Challenging Mindset: Why a Growth Mindset Makes a Difference in Learning - And What to Do When It Doesn't

"James Nottingham and Bosse Larsson offer an important and useful new addition to the ongoing conversation about mindset first introduced by Carol Dweck. Too often, theories such as mindset get reduced down to the simplest dichotomies and ideologies. Here, Nottingham and Larsson challenge our own mindset about the very idea of mindset theory itself, showing us what is possible if we really understand the theory and use it to challenge ourselves and our students."

Jim Burke, 
Teacher, Burlingame High School, and Author, Common Core Companion Series

This book answers key questions about Carol Dweck’s theory of Mindset – What is a ‘growth mindset’ and what difference can it make? Why are growth mindset interventions not working in schools (yet) and what can be done to change this? What is a ‘failure mindset’ and why is it more influential than an adult’s fixed or growth mindset?

Drawing on their experiences of presenting alongside Carol Dweck on many occasions, James Nottingham and Bosse Larsson tackle head-on these questions with research-backed clarity, and share proven strategies for mindset success. Mindset doesn’t matter when things are easy; it is only when faced with challenges that working from a growth mindset influences learning.

Highlights of the book include:

• Comments and insights from Carol Dweck to enhance your understanding of her important work
• A detailed and nuanced examination of how mindset works and what you can do to make it more effective for your students
• An exploration of the relationship between mindset and grades
• Strategies to encourage a growth mindset during moments of challenge
• Comprehensive lesson ideas for teaching students about mindset
• Why praising ‘effort’ can be powerful but also problematic, with an identification of what type of praise is best
• Examples of how to make the most of mindset theory and practice

Everyone has a mindset that shapes their personality, motivation and development. This book shows you how to create the right conditions for a growth mindset to flourish in your classroom, your school, your staff and your students.

James Nottingham is co-founder and director of Challenging Learning, a group of companies with 30 employees in 6 countries. His passion is in transforming the most up-to-date research into strategies that really work in the classroom. He is regarded by many as one of the most engaging, thought-provoking and inspirational speakers in education.

His first book, Challenging Learning, was published in 2010 and has received widespread critical acclaim. Since then, he has written 6 books for teachers, leaders, support staff, and parents. These books share the best research and practice connected with learning; dialogue; feedback; the learning pit; early years education; and growth mindset.

Before training to be a teacher, James worked on a pig farm, in the chemical industry, for the American Red Cross, and as a teaching assistant in a school for deaf children. At university, he gained a first-class honours degree in education (a major turnaround after having failed miserably at school). He then worked as a teacher and leader in primary and secondary schools in the UK before co-founding an award-winning, multi-million-pound regeneration project supporting education, public and voluntary organisations across north east England.

Skolvärlden (Swedish Teaching Union) describes James as “one of the most talked about names in the world of school development” and the Observer newspaper in the UK listed him among the Future 500 - a “definitive list of the UK′s most forward-thinking and brightest innovators.”

Bosse Larsson is a Swedish teacher, trainer and concept developer. He has extensive experience developing creative thinking and learning with primary and secondary students, and is a sought-after keynote speaker and workshop leader.

He started working as a science teacher more than thirty years ago and has for over a decade been supporting secondary school dropouts and students with special educational needs.

Responding to many requests to share his ideas, Bosse began his own educational consultancy in 2007 (www.tankvidare.nu). He is also a long-time consultant for Challenging Learning. Through this work, he aims to broaden, break and change thought-patterns about education, organisation and leadership. He still works part–time in local schools where he collaborates with teams in action learning cycles and individual teachers through lesson planning and giving feedback after lesson observations.

Bosse has given presentations, keynotes and led workshops both nationally and internationally, and has worked with staff training from pre-school to further education. The main themes of his work focus on creativity, future skills, thinking habits, thinking tools, Dweck’s mindset, metacognition, motivation and feedback.