Lana academic coaches support their students by fostering growth mindsets in High-Impact Tutoring sessions.
Teaching students to have a growth mindset is extremely valuable. Students with growth mindsets believe that their ability and talents will improve over time with smart work and intentional effort. At Lana, we create a learning environment that teaches students to embrace challenges and view failures as learning experiences. The High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) student participants at H.D. Woodson High School continuously disprove stereotypes about ability and achievement. They prove that mindsets do contribute to achievement both in and beyond the classroom.
Throughout providing academic support in the HIT sessions, I discovered that students with a growth mindset believe that intelligence is not a fixed trait. Rather, it’s something they can develop. Academic excellence requires embodiment of this mindset even when students fail a test or underperform. It helps them mobilize their resources and make the necessary adjustments by incorporating a high-effort attitude. This gives students autonomy over their education. For example, one of my students commented, “In school, my main goal is to do the things I need to do to pass my classes.”
As educators, we must connect students’ intelligence with school despite the daunting nature of the task. I believe all students have the potential to develop a growth mindset and take charge of their own learning and motivation. However, they require support to build the confidence needed to achieve academically. Students need to unlearn rote memorization for the purpose of passing a test or completing a project. Educators must shepherd them into learning on a deeper and more meaningful level. We must continue to speak to their higher consciousness with affirming words. This is a time of opportunity: a time for exploration and discovery. Students must take their own future in their hands, and our job is to provide support along the way.