Over the years, much has been said about mindsets. From fixed to growth; individual to social; and unproductive to creative. For me, mindsets are all about being innovative. We need to incorporate what Dweck calls a growth and positive mindset with that of the creative, confident thinkers who turn fear and envy into a driving advantage. I believe that in order to have an innovative mindset, one needs to express gratitude for what has passed before otherwise how do they learn?  We need to be grateful for the mistakes we make and the trials we struggle with because these are the experiences we learn from. If there is no experience, the rest is really just a barrage of information.

This revelation got me thinking about the innovative mindsets of three remarkable men: Michelangelo, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. The way they saw the world and the possibilities that could be created through divergent thinking is inspirational and one we need to remember. Let me crudely summarise how they shaped an innovative mindset:

At the age of 87, Michelangelo said “I am still learning.” He understood learning was lifelong and happened each and every day. So what did he do that demonstrated an innovative mindset? He did not follow the crowd and do what his competitors did. He took a chance and did things differently. He saw opportunities to create and innovate on what others were doing and went further than they believed you could go. Because of this revolutionary thinking, he forged ahead artistically and redefined both sculpting and painting.

Albert Einstein declared that problems could not be solved with the same thinking that was used when the problem was created. He understood that you needed to look beyond the obvious, to explore possibilities and embrace mistakes. Constantly questioning the world, enabled him to be the innovative and distinguished person we know him to be. He expressed that education was “not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

Thomas Edison did not see the world the same as others and appeared to struggle with ‘traditional schooling’. His teacher sent him home from school with a note saying he was mentally ill and was no longer allowed to attend school. When he asked, his mother read the letter to him saying “Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.” How fortunate that his mother saw something deeper in her son and did not share the original letter. Thomas went on to patent 1093 innovative inventions during his life, an achievement not equalled even today. He also knew the value of persistence and learning from mistakes. He is famously quoted as saying “I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10 000 ways that won’t work.”

So what does having an innovative mindset mean for teaching, learning and life? Everything! We need to reflect on the innovative nature of these men. All three thought beyond their immediate adversaries and saw extraordinary possibilities and were willing to give it a try. They saw the need for constant questioning. They realised the benefits of persistence in order to overcome a defect. As educators and learners, we need to go beyond what everyone else is doing. We need to think not only outside the box but beyond it by looking for something unique that could make profound and pioneering changes. Change can be an overwhelming challenge but I think Chandor sums it up by saying “When it feels scary to jump, that’s exactly when you jump. Otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life.” I for one do not what to end up in the same place forever. I want to make a difference, however small.

Michelangelo, Albert and Thomas, I thank you for leading the way and showing us potentialities and giving us the confidence to try ourselves also. Therefore, I am actively embracing an innovators mindset and I am so excited for the journey ahead.

Somehow I feel we have lost sight of what learning is. When did it become all about achieving results? Did we not start learning the minute we were born? Every minute since our birth, we have been constantly learning, constantly making mistakes, constantly making adjustments and refining what we know. What would have happened if we gave up after falling over when taking our first steps? A silly notion really but we certainly did not give up on achieving our goal – we persisted until we achieved that goal. However, our learning did not end there! Did we then not learn how to run, jump, and hop?

Over the years I have seen students who focus on the end result, what grade they will get, who they are better than and how easy it was. Then there are those who struggle and persist just as they have learnt to do from birth. They thrive on the challenges they face and strive to solve problems in unique ways. Which students do you think make the better progress?

I have been inspired by Carol Dweck’s ideas around Growth Mindset as well as Guy Claxton’s Learning Powers. There is something in both of their views that ring true to me. It resonates around the process of learning and not the end result. It is the student who learns to focus with a positive attitude when faced with adversity that will achieve in life. They are doing what they have always done and do not give up once a result has been achieved. They are constantly reflecting on the process of their learning and constantly making adjustments, or improvements if you will.

Learning is not work. Nor is it a chore.

Learning IS continuous! It is all about process and requires persistent struggle.

Learning is developed through what Guy Claxton refers to as the four R’s: resilience, resourcefulness, reflectiveness and relating to others. Carol Dweck defines that skills can be developed through effort and hard work while embracing challenges. Both believe that feedback is fundamental in identifying areas to improve in order to know themselves as learners. Setbacks are opportunities.

Should learning be rebranded? I believe it can and must. The focus should not be solely on the student, but on families also. Teachers can only do so much to encourage the process of learning. Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle. This battle is not with the parents or the students. The battle lies in our attitudes towards learning and what is rewarded: grades or process? Until we make headways with this argument, I am uncertain we can we can change the heading of education. What I can do, is change the way learning is viewed in my classroom.

For me, I am rebranding learning for students to value the process of learning greater than the grades they receive. I am rebranding learning so they are actually learning, not just working. Learning that celebrates the mistakes made and the possibilities of many solutions. Here’s hoping it will make a difference to the students in my care!