The Power of Yet: Cultivating a Growth Mindset

If scaffolding is the structure we build around a learner to help them climb higher, then mindset is the engine that determines whether they want to climb at all.

Parallel to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, is the groundbreaking research of psychologist Carol Dweck on Growth Mindset – and the implications for every classroom and every home.

Dweck’s research distinguishes between two fundamental beliefs children hold about their own intelligence: fixed mindset assumes that intelligence and ability are static: you are either smart or you are not; however, a growth mindset holds that intelligence and ability can be developed through effort, good strategies, and support from others.

There is a significant difference in how these two mindsets play out in a classroom and at the kitchen table during homework. Here are practical ways both teachers and parents can foster a growth mindset in the children they care for.

1. Praise the process, not the person

The single most impactful change any adult can make is to shift the focus of praise from innate ability to effort, strategy, and persistence. “You’re so smart” sounds encouraging, but it plants a fixed-mindset seed: the child learns their value lies in being smart, and therefore begins to fear anything that might reveal otherwise.

“I can see how hard you worked on that” or “You tried a completely different approach when the first one didn’t work” are alternative expressions of encouragement. This is honest and avoids the vacuous praises that actually diminish the value of our words.

2. Teach the word ‘Yet’

Dweck identifies a key word as transformative: “yet”. When a student says “I can’t do this”, the response “You can’t do this yet” ensures children are grounded in a developmental progression (which assumes that, “It’s just time, Johnny.”)

3. Normalise mistakes as learning data

In a growth-mindset classroom, mistakes are treated as learning experiences, for everyone, including the teacher who admits room for improvement and notes the experience – like data for later review.

At home, parents can echo this by responding to a child’s frustration with curiosity: “Interesting! What do you think went wrong?” A household where mistakes are discussed openly rather than hidden is one where learning flourishes.

4. Set learning goals, not performance goals

Performance goals (“I want to get an A”) focus attention on outcomes and judgements. Learning goals (“I want to understand how fractions work”) focus attention on the process of growing.

Both teachers and parents can help children set goals that are framed around understanding and skill-building rather than grades alone.

5. Embrace difficult tasks deliberately

Remember Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development: “Yep, this is meant to be hard!” When students know that difficulty is by design and not a sign of personal failure, they engage differently.

Parents can apply the same principle: allowing a child to wrestle with a hard problem before stepping in is not unkind. It is one of the most valuable gifts we can give.

6. Share stories of struggle and growth

We’ve all heard stories of successful people who admit their many failures. But you don’t have to be a Musk or Bezos to have a story. Life is full of struggles, even if it takes 20,000 shots to reliably score hoops.

7. Be mindful of your own mindset

Dweck is clear that adults, too, carry fixed and growth mindsets — and that children are watching. A teacher who says “I’m just not a tech person” or a parent who says “We’ve never been a maths family” sends a powerful message. Be aware of this tendency in an effort to train the other mindset.

Scaffolding provides the structure for learning; a growth mindset provides the spirit. Together, they form the foundation of an education that does not merely fill children with knowledge but equips them to keep learning long after they leave our classrooms and our homes.

Source: Dweck, C. S., Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, 2006

Phot credit: from Pixabay