5 Powerful Ways to Help Kids Develop a Growth Mindset in Mathematics

“I’m just not good at math.”

“I’m not a math person.”

“I wasn’t born with the math gene.”

Unfortunately, as a math educator, these phrases are all too familiar to me. Kids go through school and life being bombarded with messages that imply some people are good at math and some people aren’t.

For some of us, math just “clicks.” But what if it doesn’t “click” for you right away? Well, you might as well give up. You’re just not a math person. The problem with these messages, whether stated or implied, is that they’re false.

This “cultural baggage” we have towards math is not based on truth about how our brains are wired. It’s based on years of parents and teachers misunderstanding or hating math and passing these negative attitudes and beliefs onto their children. 

The great news, however, is more and more research is proving these messages false as we learn how our brains work, and how math teaching styles can impact mindset and achievement.

Why having a growth mindset towards math is so important?

The more researchers study and adjust how teachers think about math and how it’s taught, the more evidence shows a link between a growth mindset and math success.

We all want kids to feel confident and successful as they learn math. Kids who have a growth mindset about their math abilities perform better on standardized tests and are more engaged in the classroom.

Carol Dweck, in her research article, “Mindsets and Math/Science Achievement,” delves deep into a variety of research studies that support this correlation. And although we see evidence for the advantages of a growth mindset, she also states,

“Students who have a fixed mindset but who are well prepared and do not encounter difficulty can do just fine. However, when they encounter challenges or obstacles they may then be at a disadvantage.”

And that’s precisely the problem. At one point or another, for every single one of us, math will become hard. For some, this might be in second grade when facing subtraction with regrouping. For others, it might not become hard until Calculus.

Every child will face math obstacles at some point, and being prepared to face them with a growth mindset and a healthy attitude toward mathematics will give them the stamina to persevere and overcome the challenge.

How can you help kids develop a growth mindset in math?

Here are some practical ideas to get you started.