Spirit of Champions

Cultivating a Growth Mindset

Transforming Potential into Mastery: The Journey from 'Not Yet' to Success

Mindset in Motion

In a Chicago high school, students must pass several courses to graduate. If they didn't pass a class, they got the "Not Yet" grade instead of "Failed."

This difference made the students understand that you're on a learning curve. It gives you a path into the future.

Teachers gave a group of 10-year-olds problems that were too complex for them. Some said, "I love a challenge," or, "I was hoping this would be informative." They realized that they could develop their abilities. They had a growth mindset. But other students felt it was tragic, catastrophic. From their fixed mindset, they saw their intelligence as up for judgment. They failed.

Key Difference in Mindset

Growth Mindset

Views intelligence, abilities, and talents as learnable and capable of improvement through effort.

Reaction to Difficulties:
Engage deeply. 

Process the error. 

Learn from it and correct it.

Fixed Mindset

Views intelligence, abilities, and talents as stable and unchangeable over time

Reaction to Difficulties:
In response to challenges, they are more likely to cheat the next time instead of studying. 
They look for someone who did worse than they did so they can feel good about themselves. 
They run from difficulty.

FESPI

At VFA, our spirit is defined by a potent blend of core values that drive every athlete, coach, and community member. The FESPI spirit embodies the heart and soul of our academy, molding champions on and off the pitch.

Focus

Effort

Channeling energy and attention towards defined goals ensures every step is purposeful and directed.

Demonstrating relentless dedication and hard work, pushing boundaries to attain excellence in every endeavor.

Strategies

Perseverance

Improvement

Committing to personal and collective growth, seeking progress in every educational training session, match, and experience.

Weathering challenges with unwavering commitment, constantly advancing irrespective of hurdles faced.

Embracing intelligent tactics and methodologies, optimizing performance while fostering adaptability and growth.

Growth Mindset Phrases for Players

It is critical to model a growth mindset for children; changing your language will demonstrate this concept. 



Try replacing a few phrases in the left column with a word from the right column.

Additionally, when a student exhibits a fixed mindset with a phrase in the left column, respond with a growth mindset phrase in the right column.

  • You worked so hard!

  • You are a hard worker!

  • You showed a lot of grit!

  • I like how you persevered with that problem.

Refrain from saying:

  • Your are so smart!

  • You are good at math

  • You are very intelligent

  • You are clever

Instead, say:

  • You can’t do it... YET

  • You can do hard things.

  • You can learn how. You have already learned to do many things.

Students may say:

  • I can’t do it.

  • This is hard!

  • I don’t know how to do this.

Your response:

7 Questions to Ask Players

  • Your brain tells you that challenges are opportunities to learn and grow. Embrace them, knowing that effort and persistence will lead to improvement.

  • Identify the specific challenge. Then, let's brainstorm strategies to navigate it, focusing on effort and learning.

  • Reflect on the obstacles you've already conquered. This will remind you of your ability to grow and overcome new challenges.

  • Share the strategies you've found most effective in overcoming past challenges. This helps you recognize your problem-solving skills.

  • Description text goes hereShare a mistake you've made and what it taught you. Remember, every error is a step towards learning and growth.

  • Describe a challenge you encountered today and the strategy you applied to overcome it. This approach reinforces your ability to adapt and grow.

  • Discuss what you've attempted so far and explore what new strategies you can try moving forward. This encourages continuous learning and resilience.

Conclusion

Discourage a fixed mindset. But avoid toxic positivity by only saying, "You can do this." It is critical to remember that this mindset develops over time. Put in place a variety of activities.

Model a growth mindset. Explain a growth mindset. Show what a growth mindset looks like in real life.