Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success has become such an accepted part of the educational canon since its publication back in 2006 that today, the benefits of children and students adopting a “growth” rather than a “fixed” mindset remains a deeply popular axiom in many schools.

Students who have a growth mindset see failure as an opportunity to grow, they like to try new things, they see feedback as constructive, they recognise that challenges help them grow and don’t put boundaries on what they can and can’t learn.

It’s powerful stuff. Yet, reflecting over the summer, I found myself questioning - if we believe in these concepts as educationalists - why don’t we apply this view to schools themselves?

After all, schools are conservative places, with resistance to change and adherence to “that’s how we’ve always done it”. But why is it like this - why don’t schools have a “growth mindset”?

Courage is key

We should start by acknowledging that at the heart of a growth mindset is a willingness to try out new things, to operate outside one’s comfort zone and to learn from mistakes.

For schools, operating within the context of the high-stakes exam frameworks of GCSE and A levels, that no longer rewards flair, creativity and risk-taking, doing things outside the boundaries is a risky business.

The result is that we end up sending double messages - take risks but play safe.

As such, it takes courage for a school to adopt a growth mindset. We tell this to students, we should tell it to ourselves, too.

Overcoming these fears though is important - we must embrace change.

We should take courage, too, from the fact we know we can cope with change - after all, the pandemic enforced monumental change on education but schools of all types rose to the challenge: online learning, remote teaching, one-way systems, on-site testing and so on.

Schools need to remember this and harness this ability to do new things.

How to enact a growth mindset?

Let’s assume then that you’re on board with the notion and want your school to actively have a growth mindset in everything it does. How do you actually put this into practice in a meaningful way?

Here are three ways to do this:

1. Create a culture of openness and sharing ideas

Fundamentally, sharing ideas, brainstorming and learning from each other are key to developing a school’s growth mindset.

For example, a systematic programme of mutual lesson observations with honest, supportive feedback, and encouragement for meetings to have lively debate, will bring the challenge that is necessary if a school is going to grow to the next level. 

I have worked in schools where every teacher had a “professional buddy” who usually worked in the same (or similar) subject area. It can be hugely beneficial to observe and then be observed by the same colleague.

Over time, trust can build, giving greater scope for constructive feedback and open dialogue that enables one’s practice to develop.

It is also helpful to observe lessons in areas that have a totally different pedagogy.

When I was a head of religious studies, I learned an enormous amount from the way in which the design technology teacher, with whom I was paired, managed his class and differentiated between students at very different stages of a practical project.

2. Embrace learning from others

Furthermore, at Kellett School, the British International School In Hong Kong, we encourage all staff to engage with the wider educational community, to follow and be part of the debates in their subject or phase, and to bring that best practice into the school.

One way to do this is through reading. At Kellett, we have an SLT Book Club, which helps develop our thinking and facilitates getting us on the same page. Books such as Lucy Crehan’s Cleverlands: The Secrets Behind the Success of the World’s Education Superpowers and Pak Tee Ng’s Learning From Singapore: The Power of Paradoxes are useful discussion starters when working in an international school.

As a principal, I find Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review articles great sources for new ideas that challenge and develop my leadership.

Indeed, we not only look for people who share this growth mindset and approach when recruiting, but we have also embedded this mindset into the required criteria to be an advanced practitioner on the upper pay scales.

To become an advanced practitioner at Kellett, teachers have to demonstrate that they are “engaged with current debates about ‘best practice’ and developments in pedagogy beyond the school, and are committed to bringing these into Kellett”.

We encourage our teachers to connect with colleagues around the world on Twitter and LinkedIn, not only to follow debates but also to contribute in areas of their interest and expertise by writing articles and speaking at conferences.

3. Rethinking new staff induction

Developing an “organisational growth mindset” literally begins on day one - with the induction programme for new staff.

Starting at a new school is daunting. There is so much to take in - names to learn, new systems to master and, as often as not, an unfamiliar building to navigate.

Typically, the process of onboarding entails being initiated into, “How we do things here” - that might be anything from how the school IT systems work, to where to get a coffee at break time.

It’s not surprising that most new staff keep their heads down and wander around in a fog of information overload.

This year, in my principal’s address to new staff, I trialled a new approach - an “organisational growth mindset” approach, if you like.

Rather than telling the new staff that “the Kellett way” is how they are going to do things, I decided to enlist their support in challenging the way we do things.

After all, we have appointed a highly talented group of teachers who bring with them years of experience of how things are done in other schools. Why not tap into that resource?

If we truly have an organisational growth mindset - induction should be a two-way process.

We should be looking to learn from them, accepting the challenge that they may bring, rather than adopting an attitude that things simply have to be fixed as they have always been.

First impressions do matter, and that applies as much to the school as it does to the new staff. A new teacher or school leader has a fresh pair of eyes, they will see things that the existing teachers and senior team can’t see.

Ask yourself, how often have you groaned internally and squashed the new colleague who says, “In my last school, we used to do...differently”? That not only deflates, but it also misses an opportunity.

So, in my talk, I commented: “In your last school, you might have done it better!”. Then I asked them to note it all down and feed it all back to me at a one-to-one meeting in the first couple of weeks.

I look forward to their feedback. It will help us develop and grow.

Mark Steed is the principal and CEO of Kellett School, the British International School in Hong Kong; and previously ran schools in Devon, Hertfordshire and Dubai. He tweets @independenthead