GROWTHMINDSET

in the art room

Kari Lomax

GROWTHMINDSET

IDEAS ABOUT GROWTHMINDSET

CAROLDWECK

According to  psychologist Carol Dweck, those

with a fixed mindset believe that yourintelligence is innate and cannot be improved.

Those with a growth mindset believe theopposite; they believe your intelligence can be

stretched and grown. 

"Students who understandthat intelligence isn't fixedare more willing to tacklechallenges, learn from

failure, and see criticism asuseful feedback."-Carol Dweck

GROWTHMINDSETin art

5 WAYS TO SHIFTKIDS MINDSET

COLLABORATE

EMBRACE CHALLENGES

PRACTICEDon’t be afraid to tell kids “that’s tooeasy”. Collaborate with them to findwork that is suitably challenging.

Remind kids that success takes work. Ifstudents want to learn to throw on the wheel,they need to be practicing every day. If theywant to draw from observation, they need to getout the drawing pencils and paper on a regularbasis.

Embrace the challenges, and embracethe mistakes. That’s how we learn. That’show we advance.

Give effusive praise for kids’ effort–not fortheir talent. Students get plenty of praisefor their talent from their classmates andtheir other teachers. Show them that youappreciate the work they put in to their art.

GROWTH VS. FIXED MINDSET

A “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence,and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change inany meaningful way. A “growth mindset,” on the other hand,thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence ofunintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth andfor stretching our existing abilities.

Learning to draw (or sculpt, or paint, or throw on the wheel) isabout practice. And more practice. And more practice. Themore you work, the better you become. If you can get your kidsinto the growth mindset, you can get them to realize that workequals success. All it takes to get kids into that growth mindseand achieving their potential is a few simple strategies.

ENCOURAGE

EMBRACE CRITICISMTeach kids to embrace criticism. Docritiques–both formal and informal–andencourage your kids to use that feedback andadvice to get better.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

in art

THINK LIKEAN ARTIST

ART MAKING ASINTELLIGENCE

"I can't draw"

"I'm not creative"

"I give up"

"I messed up, I need tostart over"

"This is as good as it willever get"

"I don't care to try this"

"They are so much betterthan I will ever be"

"I'm on the right track!"

"I can try my best!"

"Mistakes help me learn"

"This is going to takesome time"

"What can I do to make iteven better?"

"I won't give up, I can askfor help"

"What am I missing?"

FIXED GROWTH

SHOWCASESTUDENT "I CAN'T DO IT... YET!"

growth

Mindful Moments activityMy favorite Mistake exit ticketPraise the process, give feedbackTED Talks: Carol Dweck, Angela LeeDuckworth: The key to success? Grit.Videos: Austin's Butterfly, Kid PresidentBooks: Beautiful Oops, The Dot, Ish,Extra Yarn, The Most MagnificentThing, What do you do with an idea?Fantastic Elastic BrainReflective writing, journal promptsClass critiquesMindset survey www.mindsetkit.org

strategiesfor the art room

TEACHERMINDSET

BE A LEADER

too!

Don’t neglect the growth mindset for yourselfeither. You should embrace the challengesand embrace the mistakes right along with

your students. A growth mindset will help youas a teacher, and more importantly, it will helpyour students be successful in your art room.

TIPS FOR TEACHERS

1. See yourself as a learner! Just like thestudents who are all capable of learning &

improving, you are too!

2. Try new things and make mistakes. Beapart of the process and take initiative to try

something new in your classroom.

3. Self­reflect! Build time in to self­reflect at theend of the day. Blog, doodle, journal, be mindful

of your new ideas and reflect upon your

successes, and most importantly your mistakes.

GROWTH MINDSETreflection journal

All things areDIFFICULT

before theyare EASY.

Growth Mindset in the art roomKari Lomax