Character Strengths 

We use the language of character strengths (developed by the VIA Institute on Character) and we encourage our students to continue to develop their 24 character strengths:

Positive (Growth) Mindset

We talk to our students about having a growth mindset. What does this mean and why does it matter?

The concept of a growth mindset was developed by psychologist Carol Dweck. Based on her research, Dweck divided people into two categories: the first, with what she called a ‘fixed’ mindset, tend to believe their basic attributes, like intelligence and talent, are innate and could not be changed. By contrast, people who exhibit a ‘growth’ mindset tend to understand basic abilities as malleable, and believe they can be developed over time.

Dweck’s experiments showed that people with a ‘fixed’ mindset avoided difficult tasks, fearing that failure might expose a lack in ability. Meanwhile, people with a ‘growth’mindset loved new challenges and viewed setbacks as opportunities to learn. People with a ‘growth’ mindset displayed better self esteem, more resilience, and enjoyed better outcomes in life.