Each year, the first week of school has always been one that I have looked forward to. The atmosphere instantly changes as the halls come back to life with students bustling from class to class, enthusiastically reconnecting with friends while sharing stories about their summers. Smiling faces can be seen all around as teachers greet their new students at the door and parents wave goodbye and breathe a sigh of relief now that the new school year has begun. The first week is the catalyst for many positive things but especially for creating opportunities to teach our gifted students about growth mindsets, in which we strive to support and preserve throughout their academic careers at Quest.

Educators and researchers alike have found a correlation between perfectionism and gifted learners. As Pyryt (2004) points out, there are two major concerns about perfectionism for gifted students: underachievement and emotional turmoil. Perfectionistic tendencies make some gifted students vulnerable for underachievement because they do not submit work unless it is perfect. While other gifted students who are perfectionists might suffer emotional turmoil when they fail at unrealistic challenges or goals set forth. Many of the perfectionist tendencies mimic that of a fixed mindset, which contributes to feelings of doubt and result in underachievement. Perfectionist or not, gifted students who have exhibit a fixed mindset think their abilities, talents and intelligence is stagnant and ignore efforts to make improvements or progress in a given endeavor.

Recognizing the imperative need to equip our students with real world skills, instilling them with a growth mindset prepares them to be adaptable and apply perseverance to overcome daily challenges. As students embrace a growth mindset, they may come to realize that their natural talents, abilities and intelligence is only a starting point from which real progress begins. They learn that anyone can learn or accomplish goals through dedication, persistence and hard work. In attaining this mindset, personal responsibility and agency, tends to facilitate a passion for learning and a willingness to keep trying in the wake of mistakes or failure.

The partnership and connections between home and school are equally important to facilitate optimal learning of this way of thinking. Parents can cultivate growth mindsets within their child or children at home in a variety of ways. As Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychology professor and advocate for growth mindset explains, “If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.” Outside of the classroom, children observe and model the behaviors they learn from their parents or immediate family members. Exhibiting a positive attitude in the face of adversity, teaching your child how to cope when mistakes are made and how to respond to challenges or obstacles that present themselves are other ways to teach and model growth mindset.

Studies have shown a correlation between growth mindset and student achievement. This lends further support to the implementation of this practice in educational pedagogy and suggests that the faster a child develops this mentality, they will be able to successfully bridge and apply these skills in school and in the real world. If we as parents and educators collectively foster  growth mindsets at home and school, our gifted learners  will become more adept to internalizing and modeling these same behaviors which will not only prepare them to be successful in academics but in all personal endeavors and challenges the real world presents as well.

Check out these links:

Tips for Parents: Promoting Achievement Through a Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck: TED Talk