In a study of 373, 7th grade students, students were divided into two groups and were taught about the brain and study skills (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007). Both groups were taught about the structure and function of the brain in the first two lessons. However, half of the students received training about the stages of memory (reading for memory, teaching mnemonic strategies), while the other half were taught about the growth mindset (the malleable brain and growing the “neural network maze” through learning). Three times as many students in the growth mindset group showed an increase in effort and motivation compared with the control group during the training. After the training, the control group continued to show declining grades, but the growth-mindset group showed a clear rebound in their grades. UPP’s Thrive Online Modules are based on this malleable intelligence intervention, and is focused on changing mindsets.

This year, I have jumped the fence! I have now joined many educators who experience schools from both sides of the fence- as an educator and as a parent.

Recently Dave Ramsey spoke about “excellence in the ordinary”. He introduced me to the phrase: doing work that matters with excellence and joy.  As an educator, does our work really matter- You BETCHA! And I can think of literally hundreds of teachers who do the meaningful work of education with excellence and joy.

One major challenge we face as educators is that not all students walk through the classroom door optimised and ready for learning in each subject. Teachers do their best, but the soil is not always fertile. The minds of our students are not always available for learning. By investing time in SEL / Pastoral Care / Wellbeing / Life Skills in schools, we are endowing students with the skills they need to thrive in each of their subjects. These skills are useful during their time at school, but students can also apply these skills to every area of their lives outside, and beyond, their time at school. How can we help students to cultivate these essential skills for a good life?