1. GROWTH
MINDSET
in the art room
Kari Lomax

2. GROWTH
MINDSET
IDEAS ABOUT GROWTH
MINDSET
CAROL
DWECK
According to psychologist Carol Dweck, those
with a fixed mindset believe that your
intelligence is innate and cannot be improved.
Those with a growth mindset believe the
opposite; they believe your intelligence can be
stretched and grown.
"Students who understand
that intelligence isn't fixed
are more willing to tackle
challenges, learn from
failure, and see criticism as
useful feedback."
-Carol Dweck

3. GROWTH
MINDSETin art
5 WAYS TO SHIFT
KIDS MINDSET
COLLABORATE
EMBRACE CHALLENGES
PRACTICE
Don’t be afraid to tell kids “that’s too
easy”. Collaborate with them to find
work that is suitably challenging.
Remind kids that success takes work. If
students want to learn to throw on the wheel,
they need to be practicing every day. If they
want to draw from observation, they need to get
out the drawing pencils and paper on a regular
basis.
Embrace the challenges, and embrace
the mistakes. That’s how we learn. That’s
how we advance.
Give effusive praise for kids’ effort–not for
their talent. Students get plenty of praise
for their talent from their classmates and
their other teachers. Show them that you
appreciate the work they put in to their art.
GROWTH VS. FIXED MINDSET
A “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence,
and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in
any meaningful way. A “growth mindset,” on the other hand,
thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of
unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and
for stretching our existing abilities.
Learning to draw (or sculpt, or paint, or throw on the wheel) is
about practice. And more practice. And more practice. The
more you work, the better you become. If you can get your kids
into the growth mindset, you can get them to realize that work
equals success. All it takes to get kids into that growth mindse
and achieving their potential is a few simple strategies.
ENCOURAGE
EMBRACE CRITICISM
Teach kids to embrace criticism. Do
critiques–both formal and informal–and
encourage your kids to use that feedback and
advice to get better.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
in art

4. THINK LIKE
AN ARTIST
ART MAKING AS
INTELLIGENCE
"I can't draw"
"I'm not creative"
"I give up"
"I messed up, I need to
start over"
"This is as good as it will
ever get"
"I don't care to try this"
"They are so much better
than I will ever be"
"I'm on the right track!"
"I can try my best!"
"Mistakes help me learn"
"This is going to take
some time"
"What can I do to make it
even better?"
"I won't give up, I can ask
for help"
"What am I missing?"
FIXED GROWTH

5. SHOWCASE
STUDENT
"I CAN'T DO IT... YET!"
growth
Mindful Moments activity
My favorite Mistake exit ticket
Praise the process, give feedback
TED Talks: Carol Dweck, Angela Lee
Duckworth: The key to success? Grit.
Videos: Austin's Butterfly, Kid President
Books: Beautiful Oops, The Dot, Ish,
Extra Yarn, The Most Magnificent
Thing, What do you do with an idea?
Fantastic Elastic Brain
Reflective writing, journal prompts
Class critiques
Mindset survey
www.mindsetkit.org
strategies
for the art room

6. TEACHER
MINDSET
BE A LEADER
too!
Don’t neglect the growth mindset for yourself
either. You should embrace the challenges
and embrace the mistakes right along with
your students. A growth mindset will help you
as a teacher, and more importantly, it will help
your students be successful in your art room.
TIPS
FOR TEACHERS
1. See yourself as a learner! Just like the
students who are all capable of learning &
improving, you are too!
2. Try new things and make mistakes. Be
apart of the process and take initiative to try
something new in your classroom.
3. Self­reflect! Build time in to self­reflect at the
end of the day. Blog, doodle, journal, be mindful
of your new ideas and reflect upon your
successes, and most importantly your mistakes.

7. GROWTH MINDSET
reflection journal

8. All things are
DIFFICULT
before they
are EASY.
Growth Mindset in the art room
Kari Lomax