Learners operating under a growth mindset are more likely to see feedback as useful.

This is because their thinking is animated by the central premise that intelligence, ability and talent are open to change.

Therefore, feedback is seen as a route through which we can make change happen.

Feedback provides information the learner believes they can use to improve their existing knowledge, understanding, or skills.

On the other hand, if a learner is operating from a fixed mindset, then feedback may be perceived as a threat – something to be avoided or dismissed.

The logic is simple.

If you begin with the premise that intelligence, ability, and talent are fixed, it follows that you are less likely to believe you can change what you think you have.

Therefore, feedback from an external source, like a teacher, is asking you to do something you are not necessarily convinced is possible.

But why is it that some learners in this position see feedback as a threat?

Why do some learners shut down, or even physically recoil, when the teacher tries to give them feedback on their work?

One explanation is that the learner perceives the feedback as a statement about what they lack, cannot do, and do not have.

The learner, believing that talent, ability, and intelligence are fixed, sees the feedback as something it is impossible to make use of.

Therefore, the feedback is merely highlighting what they can’t do – identifying a deficit – and this is then interpreted as an attack on the learner’s sense of self.

The point here is not what feedback is in objective terms – information the learner can use – but how it is perceived, subjectively, by the learner.

(Perceived reality tends to matter more than objective reality when it comes to how we experience the world.)

It is important to note that the efficacy of feedback is severely eroded in such situations.

If a learner is not receptive to the information the teacher provides, then the influence of that information is significantly diminished.

In some cases, it will have no impact at all.

When seeking to develop growth mindsets in the classroom, one of the things we are trying to do is change how some learners perceive feedback.

We want them to see it in a positive, rather than a negative, light.

Our aim is to shift the underlying principle on which their thinking rests, so that they feel comfortable receiving and using the feedback we provide.

The practical strategies that follow help you to achieve this goal.

They focus on the twin aims of providing effective feedback and using feedback in such a way that it promotes the central premise of a growth mindset: That intelligence, talent, and ability are open to change, and that the individual is always the prime mover in making that change happen.

Understanding the Difference Between Trait-Based Praise and Feedback-Led Praise

Here are some examples of trait-based praise:

• Great work from you – just as I would expect!
• You’re amazing!
• You’re so clever.
• I knew a clever girl like you would get it right.
• Great answer, genius.

In each case, the praise has been delivered with the best of intentions.

The teacher’s aim is to reinforce positive behaviour and to convey approbation to the learner.

However, praise of this type can have quite different effects from those intended.

And, for this reason, it might be better avoided.

The best way to do this is to reframe such praise, so that it is feedback-led and not trait-focussed.

Let us explore what this means.

In each of the above examples, there is a suggestion that the child possesses innate qualities or traits that cause them to be successful.

This implies that intelligence, talent, and ability are fixed.

Definite quantities contained within us.

This obscures the fact that every individual can learn.

And learning means altering your current intelligence, ability, and talent through the application of targeted effort.

Energy directed in pursuit of a goal is most effective at achieving change.

And what better way to direct learners’ efforts than by providing them with appropriate feedback?

Our aim thus becomes one of avoiding trait-based praise and giving praise that is closer to feedback.

This is because we want to reinforce the tenets of a growth mindset in our classroom, rather than those of a fixed mindset.

Let’s look at how we could rephrase those trait-based examples from above:

Example 1

• Great work from you – just as I would expect!
• Great work today – I saw how you kept going even when I increased the level of challenge.

Example 2

• You’re amazing!
• You’ve done really well today! I liked the fact that you were prepared to try a different strategy when you hit an obstacle. Keep it up.

Example 3

• You’re so clever.
• You’re keeping your effort levels high every lesson. That’s helping you to produce work of a really good standard. Well done, I think that’s fantastic.

Example 4

• I knew a clever girl like you would get it right.
• That’s right – can you talk me through your answer? I’d love to know how you worked it out. I’m sure it’ll be interesting to hear.

Example 5

• Great answer, genius.
• That’s a fascinating answer. Tell me more. What else do you think about the question?

In each case, reframing changes the underlying message of the praise.

Different perceptions are reinforced.

Instead of the learner believing that something inherent to them is the ultimate cause of their success, they come to understand that the things they do, the choices they make, and the effort they target is the driving force behind whether they are successful.

Reframing Away from Trait-Based Praise

There are other ways you can reframe away from trait-based praise.

These include:

• Turning praise into questions.
• Identifying a set of growth mindset categories you can use as a reference point.
• Using ‘because’.

We’ll have a look at each in turn.

Reframing praise into questions means changing the focus of the conversation.

Instead of intimating that something has happened and this has garnered praise, we intimate that something has happened, and wouldn’t it be interesting to talk about it?

The conversation is opened up, rather than closed down.

Focus shifts to how the thing in question came about, or what it is, rather than its relative quality.

Here are the examples from above, reframed into questions:

Example 1

• Great work from you – just as I would expect!
• What do you think about your work today? What made it good?

Example 2

• You’re amazing!
• That’s great! How did you get to that answer? Can you explain what you did?

Example 3

• You’re so clever.
• This work shows a really high level of accomplishment. What do I need to do to make things more challenging for you?

Example 4

• I knew a clever girl like you would get it right.
• Can you tell me whether the answer’s right or not? How would you try to prove that it is?

Example 5

• Great answer, genius.
• What makes that a good answer? And what would someone else have to do to reach the same answer?

These are indicative – you could reframe each example in numerous ways.

They all illustrate the same point, though.

Turning praise into questions means turning the focus of the conversation onto thinking, learning, and the processes that give rise to both.

Another technique to have in your locker is a set of growth mindset categories you can use to focus and direct the praise or feedback you give.

For example:

• Targeted Effort
• Level of Challenge
• Persistence
• Metacognition
• Use of Feedback
• Response to Difficulties
• Use of Trial and Error

Storing these categories in your mind – or having them displayed on your wall for easy reference – means you are always able to reframe your praise, quickly and easily.

The categories provide a reference point, meaning you don’t need to start from scratch each time.

You can also think of them as a set of growth mindset filters through which you can pass your praise, reframing it so that it accords with your wider intentions.

For example, we might be tempted to say ‘You’re so clever’ to a child in our class.

However, we stop ourselves from doing this, pass the praise through the filter of targeted effort and say instead:

• ‘I love how you’ve been focussing your mind on the tasks throughout the lesson. It’s really helped you to create some great work.’

We’re still giving praise but, crucially, we’re reinforcing the behaviour that constitutes a growth mindset – persistent targeting of effort.

Filtering our language through the pre-identified categories means we can do this at a moment’s notice.

The final technique to mention here is using the word ‘because’ as a pivot point whenever you give praise.

So, for example:

• That’s great.
• Super work.
• That’s want I want to see.

Become:

• That’s great, because mistakes are a good starting point for learning.
• Super work, because you kept going even though it didn’t come straight away.
• That’s what I want to see, because trying out different strategies helps you to improve.

Obvious, I know!

But easily overlooked, especially if you’re in a hurry.

Rest assured, though, slipping ‘because’ onto the end of any piece of praise will ensure you continue speaking and provide the learner in question with a reason that explains why the praise has been given.

And it is this reason that promotes the growth mindset tenets we are seeking to cultivate.