T2P – Fanning the flames of change with our Growth Mindset Facilitators
On Tuesday, 16 April 2019, the WCED, in collaboration with DoTP, a specialised research unit within Directorate Policy, Research and Analysis attached to the Western Cape’s Department of the Premier, held a Growth Mind Facilitation session for officials from the Metro Districts.
Nearly 80 officials from all four Metros descended on the CTLI for an intensive and highly interactive facilitation session.
Growth Mindset is considered by many as the most crucial pillar of T2P’s four pillar strategy, because of its direct interaction with learners. The tried and tested phenomenon coined and developed by leading psychologist and human motivation scholar, Dr Carol Dweck, aims to drive home the idea that all learners have the potential to develop a growth mindset; a far cry from the all too common “fixed mindset” (the opposite of a growth mindset) that so many of our learners default to. The acquisition of a growth mindset by learners should have many positive spinoffs such as greater belief and confidence in themselves, and of course other much desired pluses such as better behaviour as well as the cherry on top - better results!
CTLI Director, Dr Heini Brand, made an impassioned plea to all present to embrace the wonderful possibilities that the Transform to Perform Strategy (T2P)can bring for all stakeholders in education - particularly the learners.
Participants in the facilitation sessions were shown, through a well-considered and highly structured programme of engagement, how to develop a “growth mindset” within learners.
Presently, the idea is that Growth Mindset Facilitators, at least in the initial roll out, will to each implement a growth mindset programme to grades 4-7 and grades 8-9 learners at selected primary and secondary schools respectively - of course with the full cooperation of the schools. As the roll-out continues into the next academic year(s), so will it extend to more grades and as many schools as possible. It is worthwhile to point out at this stage that pilot studies conducted by DoTP, show substantial improvement in Mathematics at secondary schools which partly explains why the excitement for the implementation of growth mindset is palpable.
