1. MINDSET AND ME
OR ...
HOW I LEARNT TO STOP
WORRYING ABOUT
ABILITY, AND STARTED
TO BELIEVE IN EVERY
STUDENT
Tom Boulter

3. Dominant attitudes towards talent /
ability
Common beliefs The Genius in Us All - Schenk
 Ability is something  You are „dealt a
that we are born genetic hand‟ and
with – it‟s in our then „do your best‟,
genes and innate aiming to „fulfil your
 The level of success potential‟
we can individually
reach is largely  „Genes dictate.
dictated by our level Genes instruct.
of ability Genes determine.‟

4. Some „natural‟ talents

5. We Love Talent...
A genius...
Effortless Incredibly
brilliance. gifted...
..
An
The most amazing
talented of
talent...
his She‟s a
generation...
natural ...

6. Schools love Talent...
A talented
student... Gifted and
Low
talented...
ability
students
Mixed
The most ability...
talented of
his year... Talent
walls...

8. Where does ability come
from?
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
• Ability is • Ability is
largely natural something that
– people are is grown and
just born that developed –
way they‟ve learnt
to be good

9. Who are our „most talented‟ English students?
How much do they read?
30000000
25 million, 920
thousand
words read
25000000
through reading
books, whilst at
Words read so SS
20000000
far at Sec
School
Series1
15000000
10000000 Words read per
year
5000000
0
Student Student Student
1 2 3

10. What if we add in some C/D borderliners?
30000000
25000000
20000000
15000000
Series1
10000000
5000000
0
EllieEllie Rob Rob April April Jack Jack Zoe Zoe CJ CJ
Studen
(WPY)(WAC) Studen Studen
(WPY) (WAC) Studen Studen
(WPY)(WAC) Studen
t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6

11. Mindset and Me
 High-achieving at school
 Told (and believed) that I was „talented‟ –
„good at English‟
 Assumed that it ran in the family – genetic
justification

12. Mindset and Me
Countless
hours
reading, playin
g word
games, talking
to English
teachers etc
etc

13. Mindset and Me - then
 Got to University
 Game had changed – introduced to concepts
and ideas beyond textual analysis
 Floundered – no experience of failure, explicit
learning, learning strategies
 Significant impact on results
 Significant impact on self-perception and self-
esteem

14. Mindset and Me - Now
 I do not have natural talent in English
 High-achievement was as a result of time
spent in an environment which developed the
necessary skills
 I could get much better as an analyst / writer if
I created the right conditions and chose to
 I could do the same with
Maths, fishing, Swahili, playing the
oboe, teaching, leadership, conkers etc etc etc

15. In the classroom?
 Gaining an evidence-based belief in the
potential of all children
 Changed the way I interact with students in
ways that are impossible to control…
 … and impossible to fake

16. Matthew Syed – Bounce – on
Talent
 “The talent theory of expertise is not merely
flawed in theory, it is insidious in practice, robbing
individuals and institutions of the motivation to
change themselves and society.”
“Even if we can‟t bring ourselves to embrace the
idea that expertise is ultimately about the quality
and quantity of practice, can‟t we accept that
practice is far more significant than previously
thought? That talent is a largely defunct concept?
That each and every one of us has the potential to
tread the path to excellence?”