MindSet Go! aims to create a well functioning network of schools that develop and implement new teaching ideas and methods based on Dweck's a "growth mindset" for the development of self-motivation and to provide students with proactive life-skills. The project's "anything is possible"spirit is to be seen as a reaction to the never ending debate in media about the poor quality in education in general and decreasing test results leading to stress, lack of motivation, health problems and an increasing number of pupils who do not finish compulsory education. MindSet Go! is a strategic partnership between four schools, two in-service training organisations and two associated partners. The schools are from different parts of Europe; the coordinating school in Sweden with partners in Romania, Slovenia and the French Reunion island- and pupils from very different backgrounds geographically, economically and culturally, facing a vast range of challenges. Inclusion is a natural part of the project. Added values: -the inclusion of children from a vast range of backgrounds with special needs, learning disabilities, handicaps or economic obstacles. The inclusion and health teams at the partner schools will help each other to develop new methods for increased learning and for an increased number of pupils to complete the compulsory school. -the new cooperation between two experienced teacher trainers working on the same theme but with a different approach: -STEP Institute in Slovenia provides hands-on teacher-training to develop growth mindset ideas individually and methods for implementation in the curriculum, and surveys for preparation and scientific evaluations of the project. -Innovatum Science Center in Sweden provides teacher training on "Brainology", active learning and workshops in science, maths and ICT. The two associated partners - Dr Bourelos at the Gothenburg School for Business Economics and Law will lecture on the coaching of students and Dr Blomgren at the Fac. Education of Gothenburg University will lecture on Pupil Motivation. The project's transnational activities have a clear aim and progress from the first year's staff training via the second year teaching activities for implementation and sharing ideas in between the participating schools and work with local pupils to the short term blended mobilities involving both teachers and pupils in year three. Transnational trainings will be hosted according to the partne school's focus: Reunion - sports/SPARK (transformation through positive psychology) Romania - ECO/Sustainability Slovenia - Health Sweden - Science/Maths/ICT Added value: Exchange of practices between colleagues and pupils of different nationalities and building fruitful networks for further collaboration. Incorporation of school sports activities with focus on a growth mindset and not only on the competitive side. Through an experiential approach the partners will move out of their comfort zones on all levels in order to develop innovative methods for a "growth mindset". Principals will believe in their teachers' abilities and skills. Teachers will work in teams and share plans for tools and strategies needed to increase pupils' motivation, efforts and persistence that will lead to greater academic success. Pupils will participate actively in the design and development of the learning activities assigned to promote a healthy way of activating mind and body but also produce teaching material, participate in the evaluation and dissemination process and serve as mentors for their peers. Parents will support the teachers and their children. A social constructivist approach will allow pupils, teachers and parents to co-construct a "growth mindset" in the school. Teachers will be given the tools and strategies needed to increase pupils' motivation, efforts and persistence that will lead to greater academic success. That intellectual as well as physical activity skills can be cultivated through efforts and through a positive attitude and the mindset that it is all a process and not about talent, can help pupils to see even failure as a learning experience. The network aims to provide material for participants directly involved in the project as well as creating easy accessible digital disseminating platforms and MOOCs for the project outcomes with downloadable activities, lessons plans, teaching methods and implementation ideas developed through the project to a wider audience. The cooperation and dissemination platforms are created to live on and create new cooperation opportunities and project ideas long after the MindSet Go! project has ended.
The MindSet Go! project has fulfilled its aim to create a well functioning network of schools promoting new teaching ideas and methods based on Carol S Dweck's a "growth mindset". The project was initiated as a reaction to the ongoing debate in media about the poor quality in education in general and decreasing test results leading to stress, lack of motivation, health problems and an increasing number of pupils who do not finish compulsory education. The MindSet Go! Erasmus+ strategic partnership involved four schools, two in-service training organisations and two associated partners with four more added during the project period. The schools were from different parts of Europe; the coordinating school in Sweden with partners in Romania, Slovenia and the French Reunion island, hence with pupils from very different backgrounds geographically, economically and culturally, facing a vast range of challenges. The collaboration involved children from diverse backgrounds, some also with special needs, learning disabilities, handicaps and/or economic obstacles. The project enabled special pedagogues and inclusion- and health teams at the partner schools to cooperate, share and develop best practice examples for inclusion. Inclusion became a natural part of the project and the added values increased learning and for an increased number of pupils to complete the compulsory school. The two experienced teacher trainers cooperated on the same theme but with a different approach: STEP Institute in Slovenia provided hands-on teacher-training to develop growth mindset ideas individually, methods for implementation in the curriculum and surveys for preparation and scientific evaluations of the project. Innovatum Science Center in Sweden provided teacher training on Brainology, active learning and workshops in science, maths and ICT. The associated partner Dr Blomgren at the Fac. Education of Gothenburg University lectured on Pupil Motivation. The project's transnational activities had a clear aim and progress from the first year's staff training via the second year teaching activities for implementation and sharing ideas in between the participating schools and work with local pupils to the short term blended mobilities involving both teachers and pupils in year three. Through this structured project layout, the project partners learned about, shared and implemented the Growth Mindset ideas of Dweck but also the concepts of Grit, Brainology, SPARK and Positive Psychology. All for the development of self-motivation and to provide students with proactive life-skills. Transnational trainings were hosted according to the partner school's focus: Reunion - sports/SPARK (transformation through positive psychology) Romania - ECO/Sustainability Slovenia - Health Sweden - Science/Maths/ICT - carried out virtually due to Covid-19 Added values: Exchange of practices between colleagues and pupils of different nationalities and building fruitful networks for further collaboration. Incorporation of school sports activities with focus on a growth mindset and not only on the competitive side. The experiential approach moved the partners out of their comfort zones on all levels to develop innovative methods for a "growth mindset". Principals believed in their teachers' abilities and skills. Teachers worked in teams to share plans for tools and strategies needed to increase pupils' motivation, efforts and persistence for greater academic success. Pupils participated actively in the development of: learning activities assigned to promote a healthy way of activating mind and body, new teaching material, the evaluation and dissemination process and guidelines to serve as mentors for their peers. Parents supported the teachers and their children. A social constructivist approach allowed pupils and staff to co-construct a "growth mindset" in the school. Teachers were given the tools and strategies needed to increase pupils' motivation, efforts and persistence which lead to greater academic success. Teachers cultivated intellectual and physical activity skills through efforts and a positive attitude. The developed growth mindset focus on the process and not result or talent, helped pupils see their failure as a learning experience and the overall learning as personal growth. The MindSet Go! network's output provides material for participants in the project as well as for stakeholders and a wider audience. The open MOOC displays project activities and outcomes with downloadable activities, lessons plans, teaching methods and implementation ideas developed through the project. Local, Regional, National and International dissemination has reached a much greater number than expected. The platforms have been created to successfully live on, enable new cooperation opportunities and project ideas long after the MindSet Go project has ended. The cooperation will continue and include more partners in the newly granted project MindSetGo 2.0.