Session 6:
Being who we choose
Session overview
What if Kwan chose to view the situation from a different perspective rather than deciding to 'get back at' Ella? If he could have empathised with how she felt and 'reframed' or shifted his mindset, he may have acted differently.
Building on the idea introduced last time that 'good people sometimes act badly', Session Five introduces a framework for approaching situations more positively. Pupils can practise this structure and then use it in their lives to reduce the perception of their vulnerability to others. It examines the differences between what could be described as a 'fixed' and a 'growth' mindset. Children with a fixed mindset often believe in the natural ability to be great at something, that gifts and talents allow for brilliance in the few, and the rest can be condemned to the sidelines.
Conversely, children with a growth mindset tend to believe that hard work can achieve anything, recognising that while natural talent exists, it is less important than the effort to learn and improve our skills. They understand that no one is 'smart' or 'dumb', 'good' or 'bad'. They don't believe in geniuses that excel right from the beginning; only that hard-working people choose to take their abilities to the next level and act the way they think is right.
Session Six lays the foundation for one of the essential concepts for mental flourishing and resilience: the idea of a positive growth mindset. Constructing positive language helps children learn to apply such a mindset when choosing how they behave and react to others. To achieve this and ultimately equip children to face challenging situations such as change and transition, several preconditions are required:
They must believe they can learn to do difficult things.
They must have the perseverance to keep going when faced with obstacles.
They must confront challenging situations and risk not achieving a goal, understanding that failure is a valuable step in the learning process that leads to future success.
A. Session aims & objectives
Understand the difference between a growth and a fixed mindset.
Recognise the thoughts and 'self-talk' associated with each mindset.
Increase use of growth mindset strategies.
Counter their fixed mindset tendencies with growth mindset attributes.
Experience success and failure without lowering self-worth.
B. Learning outcomes
I understand the growth mindset and how to use it to overcome challenges.
I can use growth mindset phrases to overcome obstacles and enjoy learning.
I recognise that not achieving a challenging goal is part of learning and should not change how I see myself.
C. Terminology introduced
Example definitions of key terminology are included but, wherever possible, use pupils' agreed descriptions, as per previous sessions.
GROWTH MINDSET: Belief that we can develop most basic abilities through dedication and hard work. Brains and talent are just the starting point. Those with a growth mindset embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, view effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism, and find inspiration from the success of others.
FIXED MINDSET: Belief that basic qualities, like intelligence or talent, are fixed traits. Talent alone creates success without effort. Those with a fixed mindset avoid challenges, give up easily, see effort as fruitless, ignore feedback and feel threatened by others' success.
D. Resources required
❏ Kwan's story comic
❏ Slide pack for Session Six
(note: some activity slides are blank for you to make use of as you wish)
Session title
Learning outcomes for Session Six
Starter Activity — Developing a growth mindset
Activity 1 — Growth mindset in a jar
Activity 2 — Understanding our mindsets
Fixed mindset
Definition of fixed mindset
Growth mindset
Definitions of growth mindset
Plenary — Testing understanding of growth mindset
Learning outcomes for Session Five
❏ Resource Sheet 6a: Scenarios
❏ Resources for Activity 1:
Glass jar or transparent container
Marbles, buttons or similar counters to mark progress
Selection of growth mindset phrases on a poster in clear view
E. Assessment opportunities
The resource sheet used in the Plenary allows pupils to demonstrate an understanding of what they have learned in today's session.
Starter activity: Developing a 'growth mindset'
One of the challenges of developing a positive mindset is that children often treat the experience of finding something difficult as a reason to stop trying. This simple activity counteracts this, showing children that difficult situations are overcome through persistence. It also encourages them to recognise difficulty as evidence that their brain is trying to learn new things and that this is a sign to keep going rather than give up.
The activity enables children to hit the wall when learning by asking them to carry out a simple task in a new way. Pupils feel the difficulty and discomfort of this change but also notice what happens when they push through it. They learn to recognise that everything is tricky the first time, whether taking their first steps, learning to ride a bicycle, moving to a new school, or exploring space! Realising this can be an epiphany for some children, comforting them with the knowledge that all things can be difficult until we build our understanding, skill and experience. It's therefore essential to persevere and develop that experience, regardless of how difficult it might seem initially.
Recap and review ground rules as a class. Discuss any rules that worked well and any that didn't – do they need to change? Make amendments if required. Ensure pupils are clear about why ground rules are used and why they are so important.
EXPLAIN:
In today's session, we will look at how to adopt a positive or 'growth' mindset. To begin, we will perform the simple task of folding our arms/putting on our coats but in a different way than how we usually would.
Complete one or both of the following options:
OPTION A
Children should fold their arms across their chests (as if annoyed or bored), noticing the position of their hands and arms in relation to one another (usually, one hand is pointing up and the other is pointing down).
They then need to uncross their arms and re-cross them the opposite way around (the hand pointing up, now pointing down, etc.)
Ask the children how this feels. Typically, the responses will include reactions such as 'weird', 'odd', 'awful' and 'wrong'. Some may even struggle to make the switch.
OPTION B
Select children who are wearing coats, jackets, cardigans or blazers.
Ask them to put on their coats but to stop as soon as they put one arm in a sleeve and note whether this is their left or right arm.
Next, they should put their coat on again, using their other arm first.
Discuss how this feels and what they think would happen if they tried doing this every day for a week
EXPLAIN:
The activity demonstrates how it feels to learn something new. When we're used to doing something the same way for some time, even changing something this simple causes discomfort or makes it feel a little strange.
ASK:
What happens if you persist? Ask the children to repeatedly uncross and re-cross their arms the new (odd) way.
