Growth mindset in our French language journey
One day or another, children will face challenges when it comes to learning French as a second language.
There’s a lot to remember:
vocabular words, grammar, syntax, verb conjugations, and let’s not forget Feminin and masculine nouns!
Tough times will come and go, do these sound familiar?
Children are engaging in a challenging and cognitively stimulating learning process.
It takes time and practice to achieve a certain level of fluency!
As primary caregivers, let’s support them with nurturing, patient, and resilient, approach to learning:
The growth mindset (Mentalité de croissance)
What is a Growth Mindset?
It is the idea that:
- Learning is continuous.
- Children are most likely to perform better when their efforts are recognized, instead of their intelligence.
The concept behind Growth Mindset is that, no matter the obstacle, children are nurtured into capable, resilient, and perseverant learners.
The illustration below provides a visual representation of Growth Mindset (by Nigel Holmes, inspired by the research of psychologist, Dr. Carol S. Dweck)!
Here are some French children’s books that promote Growth Mindset! Notice the protagonists’ try-and-try-again attitude in face of obstacles!
École de vol
A hard-working penguin enrols into Flight School, but his body wasn’t built to soar. This doesn’t stop Penguin from finding ingenious ways to follow his dreams to fly! Read as Penguin persists in face of setbacks! .
Rosie Géniale Ingénieure
Rosie is a brilliant inventor who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her latest contraption doesn’t fly as planned, Rosie considers it to be a failure. However, Aunt Rose insists that Rosie’s contraption is truly a success. Read as Rosie and Aunt Rose emphasize effort as the path to mastery! (Great book for STEAM lovers!)
Un bon point pour Zoé
Zoé doesn’t believe she is an artist, and to prove this to her art teacher, she dabs a little dot on a piece of paper. Little does Zoé know, this dot is the beginning of her creative spirit. Read as Zoé finds inspiration and learns more about herself!
Pat le chat: J’adore mes souliers blancs
Pat is strolling along on a fine day, until he encounters different (and colourful) challenges! Read as Pat role-models a “it’s all good” attitude, and shifts his perspective to view the positive in everything!
Conclusion
As children continue their French learning journey, they will inevitably encounter their fair share of obstacles. Adopting a Growth Mindset reminds us that the more children’s efforts are recognized, the more they feel supported and courageous to continue to learn.
