Inviting Girls to be Risk Takers

Here at San Silvestre, we strive to promote a GROWTH MINDSET! This is why for many years it was accepted wisdom that a person’s intelligence was fixed from birth and if you were fortunate you were born “smart”.

Advances in neuroscience have dispelled this myth. The brain is now known to function like a muscle, the more it is used, the more it changes and grows stronger; this is known as brain plasticity. Our brains thrive on challenge; brains grow new cells and make new connections when we learn something new. Communication between these brain cells permits us to think and solve problems. It is from this fundamental principle that the theory of growth and fixed mindsets was established. People with a “growth mindset” firmly believe in their ability to learn; they know that effort leads to success.

They embrace challenge as a means to learn and they view mistakes as an essential part of the process. A “growth mindset” liberates people and invites them to be risk takers. Their resilience in the face of difficulty drives them forward, fortified by the knowledge that, although a task may be challenging, it is NOT impossible.

A “growth mindset” should be the underlying philosophy of every learning community. It generates a vibrant culture of learning in the classroom and students articulate this with phrases like, “I don’t understand … YET”.

To quote Robin Sharma, “Your ‘I CAN’ is more important than your IQ”.