MindShift Curriculum Statement

Important achievements require a clear focus, all-out effort, and a bottomless trunk full of strategies. Plus allies in learning. – Carol Dweck

Definition of growth mindset: In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.

Definition of a fixed mindset: People believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.

Curriculum Intent:

At St Peter’s CE Academy we strongly believe that MindShift (growth mindset) has a fundamental role to play in education and in creating reflective, cognisant and well-adjusted members of society with the ability to affect positive change in their communities. Following a period of academic research and discussion around the topic of growth mindset, we took the decision to make growth mindset our overarching pedagogical approach.

We strongly believe that having a fixed mindset leaves children more vulnerable to developing mental health difficulties. Children who believe that they do not have the potential to self-improve may feel more powerless, and thus be more vulnerable to anxiety and mental health difficulties. Countless studies have demonstrated that pupils who encounter difficulties in school often develop a devalued sense of self-confidence, which in turn, reduces their motivation to participate in and persist through academic challenges, creating a cycle of little motivation and low achievement (Morgan, Fuchs, Compton, Cordray, & Fuchs, 2008). When pupils deemed that outside factors alone controlled their success, they accepted less accountability for their achievements or failures- they felt powerless to change their ‘predestined’ trajectory (Jordan, 2010). Pupils with internal motivators (a growth mindset) felt more able to succeed academically and perceived more control through the process. 

At St Peter’s, we are committed to ensuring that all of our pupils learn within a community that promotes and engenders a growth mindset. From the moment children begin their journey with us, we focus on social and emotional development. We aim to ensure that all pupils:

• Understand that intelligence is malleable. Children understand that intelligence can be developed rather than it being set in stone or pre-determined from birth. 
• Cultivate grit. Children have a fierce determination and put in maximum effort- they seek approval from themselves rather than others and have a bottomless trunk of strategies.
• View challenges as opportunities. Pupils at St Peter’s view failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a springboard for growth.
• Value the process over the end result. Children enjoy the learning process and don’t view it merely as a means to produce an end result.
• Can explain the benefits of MindShift (growth mindset) on their mental health  Children can explain the skills they need to be emotionally literate, self-aware and mentally well.

Curriculum Design (Implementation):

MindShift is embedded throughout all curriculum areas as reflected by the St Peter’s Learning skills- these learning skills define the requisite attitudes of a St Peter’s learner and are tracked through a progression grid. In addition to this, MindShift takes place three times a week in discrete, stand-alone sessions which last approximately 30 minutes. These sessions take place either as a whole school community or in a smaller class group. They are driven by ‘Meta-cognition’ (as described above) and mental health awareness. An example of the MindShift activities that take place at St Peters can be found below:

• Philosophy P4C
• Debate
• Learning to Learn e.g. Chess, Time, Makaton
• Mindfulness - Yoga/meditation, art
• Talk Assemblies
• Mindshift learning journal- peer mentoring programme with local grammar school
• Explicit teaching of Growth Mindset
• Vocabulary development – 'Don’t Say It game, book club
• HappySelf journals within KS2