moment. Sunny, rainy, stormy, calm, windy, tsunami? This activity allows children to observe their present state without overly identifying with their emotions. They can't change the weather outside, and we can't change our emotions or feelings either. All we can change is how we relate to them.
7. Make a Mind Jar. A mind jar is a bit like a snow globe - shake it up and watch the storm! But soon, if we sit and breathe and simply watch the disturbance, it settles. As do our minds. 8. Practice mindful eating. The exercise of mindfully eating a raisin or a piece of chocolate is a staple of mindfulness education, and is a great activity for kids.