Building a Growth Mindset at Central Middle School | Vision 2015

How do you talk to students to motivate them to work harder?? What can you say to co-workers to help them improve their morale?? What daily words can you use to let people understand your true feelings?

These are the kind of hard questions that Central Middle School is encouraging their staff to ask themselves and their colleagues. This direction is part of their effort to change the way they talk to and about students.? Through their work with the Vision Network this year, Central Middle School staff have seen how the right words, said in the right way, can foster a growth mindset? ? the belief that hard work will lead to success ? in students and staff, and help push them to achieve at their full potential.? Simply using particular language can create an environment that discourages growth, decimates morale, and leads to students and staff feeling that their school environment is not meeting their needs.

The staff at Central Middle has been taking a critical look at the language they use in their school, identifying words and statements that will help them, and their students, meet their goals.? They are using their internal communications, posting growth mindset statements around the building, and setting goals for how they will ensure their actions lead to higher student achievement.? Each of these actions is helping to change the tone and expectations for staff and students, and in turn is changing the culture within the building to one where the actions of every adult and every student are aligned towards success.

William Green, an eighth grade special education and math teacher at Central, has been using growth mindset statements with his students for many years since he learned?that several of the students?had low self-confidence and morale.?By continuously?validating his students and encouraging them to put forth their best effort,?many of his?students have enjoyed?social and academic success.?? In his words: ?During the first week of?school, I always share this clich? with?the students ? ?If you and your family were starving, would you rather I give you?fish?or teach you how to fish??? The students get the message immediately?and make reference to the same throughout the year.? When students approach me for assistance,?I?let?them?know that ?I will do almost anything to?help those?who help themselves??.? In Mr. Green?s classroom, you can hear students making statements like, ?You will get as much out of the lesson?as you put in,? ?your grades would be better than mine, if you put forth the effort,? ?I didn?t think I could do it until I put forth the effort,? and ?trying beats failure every time.?

To learn more about the Growth Mindset work at Central Middle, please contact Principal Darren Guido at darren.guido@capital.k12.de.us.?? To learn more about the Vision Network, please contact Michael Rasmussen at michael.rasmussen@vision2015delaware.org.

kristin cavallari