Attitude and Effort
I regularly hear students talking about their peers being ‘talented’ in a particular area – academics, sport, music and so on. Indeed, we all have aptitudes in certain areas. But we should not allow our children to think that they either ‘have it’ or don’t. This fixed mindset is damaging to their attitude and effort. There is no doubt that learning is hard work. It requires development of skills and strategies in concentration, deliberate practice, persistence and knowing what to do when one does not know what to do. The good news is that these skills can be taught.
Another set of skills can also be developed to support learning and are of course transferrable to many other areas.
- Adopting a ‘can-do’ growth mindset/a positive attitude
- Taking responsibility for your learning and progress
- Practising every day and doing extra
- Seeking and acting on feedback and advice
- Being on time and ready
- Working with focus and intensity
- Eliminating distractions (turning off the phone, computer game, television)
- Getting back to work/paying attention
- Getting more sleep
- Not quitting
The things on this list require zero talent and are definitely worth a conversation at home.