This document outlines a workshop on promoting growth mindsets in learners. It discusses Carol Dweck's theory of fixed and growth mindsets, and how tutors can use language to support growth mindsets. Tutors are encouraged to express their belief in students' ability to improve, expect mistakes and failure as part of learning, and provide feedback focused on effort and progress rather than innate ability. Using language that emphasizes growth, such as "yet", can help students adopt a growth mindset and view challenges as opportunities to develop skills and knowledge. The workshop highlights examples of growth mindset promotion at NTU and invites participants to share their own strategies.

1. Learning to fail for success: tutor language
to promote resilience, tenacity and effective
learning
Dr Udaramati Pope
Centre for Professional Learning and Development

2. 05 November 2023 2
Workshop outcomes
By the end of this session you should be able to:
a) explain the principles of Dweck’s Mindset theory
b) identify ways you can use language to support growth mindsets in
your learners

3. What are ‘Mindsets’?
• Beliefs we all hold about our ability to learn and develop our skills
– What stories do we tell ourselves about our abilities when we are in learning
situations?
• Carol Dweck characterises two Mindsets:
– Fixed Mindset
– Growth Mindset
• They operate as ends of a continuum, rather than either/or
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4. Personalisation and Mindsets
• Helping students to develop Growth Mindsets helps them to have
agency of their learning, and their responses to failure
• To encourage Growth Mindsets, students need
– to know their tutors believe in them
– to know their tutors expect them to get things wrong
– their tutors to express these beliefs and expectations regularly
– their tutors to model the language of Growth Mindsets, so they can develop this
language, and way of thinking, about their own learning
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5. Dweck on the benefits of a Growth Mindset
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arCdzdBhCcc

6. Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Personal traits are fixed –
intelligence, talent, aptitude
Nothing can change these
Worry about their traits and how
adequate they are
Have something to prove to
selves and others
Believe that effort means you are
a failure
Afraid to fail and get things wrong
Personal qualities can be
developed through dedication and
effort
Brains and talent seen as the
starting point
Understand that accomplishment
at anything requires years of
passionate practice and learning
Embrace failure as the only way
to learn
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7. Activity: How do Mindsets appear in your
learners’ behaviours?
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
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8. Mindset misconceptions
• Not saying everyone can be a genius – but everyone can be better
than they are currently. And you don’t know you are a genius until
you become one!
• Not saying that everyone has skills and talents at everything – but
you can develop and improve any of them.
• It is not saying work harder work harder work harder and you will
get there – but is it saying you will get better.
• Not a panacea for success at anything. But for improvement, yes.
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9. Student responsibility, or tutor?
• Both!
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10. The importance of the tutor in developing
growth mindsets
• The onus for developing a Growth Mindset is often placed on the
learner
• The tutor’s role is just as important
• Learners need to know
– That you believe they can improve
– That you know they will fail, and expect them to, if they are to learn effectively
– That you will help them to know, completely honestly, what they can do, and
what they can’t do yet
– That you will help them to find strategies to develop more of a growth mindset
as they undertake their studies
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11. One strategy: the language of growth
mindsets
• The power of ‘yet’
• What you expect – mistakes, and often!
• That work is set to help them to develop, not to show what they can
or can’t do
• That you believe they can improve; that you are going to push
them, challenge them
• Feedback on work submitted focuses on the process and effort, not
ability
• Support learners when they are disappointed by showing the
opportunities for learning
• Feedback when you feel they were not challenged, and that you will
raise the level of challenge
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12. Activity: What can you change about the
language you use with your learners?
• When can you use language to support Growth Mindsets?
• What kind of language will you use to support this?
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13. Activity: What can you change about the
language you use with your learners?
• When can you use language to support Growth Mindsets?
– Beginning of the academic year
– At the start of each teaching session – and again within it
– When you give feedback
– When students succeed
– When students fail
• What kind of language will you use to support this?
– Expect to fail in order to learn – no-one learns by doing what they can already
do!
– I’m going to give honest, critical feedback so that you are very clear about what
you need to develop further/haven’t understood yet…
– This is challenging, keep working on it, and identify where you are unclear,
because that is the learning point we need to get to
– You are going to take a test which will enable you to know what you need to
work on further.
– I understand this mark is disappointing. So what are the learning points from
this piece? What do you need to work on next in order to improve?
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14. Current applications of Mindset theory at
NTU
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• Students taking Maths on computing degrees offered optional rather
than compulsory tests – more took them!
• Students in Business explicitly developed growth mindsets and
impact on their work placements has been immense; they also now
mentor newer students
• Impact on staff – less afraid of formative assessment, more aware
of their own mindsets when teaching
• Used with students in secondary schools in our Widening
Participation programmes
• Used with colleagues taking the Postgraduate Certificate in
Academic Practice course so that they are aware of their own
Mindsets when creating learning and teaching sessions and
materials

15. Please share how you support your learners
to develop growth mindsets!
• Email Udaramati.pope@NTU.ac.uk
• NTU Mindset Symposium: 12th December 2016 1-4pm
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16. Resources
• Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: how you can fulfil your potential. New
York: Ballantyne Books
• Dweck, C. (2000). Self Theories: their role in motivation,
personality, and development. Psychology Press,
• The Power of Yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyAde4nIIm8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-swZaKN2Ic
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