Best Practice

Six steps for a positive mindset in the maths classroom

If a student believes they are not good at maths it can have a negative impact on their attitude and confidence. Alexandra Riley offers six tips to help shift young people’s mindset and make a positive difference to their outcomes


Earlier this year, thousands of families, communities, organisations and schools joined forces to celebrate National Numeracy Day. Amid the many wonderful virtual sessions, a theme kept recurring: How can we boost number confidence?

You will have all heard the exclamation “I can’t do maths!” echo around the classroom. But how can we help young people to stop believing this and to positively engage with their maths education?

One answer lies in changing students’ perceptions of their ability or, to use another phrase, mindset. According to Professor Carol Dweck (2007), everyone has a mindset – an idea about their own potential which determines their beliefs and behaviours. Many of you will be familiar with her theory:

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here