At Baulkham Hills North, we strive to make learning visible. Learning intentions and success criteria are displayed in ‘learner friendly’ language to help our learners know ‘Where am I going?’, ‘How am I going?’ and ‘Where to next?’.
Our goal, as teachers, is to develop learners who can set goals, articulate what they are learning and know what their next learning steps are. Successful learners strive to use self-regulation strategies when assessing their own work, they ask questions and actively seek and act upon feedback.
At our school this year our focus is on the feedback component of Visible Learning.
A pre-requisite is a Growth Mindset if students are to gain maximum benefit from, and act upon, feedback.
Children who understand that the brain can get smarter—who have a growth mindset—do better in school because they have an empowering perspective on learning. They focus on improvement and see effort as a way to build their abilities. They see mistakes as a natural part of the learning process.
In contrast, students who have a fixed mindset—those who believe that intelligence is fixed—tend to focus on judgment. They are more concerned with proving that they are smart or trying to hide what they perceive to be their shortcomings. This means they tend to avoid situations in which they might make mistakes or might have to work hard.
Many studies show that children who have a growth mindset respond positively in challenging situations and do better in school over time.