An earlier version of this article was published on the Empowered Teacher magazine. “Our education systems do not make children future-ready”, sounds all too familiar? I guess we all agree that what we need is an education system which is more than just academics and standardised tests. So, what is that secret ingredient that makes our children future-ready?
So, what does future-readiness mean in the VUCA world? We need people who are problem finders and problem solvers. That essentially means, we need the flames of creativity and exploration inside the kindergarten students to shine long after they leave kindergarten, instead of compelling them to kill it. If our education systems do not serve this purpose, it is impossible to guarantee that no child is left behind when it comes to future readiness.
In order to create a pool of innovative people, our children should be equipped to learn how to learn, unlearn and relearn. With this intention, schools usually set out to create innovation projects and technology classes. But what most forget about is the mindset. Nurturing the right mindset in children is essential to enable them to create their own future possibilities.
Secret Ingredient for infinite possibilities and success
In my work helping educational institutions and corporations build growth mindset and innovation, I come across one question very often — What is the secret ingredient that helps individuals, children and organizations ready for the future? There is only one answer – grow your growth mindset.
So, what is growth mindset all about? Growth Mindset is a term that Stanford Professor Carol Dweck introduced after her years of studies on the psychology behind academic success. She classifies our mindset into two – growth mindset and fixed mindset.
People who consciously cultivate a growth mindset believe that they have direct influence in changing themselves for the better. They cultivate attitudes, behaviors and beliefs that position themselves towards progress and success. So, is growth mindset all about having a positive outlook in life? The answer is – it is not, although that helps.
People with a growth mindset think that they have the ability to change their intelligence, talents and attitudes. They believe that they can do it with hard work, planning, learning and reflection. They focus on the process rather than the outcome. Studies have found that in a growth mindset environments innovation, collaboration, learning and growth flourish.
So, why does growth mindset work?
Growth Mindset is enjoying much acceptance and popularity in the education industry. Many successful corporations too have embraced growth mindset. Organisations like Microsoft have adopted growth mindset for developing their employees’ potential and innovative mindset.
The effectiveness of growth mindset is hugely supported by the latest discoveries in the neuroscience field. Our brain has an amazing gift called neuroplasticity. As the word suggests, it means that our brain is like a plastic. It means that we can mold our brain in any way we want to.
Neuroplasticity is our brain’s marvelous ability to reorganize itself based on the experience and exposure we subject it to. This reorganizing could come from our actions, efforts, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes among other things. In simple words, we can rewire our brain. So the question is, if we can really rewire our brain, how do we do that? Growth Mindset is the way to make that possible.
Why do several growth mindset initiatives fail?
Despite the wide acceptance of growth mindset, many educational institutions fail at implementing or sustain growth mindset initiatives. Some of the main reasons behind that are
1. Lack of implementation tools
Teachers and schools find it difficult to find step-by-step processes to implement growth mindset as part of their pedagogy. As a result, the adoption is left with individual teachers or implementing it wrongly or abandoning it altogether. Having a clear implementation plan and sufficient resources is essential for the success of growth mindset project that lasts.
2. Not starting from the right group
Many educational institutions embark on their growth mindset journey with growth mindset workshops for students. This is a wrong approach. A growth mindset journey should start with the school management, school leaders and educators.
3. Confining growth mindset within the classroom
Four centuries of conventional school system has conditioned our brains to look at everything about education as subjects and academics. Anything that is not part of the conventional ‘subjects’ is termed ‘extra-curricular’. Whereas, when you decide to adopt a growth mindset, it is essential that you take the decision to create a culture of continuous improvement in every area of the life of your students and faculty – a culture that makes children future-ready. Furthermore, teachers who practice growth mindset is an essential component to ensure the success of a growth mindset initiative.
As you will read in my book Infinite Possibilities: Unlock your real potential with the secret recipes of superachievers, many successful people in the world today were not academically exceptional. It is the growth mindset in their overall outlook of their life and dreams that helped them to achieve their stupendous stature. Schools need to Implement growth mindset in every area, from classrooms to the sports field and the school canteen to faculty rooms.
Adopting a growth mindset is a culture change project. Experience, tools, and a long-term approach really matter here. If you would like to read more about growth mindset and its application in education, read Infinite Possibilities. If parents and teachers of today embrace a culture of growing their growth mindset, that will do wonders in developing generations of future ready children.
Growth Mindset is the only way you can develop, boost and sustain the growth mindset in your school.
You can download a complimentary copy of the high resolution Growth Mindset Infographics for your school or home at www.asmanyminds.com/growth-mindset-resources/
Have you read my latest book Infinite Possibilities: Unlock your real potential with the secret recipes from superachievers? It comes with 10 case studies, 11 manifestos and 55 steps to unleash your own real potential by boosting your growth mindset. Furthermore, it will show you how you can apply Infinite Possibilities in your personal, professional and academic lives. You can get a copy of it here or at Amazon for yourself, your team, your student or child.
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You can find another version of this article here.
Have you read Sindu Sreebhavan’s latest book Infinite Possibilities? You can find it here.
Share this article with your friends and colleagues, so that they too are aware of this amidst their busy schedules.
Do you have any insights or tips that you use? Would you like to share that? Please use the comments section below and let us know!
© 2018 – 2019, Sindu Sreebhavan. All rights reserved.
About Sindu Sreebhavan
Sindu Sreebhavan is the founder of As Many Minds Minds Pte Ltd and the founding Chief Editor of The Kidz Parade Edutainment magazine, Asia's premium publication for cultivating creativity and creative writing in children. Sindu is also the founder and the Chairperson of International Youth Leadership and Innovation Forum (IYLIF). Sindu is the author of 'Infinite Possibilities' and the lead co-author of Amazon bestseller 'Breakthrough'. With a passion to infuse innovation in education and inject growth mindset and innovative mindset in people and organisations, Sindu writes, speaks and consults on innovation and creativity in business and education. She says innovation does not start with invention, it starts with a mindset. “The best gift you can give a child is the power of Confidence, Creativity and Communication” is her tagline. She is passionate about educating educators, parents and children about youth development, youth leadership, education innovation and 21st century education. She supports children, parents, schools and several organisations in these areas.