How does that feel now? How long before they notice it becoming more comfortable.
What can you take from this regarding finding learning new things difficult? Prompt for phrases like 'keep going', 'practising, 'not stopping when things feel odd'.
What would happen if, instead of feeling 'odd' (or any other description they used), you reminded yourselves you were learning, beginning or taking the first steps?
Encourage pupils to see the link between persistence and success in learning something new, despite feeling strange or uncomfortable.
Activity one: Growth mindset in a jar
Changing our language can significantly impact our mindset and how we approach obstacles or challenges. This activity considers how using more positive language acts as a mechanism to achieve greater success in the face of adversity. This technique is useful when thinking about change and transition generally and, in this case, the move to secondary school—and the activity can be run over several weeks or even terms. Pupils should be encouraged to maintain it through the remainder of the term, school year, and beyond!
EXPLAIN:
We will now practice an activity that will help remind us of what we need to do to succeed. Let's create a list of growth mindset phrases we will display in the classroom.
Encourage pupils to talk about and note phrases that remind them that hard work and effort lead to success and mistakes. Regularly remind them that obstacles and changes are part of the learning journey. They should come up with as many as possible in 5 minutes.
Examples :
I'm learning something new.
I can't do this yet, but if I keep going, I'll improve.
This isn't easy, but I won't give up.
The harder I work, the better I get.
If I try, perhaps I can. If I don't try, I never will.
That didn't go well. What else can I try?
I can do challenging things if I keep trying.
If someone else is good at something, I can learn from them.
Use the list to create a display in the class that pupils can refer to.
EXPLAIN:
For the rest of this session/programme/term, each time one of you uses one of the phrases, you get to put a counter in the jar. When the jar is full, the class receives a reward.
An additional strategy is to flag when you hear pupils using fixed mindset phrases and then ask them – with help from the class – to reframe it as a growth mindset phrase instead. When this is achieved, put a counter in the jar.
Activity two: Understanding our mindsets
Building on Activity 1, this activity helps pupils identify when mindset influences the likelihood of a successful outcome. By analysing particular scenarios from both a fixed and growth perspective, pupils will learn to recognise the two.
Teaching tip
Rather than using the scenarios below, model your own fixed - growth mindset scenario as an example and then encourage pupils to think about a time when they have done the same.
EXPLAIN:
Let's look at hypothetical scenarios we might encounter and how the way we deal with them might change depending on whether we adopt a 'fixed' or 'growth' mindset.
Use one or both of the following scenarios. Alternatively, use real situations from the school day, such as starting a new topic or struggling to learn something tricky.
Scenario 1
Ella feels some of her friends are good at everything while she is rubbish at everything.
There is a school photography competition, and Ella enjoys taking photographs and posting them online.
The prize for the competition is a fantastic camera and Ella would love to win it.
A friend has given her the entry form for the competition, but she is too afraid to enter.
She thinks she won't win, so there is no point.
She is worried she'll look stupid compared to all the other entries, which will probably be much better than hers, but she would love the camera.
ASK:
What are the fixed mindset thoughts she may be having?
What might be the results of these thoughts?
What are the growth mindset phrases she could use instead?
What might be the results of these thoughts?
How would a growth mindset help if she enters the competition and does not win?
Scenario 2
Kwan loves playing football. He has worked hard on his skills and has been chosen for the school team for the first time.
He is very excited to go to his first tournament.
During the tournament, Kwan is a substitute but does not get chosen to be on the pitch.
Even though his team does very well, and everyone is happy and celebrating, he is distraught and wants to quit playing.
He thinks about talking to the team coach and telling him he wants to quit.
ASK:
What are the fixed mindset thoughts he may be having?
What might be the results of these thoughts?
What are the growth mindset phrases he could use instead?
What might be the results of these thoughts?
How would a growth mindset help him if he continues to play for the team and is on the bench again?
After the group discussion, gather examples of the children's ideas.
ASK:
How did a different mindset affect the character's decision?
How can a growth mindset help in difficult times, such as not winning a prize or being chosen to play?
How does all of this apply to their situation in school
Plenary: Testing understanding of 'growth mindset'
In this activity, pupils are prompted to recount the key things they have learned about growth mindset and how and when to apply them. They should also be aware of times when they or others demonstrate a fixed mindset. It is also vital for teachers to note that growth mindset work should not become confused with false praise. Not everything is brilliant. Not everyone can win a race. A true growth mindset equips children with strategies for when they fail in reaching their goals as well as when they succeed.
SHOW:
Slide 10: Plenary — Testing understanding of 'growth mindset'
Prompting for the key learning points.
ASK:
When would it be most beneficial to use their growth mindset phrases, and how can they remember to use them in times of difficulty?
What difference do they think this would make?
How can a growth mindset help if they do not achieve a goal?
Similarly, this could be related to the story with additional questions:
ASK:
How could this relate to the story of Kwan?
What examples of a fixed mindset have they seen?
What have been the consequences of this?
In what way would a growth mindset be helpful for Kwan and other characters in the story?
Where have the children seen examples of a growth mindset in the story so far?
SHOW:
Slide 11: Learning outcomes for Session Five
Recap the key learning outcomes in light of today's discussion.
Remind pupils that using their growth mindset will help them to solve problems and make difficult decisions.
Delivery resources
01 Lime 2021-22 Y6 S6 Checklist.pdfChecklist
02 Lime 2021-22 Y6 S6 Resource Sheets.pdfResource sheet(s)
03 Lime 2021-22 Y6 S6 Slides (PDF version).pdfSlides (PDF)
04 Lime 2021-22 Y6 S6 Slides (PowerPoint version).pptxSlides (PowerPoint)
