Learning Strategies

How to create growth mindsets in K-12 classrooms

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In addition to your lessons about curricula and various subjects, teachers teach about problem-solving, how to tackle challenges, when to ask for help, and how to go about gaining new abilities. Students will often believe “growth” is finite – you’re either good at something or not. But when you can create a plan for developing a growth mindset in your classrooms, you can inspire K-12 students to think beyond the finite and reimagine themselves, gaining the ability to do more, be more, and grow more.

Explore how you can incorporate growth mindset learning into your K-12 classrooms. See how you can teach students about the value of mindset in class in a way that prepares them for growth in adulthood. And learn how to outfit your classrooms with the right school furniture to support your growth mindset teaching strategies.

What to know about growth mindsets in K-12 students

A growth mindset is typically defined as the internal belief that one's intelligence and abilities can be further developed through effort, learning, and perseverance - a perspective that can transform students' approach to challenges and setbacks. For K-12 students, fostering a growth mindset empowers them to embrace difficulties, see mistakes as learning opportunities, and persist through obstacles. In classrooms, this mindset can be cultivated by focusing on the learning process, emphasizing progress over perfection, and providing feedback that encourages resilience and adaptability. With the right support from educators, students can build confidence in their own real ability to learn and grow, setting them up for lifelong success both academically and personally.

Common ways to create a growth mindset in the classroom

It starts with how you communicate with your students. Here are some examples of fixed and growth mindset responses to inspire how you engage your students:

Math challenges in algebra
Fixed mindset: “Maybe you’re just not a math person, and that’s okay.”
Growth Mindset: “Math is a skill you build over time. Every problem you work on makes you better at it!”

Approach difficult science concepts
Fixed mindset: “It’s fine if this is hard for you. Science can be tricky.”
Growth Mindset: “Struggling with these concepts is part of learning science. Each time you wrestle with it, you’re building a stronger understanding.”

Encourage problem-solving in writing
Fixed mindset: “Writing just might not be your strong suit. It’s okay.”
Growth Mindset: “Every writer has to work through challenges. With each draft, your skills grow stronger!”

Reinforce effort in reading comprehension
Fixed mindset: “You gave it your best shot. Not everyone has to be great at reading.”
Growth Mindset: “Your effort is the first step! Let’s try a new strategy—maybe breaking the passage down sentence by sentence will help.”

Support a student working through errors in math
Fixed mindset: “Close enough! Maybe accuracy isn’t as important as just getting through it.”
Growth Mindset: “Mistakes are how we learn. Each error teaches you more about how to approach the problem next time.”

Encourage a student facing new material
Fixed mindset: “You’re either good at this, or you’re not, and that’s okay.”
Growth Mindset: “You’re in the middle of learning something new—embrace it! Your brain is making new connections with each attempt.”

Validate effort in reading longer texts
Fixed mindset: “You tried, and that’s what matters. Some stories just aren’t for everyone.”
Growth Mindset: “That was a big challenge! Tackling longer texts can take practice, but each page you finish makes it easier next time.”

How to outfit your K-12 classrooms in a way that supports growth and learning

Schools can outfit K-12 learning spaces with classroom furniture and room design layouts that support a growth mindset. Consider these furnishings and design ideas:

1. Flexible seating options

  • Furniture: Bean bags, floor cushions, wobble stools, and standing desks. 

  • Layout: Place seating in clusters for small group work and solo work. Create varied seating arrangements around the room to give students choice. 

  • Growth mindset benefit: Flexible seating allows students to choose how they work best, encouraging them to find what supports their learning. It also supports persistence by providing options when one setup doesn’t work for them. 

2. Collaboration stations

  • Furniture: Group tables, mobile desks, and whiteboard tables. 

  • Layout: Arrange tables in clusters that can easily be reconfigured for pairs or larger groups. Whiteboard tables or group boards nearby can facilitate brainstorming and problem-solving. 

  • Growth Mindset Benefit: Collaboration areas encourage students to discuss, explore, and learn from each other. Group work reinforces that learning is a process, with each person bringing something valuable. 

3. Calming Corner or Mindfulness Space

  • Furniture: Soft seating, such as bean bags, yoga mats, or small armchairs; add shelves with sensory tools like stress balls or bubble tube lights. 

  • Layout: Dedicate a quiet corner of the room where students can go to refocus or manage emotions. 

