Global research and good practice consistently delivers the same message: learning is greatly affected by what learners perceive they can or cannot do. What’s more, it is also shaped by what their parents, carers and teachers perceive they can do. Mindset – the thinking that determines our beliefs and behaviours – therefore has a fundamental impact on teaching and learning.
Mastery methods in maths focus on the distinction between ‘fixed’ and ‘growth’ mindsets1. Those with a fixed mindset believe that their basic qualities (e.g. intelligence, talent and ability to learn) are pre-wired or fixed traits: ‘If you have a talent for maths, you’ll succeed at it. If not, too bad!’. By contrast, those with a growth mindset believe that hard work, effort and commitment drive success and that ‘smart’ is not something you are or are not, but something you become. In short, everyone can do maths!
A growth mindset needs to be actively nurtured and developed. The methods used when teaching for mastery in maths focus on the same dispositions we use with a ‘growth’ mindset.
Here are some key strategies for fostering healthy growth mindsets in your maths classroom.
1. Remember that mistakes are GREAT
It’s important to see mistakes as opportunities for learning. When presenting maths problems to a class, you could suggest incorrect answers as well as correct ones. You can then use these as opportunities to discuss children’s reasoning and encourage them to explain to each other what they think and why they think it.
At its peak, in a growth mindset maths classroom, children love getting answers wrong as it’s an opportunity to learn and discuss. Mistakes are valuable opportunities to re-think and understand more deeply. Learning is richer when children and teachers alike focus on spotting and sharing mistakes as well as solutions. Encourage children to spot their own mistakes and the mistakes of others, discuss them and find a solution together.