How to Foster a Growth Mindset in the Classroom

By Jeremiah Davis, Paraprofessional, Rocketship Dream Community Prep

When a school builds a collective growth mindset for teachers and students, it benefits the whole educational ecosystem. That’s why we wanted to share how setting goals, stretching comfort zones, using specific affirming phrases, and habits can benefit both teachers and students throughout the school year.

Developed by psychologist Carol Dweck, the concept of cultivating a growth mindset emphasizes that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort, persistence, and learning from failure.
For new teachers, embracing a growth mindset not only helps with professional development but also sets a powerful example for students when they’re facing challenges.

Here are three new strategies to cultivate a growth mindset in yourself and your students:

1. Embrace Challenges and Model Growth Mindset Language

One of the best ways to develop a growth mindset for teachers is to embrace challenges as learning opportunities. This means viewing obstacles as chances to improve and grow, rather than as failures.

How to Implement This in Your Classroom:

Use “The Power of Yet” – Instead of saying, “I can’t manage classroom behavior,” reframe it as, “I haven’t mastered classroom management yet, but I’m working on it.”

Encourage students to use this language, too, when they struggle with a subject. When a student learning to read hasn’t mastered his sight word list and you hear him saying, “I can’t read. Can you read this for me?” Encourage him by saying something like, “You haven’t mastered reading yet, but you already know 20 sight words and you’re on your way!”

Model Vulnerability – Share your own learning process with students. For example, if you’re new to classroom technology, say: “I’m still learning how to use this new student data app, but I’m going to keep practicing.” This normalizes mistakes and a teacher growth mindset.

Encourage Students to Reframe Mistakes – When a student struggles with a math problem or a writing assignment, instead of saying “I’m bad at this,” encourage them to say “This is tough, but I’m improving.”

Post growth mindset phrases around the classroom as reminders. Here are a few to get you started:

“Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” – Ava DuVernay

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington

“You are your best thing.” – Toni Morrison

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” – Malala Yousafz

2. Foster a Culture of Reflection and Goal-Setting

Reflection and goal-setting help teachers and students focus on improvement rather than perfection. At Rocketship, every teacher receives a coach they meet with one-on-one regularly to help them review upcoming lesson plans, assess class progress, and problem-solve as a team. These teaching mentors also step into the classroom and provide live feedback to teachers and record sessions to see where they’d like to grow. This creates frequent learning experiences so educators aren’t just growing one time a year during a professional development course, but throughout the school year gradually and in a positive, supportive environment.

For those reading who don’t have a coach in their corner, you can try these practices to encourage reflection and goal-setting in yourself and your students in between your typical evaluations.

How to Implement This in Your Classroom:

Keep a Teacher Growth Journal – Reflect on lessons that went well and those that didn’t. Write down what you learned and set small improvement goals. For example: “Next time, I’ll give clearer directions before group work begins.”

Use Student Goal-Setting Worksheets – Have students write down a subject that they find difficult, one small step they can take to improve, and who can support them. Revisit these goals weekly to track progress.

Conduct “Proud of Myself for Trying Friday” Reflections – Dedicate five minutes every Friday for students (and yourself) to share something they struggled with that week, how they handled it, what they learned from it, and why they’re proud of themselves of trying. This helps normalize failure can be part of learning, but hard work and reflection provide valuable information to help us grow.

3. Promote Perseverance Through Effort-Based Praise and Feedback

The way teachers provide feedback can either reinforce a fixed mindset or encourage a growth mindset. Instead of praising talent or intelligence, you can focus on effort, strategies, and persistence.

How to Implement This in Your Classroom:

Shift from “You’re So Smart” to “You Worked Hard on That” – Instead of saying, “You’re a natural at math!” say, “I love how you kept trying different methods to solve that problem.” This reinforces effort and problem-solving over innate ability.

Highlight Student Progress with “Before and After” Work Displays – Show students their early work compared to their later work to visually demonstrate improvement over time. This can be an opportunity to discuss what new approaches they took to reach the end result.

Use Growth-Oriented Feedback for Yourself – When evaluating your teaching, don’t just look for what went wrong on a tough day. Ask yourself: “What did I improve on this week? What am I proud of myself for? How can I adjust my strategies to make next week feel smoother?”

Growth Mindset for Teachers and Students Starts With You

Building a growth mindset for teachers and students is not just about improving your teaching skills—it’s about shaping the way students see themselves as lifelong learners. By embracing challenges, trying out new teaching practices, setting goals, and providing effort-based feedback, you create a classroom where growing isn’t a chore, but more brings joy and positivity into the everyday.

As you continue on your teaching journey, remember: every challenge is a stepping stone to growth. Keep learning, keep reflecting, and most importantly, keep modeling the mindset you want your students to develop.

Published on April 10, 2025