  • Growth mindset benefit: A calming corner supports emotional regulation, helping students to persevere through challenging tasks by taking short, purposeful breaks. It reinforces the idea that self-care is part of learning. 

4. Individual workstations

  • Furniture: Carrel desks or cubbies for focused work. 

  • Layout: Place individual desks along a wall or in a quieter section of the room where students can work independently when needed. 

  • Growth mindset benefit: These areas encourage students to take ownership of their unique learning journey, giving them space to tackle difficult tasks at their own pace, and helping them value concentration and persistence. 

5. Mobile whiteboards or writable surfaces

  • Furniture: Movable whiteboards, chalkboards, or dry-erase tables. 

  • Layout: Place mobile whiteboards around the room or use writable surfaces on tables to allow easy access. 

  • Growth mindset benefit: Writable surfaces encourage students to work through problems step-by-step, creating a visual record of their thinking process. Mistakes can be erased and reworked, showing that learning is iterative. 

6. Reading nook or learning library

  • Furniture: Bookshelves, comfy chairs, or small rugs. 

  • Layout: Set up a cozy reading area with a variety of books that promote resilience, learning stories, and personal growth. 

  • Growth mindset benefit: A reading nook invites students to explore stories of growth, perseverance, and resilience, providing them with models of persistence and the power of learning. 

7. Growth mindset wall or display area

  • Furniture: Display boards, magnetic boards, or clipboards for posting work. 

  • Layout: Dedicate a wall to display student work, highlight learning goals, and share inspiring quotes about growth and effort. 

  • Growth mindset benefit: Displaying student work and growth-oriented goals helps reinforce that progress is valued over perfection, and that each student’s journey is celebrated. 

8. Tech-enhanced stations for interactive learning

  • Furniture: Tablets, interactive screens, or projector tables with rolling carts for mobility. 

  • Layout: Position tech stations near collaboration zones for easy access during group work or allow them to be moved around. 

  • Growth mindset benefit: Tech stations provide interactive learning opportunities and offer diverse ways to tackle a topic. They encourage exploration and allow students to experiment with different tools to solve problems. 

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Set achievable goals for your K-12 students

Help students set realistic goals that can be broken down into smaller steps. This can help students feel in control of their education and make challenges seem more predictable. As Strobel Education suggests, goal setting teaches students to cultivate their own paths for growth. 

Provide scalable challenges for K-12 students

Encourage your students to see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Let them know that it's okay to make mistakes and try again. Teach Starter shares this is one of the best ways to demonstrate how to approach tough tasks at any age. 

Praise your students for ongoing growth

Praising efforts can help students develop a growth mindset and enhance their intrinsic motivation. Ed Central UK suggests teachers should always praise the following student achievements to encourage continued mindset growth: 

  • Praise students’ efforts to engage and tackle problems. 

  • Recognize metacognition, like “what could I have done differently” instead of the “try harder next time” line of problem-solving. 

  • Competition can be healthy, but not as it relates to simple task management. Reward students who recognize how to measure success based on their own merits and learning, not how they compare to other students. 

  • Praise students who choose the path less traveled, especially when the choice involves a more challenging task. 

  • Champion students who demonstrate unwavering persistence in any effort. 

Teach students the value of the word ‘yet’

One of the most important aspects of building a growth mindset in your K-12 classroom involves how you communicate. More specifically, incorporate the word “yet” into your responses to common student statements like, “I’m just not good at math” or “I’m not artistic at all.” Teach them how to reimagine themselves gaining new abilities by reminding them of “yet.”

Best classroom management strategies for K-12 students

Keep these classroom management strategies in mind as you develop your growth mindset plan for students. 

  • Normalize the struggle of addressing challenges. 

  • Encourage students to engage or lean into tough challenges. 

  • Demonstrate how to learn from and celebrate mistakes. 

  • Develop cooperative exercises that encourage asking for help. 

  • Set bite-sized goals that align with age-appropriate wins. 

School Outfitters can help

Empower your students with growth mindsets and watch them grow, learn, and build self-confidence in new ways. And outfit your learning spaces with the best furniture to foster an environment of continued growth and personal development. School Outfitters can help! We have modern, durable, and future-ready furnishings for any learning, along with pre-rendered room designs to help you reimagine your existing classrooms. Connect with our furniture experts today, or get your free quote!

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