What is an effective method for teachers to promote a growth mindset?

Praising resilience and effort, rather than solely intelligence, is an effective method for teachers to promote a growth mindset because it fosters an environment where students understand that their abilities can improve through hard work and persistence. When teachers recognize and value the process of learning—such as the effort students put into overcoming challenges—they help cultivate a belief that skills and intelligence are not fixed traits, but rather qualities that can develop over time.

This approach encourages students to embrace challenges, learn from feedback, and persist in the face of setbacks. It reinforces the idea that effort leads to improvement, making students more likely to engage in learning and take risks in their educational journey. By focusing on effort and resilience, teachers can create a classroom culture that celebrates growth and personal development, which is key to instilling a growth mindset.

In contrast, encouraging only natural talents would imply that success is dependent solely on innate abilities, undermining the value of effort and learning. Focusing on competition might discourage collaboration and create anxiety among students, detracting from the learning process. Providing no feedback at all leaves students without the guidance needed to understand their progress or areas for improvement, failing to support their growth mindset development.