Growth mindset affirmations are more vital than you might realize. Think back to your elementary, middle, and high school years. What was the little voice in your head saying to you about your abilities, your strengths, and your value as a human being? What were other kids or teachers saying to you about your abilities and your challenges? It was likely during these formative years that your beliefs about your own potential and capabilities developed.
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Sadly, research shows us that children feel less and less capable of achieving success as they get older. In fact, by the time students reach third grade, nearly half of them don’t believe that their brains and intelligence can grow and change. They believe their intelligence is fixed, regardless of their efforts to change it. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, it is well worth your time. Not only is it a quick and easy read, but you will also have a firm grasp on fixed and growth mindset concepts and their effects on the students in your class. She also provides tools for teachers to develop a growth-mindset culture in which students are challenged to change their thinking about their potential.
Another way to arm children with a defense against those negative messages playing in their brains is to replace them with positive ones. Research on the use of affirmations in classrooms shows positive effects on self-esteem and increased grades among low-performing students. Here is an excerpt on research reported by Psychology Today:
“An emerging set of published studies suggest that a brief self-affirmation activity at the beginning of a school term can boost academic grade-point averages in underperforming kids at the end of the semester. This new work suggests a mechanism for these studies, showing self-affirmation effects on actual problem-solving performance under pressure,” said J. David Creswell, assistant professor of psychology in CMU’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
These findings are neither surprising nor new, as many studies have reported similar trends.
How, then, can teachers implement activities that align with the findings in growth mindset research and the power of positive affirmations?
Choose one affirmation each day, each week, or each month. Students can discuss the affirmation, apply it to their own lives, and incorporate it into their self-talk.
It is beneficial for students to have their own stack of cards to draw from. You can house the affirmation cards in the classroom and give them to students when the behaviors are exhibited.
Students will discuss its meaning and how the affirmation might look in practice (both inside and outside the classroom). Describing specific situations in which the behavior might occur is beneficial. Allow students to come up with their own ideas.
Self-talk is the voice students hear in their heads about their potential and abilities. How are those messages the same and different from the positive affirmations discussed in class? Allow students a few days to pay attention to their self-talk before you ask them to reflect on it. Most of the time, people don’t pay attention to their self-talk (and may not even realize that they use negative self-talk regularly). Allowing students time to increase their own awareness of their self-talk will lead to more meaningful discussions.
Train classmates to respond when a student makes a limiting remark (indicative of a fixed mindset). “Rephrase that statement using a growth mindset affirmation,” for example. If a student says, “I can’t do this, it’s too hard,” a possible rephrase might be, “I can do hard things!” Other options include “when something is difficult, I have the determination to see it through,” or “I am capable of doing difficult things.” Rephrasing limiting remarks can help change that student’s mindset.
The more a student learns and the harder they work, the smarter they become. It’s a fact. Every student has unlimited potential. Their motivation and their willingness to accept challenges increase when they understand these concepts. This blog post, “10 Things You Need to Know About Growth Mindset,” provides a solid foundation for understanding growth mindset concepts.
Develop your own affirmations designed to combat their negative thinking and self-talk. For example, you may have students who struggle with anxiety, self-esteem, or confidence. Affirmations that target specific issues can help students combat those struggles.
Many of the sets you see in these images were designed specifically for teaching growth mindset in the classroom. I’ve created many sets of affirmations for different purposes, all of which are available here. To snatch them up on Teachers Pay Teachers, click here.
Brainstorm affirmations as a class and ask students to write down the ones that resonate the most. Use index cards, tongue depressors, or half sheets of paper to jot them down. Also, remember to provide clear expectations about the number of affirmations each student records.
Please use the comment section below to share all the clever ways that you utilize affirmations in your classroom. How does it impact student learning? the classroom climate? students’ attitudes towards each other? Share your thoughts!
I am Kirsten Tulsian, an elementary educator with 18 years of experience as a teacher and counselor. My passion lies in empowering students to discover their inherent brilliance through the use of engaging, rigorous, and meaningful activities. I look forward to connecting with you!
