A Growth Mindset is the only way to learn

Much of what you believe about yourself and the success or happiness you feel on a day-to-day basis comes down to your mindset. There are two types of mindsets.

“I am no good at Maths”

“ I am too old to try to learn how to play a musical instrument”

“You’re not good with computers, you have to be smart”

These are all examples of a fixed mindset. People with fixed mindsets believe that ability, talents and intelligence are fixed qualities and you can’t change what you are given. Fixed mindset people even believe that I.Q. and personality are set. It is hard to grow, learn and take risks if you think that you cannot change the hand that you have been dealt.

The opposite of a fixed mindset person is someone who has a growth mindset. Growth mindset people realise that with effort, strategies and drive, you can learn and improve all areas of your life. Growth mindset people thrive on challenge and see failure as opportunities to grow. A growth mindset creates a love of learning and sees mistakes as opportunities, rather than something associated with fear and anxiety.

Carol Dweck has studied the different mindsets and the impact of both growth and fixed mindset on our success in many facets of life. Her research combined with what we now know about neuroplasticity and the continuing development of the brain has meant that developing a ‘growth mindset’ in our students is imperative in our efforts to create enthusiastic life long learners, who are resilient, and successful.

The Staff at Lindfield have been learning about Mindsets and discussing how we can teach and model a ‘growth mindset’ with our boys. We want resilient, boys who focus on their effort and learning and realise that with persistance, strategy and planning, they can learn anything.

Our first parent workshop next week will be introducing Mindset as we want everyone at Newington to understand the role a growth mindset plays in the education and success of our boys and all members of our community. Make sure you mark in your diaries to come and learn about how to cultivate a growth mindset for yourselves.

Discover What’s Possible

Discover What’s Possible, that was the first statement that I read when I looked into Newington College last October.

The phrase, Discover What’s Possible, is how Newington describes its approach to boys’ education.

This phrase said to me that Newington is a school that actively challenges the boundaries, actively imagines and re-imagines education to enable Newington boys to meet the complex paradigms of our time.

So what have I discovered in my short time at Newington?

Newington is a school with high expectations for its boys, staff and parents. We are a Uniting Church school and we aim to develop a dynamic, personal relationship with God which we live out through acts of justice, compassion, courage and kindness.

This resonates with me as issues of social justice and civic engagement are very important as I have lived a lot of my life in a region of the world, where there was often the absence of justice, the absence of equality and the absence of societal care for the less fortunate.

What else have I discovered?

I have been going around meeting and talking with the boys and finding out what it is that is important to them and it seems we like sport, we seem to successfully train, play and enjoy rugby, cricket, soccer, basketball and swimming, you name it Lindfield boys play it. I have also discovered we have a love for music, the arts, family and our close school community.

I have also discovered we are an inclusive school. We accept boys from all faiths, all cultures and all backgrounds. We want to make a difference in the lives of our boys and the lives of those people Newington boys will engage with as members of this great Australian society.

A Lindfield education aims to equip boys for whatever future they envision, so they actively contribute to the creation of a better, more just society. It will develop in each and every boy the confidence to discover for themselves what it is that makes them happy, successful and fulfilled throughout their lives.

Anzac Day

Anzac day at Lindfield this year was a time to remember the courage of so many young Australian people and the sacrifices they made.

It was also an opportunity to reflect on the privileged position that as Australians we enjoy as a result of the sacrifices of others throughout history.

We all reflected on how we can contribute, to building a better Australia through our actions, as the ANZACs did before us.

What does the ANZAC legend mean to us 100 years after that terrible landing in Gallipoli? I think it celebrates the courage those young men showed fighting to protect their country, their families and our free and fair way of life. The ANZAC legacy reminds us of the necessity of always choosing peace over conflict and the irreparable damage that war does to the lives of so many people who are affected.

The Australian men and women who served this country made incredible sacrifices, they showed great courage and their legacy helped build a country that loves and values peace. We as a school reflected on how we as Australians could contribute to the development of this great country in a courageous and peaceful way.