Skills Guide
Teaching: Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset
Why This Skill Matters
A growth mindset is essential for resilience because it allows students to see ability as something that can be developed rather than fixed. Without this mindset, students often avoid challenges, fear mistakes, or disengage to protect self-image. Teaching a growth mindset helps students understand that struggle is part of learning and that setbacks are opportunities to grow rather than evidence of failure.
Student Challenges This Skill Helps Address
- Fear of failure
- Avoidance of challenge
- Giving up quickly when tasks feel difficult
- Negative beliefs about ability
How WhyTry Builds This Skill
WhyTry builds a growth mindset through Problem Solving, where mistakes are treated as feedback and learning opportunities. Motivation & Resilient Mindset reinforces this by helping students reframe challenges and persist through difficulty. Facilitators guide reflection that normalizes struggle and highlights how effort, strategy, and support lead to growth.
Problem Solving
(“Jumping Hurdles”)
In Problem Solving, a growth mindset is built by reframing mistakes as feedback rather than failure. Facilitators guide students to analyze what didn’t work, adjust strategies, and try again. Processing helps students understand that ability develops through effort and learning, which reduces fear of failure and supports resilience.
Motivation & Resilient Mindset
(“Motivation Formula”)
Motivation & Resilient Mindset reinforces a growth mindset by helping students manage frustration and discouragement. Facilitators guide reflection on self-talk and beliefs about ability, emphasizing that struggle is part of growth. This processing strengthens students’ willingness to persist through challenges.