Growth Mindset and Positive Learning Culture
We believe it is important to set a firm foundation for all children and have developed a Learning Culture in the school based on Shirley Clarke’s Formative Assessment.
This starts in each year group by getting the children to understand what makes a good attitude for learning. By using an analogy based on the brain being seen as a muscle, the children quickly understand that ‘intelligence’ is owned by everyone. By putting in effort, as we do in growing muscles through exercise, all children are intelligent and grow their intelligence through effort and owning a ‘Growth Mind-set’.
A ‘Growth Mind-Set’ is achieved by knowing: all intelligence is expandable, challenge is embraced, to persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the way and learn from constructive feedback. Children realise that through this they can reach ever higher levels of achievement and their full potential. The sky really is not the limit but just the beginning!
The children learn, through a combination of a series of lessons, and being introduced to eight learning skills as characters, how to become the most successful learner they can be. Here we introduce you to the eight learning characteristics and skills: