Skip to Content
AccessibilityCareersStaffEdsbyOnline Learning PlatformsContact Us
  • Visit our Facebook Page in new window
  • Visit our Youtube Page in new window
  • Visit our Instagram Page in new window

Greater Essex County District School Board Logo

Contact Us
  • Our Schools
    View More...
    • Accommodations
    • Buses and Transportation
    • Child Care
    • Elementary School Information
    • Kindergarten
    • Registering for School
    • Renting School Facilities
    • Safe Schools
    • School Cash Online
    • School Climate Surveys
    • School Construction
    • School Locations and Websites
    • School Year Calendar and Schedules
    • Secondary School Information
    • Special Education
    • Student Records and Transcripts
    • Which School Do I Attend?
  • Programs and Learning
    View More...
    • Alternative, Adult and Continuing Education
    • Athletics and Sports
    • Black Canadian Programs
    • Co-op, SHSM, OYAP and Dual-Credit
    • De-streaming
    • EcoSchools
    • English as a Second Language
    • Enhanced Learning Programs
    • Experiential Learning
    • French as a Second Language
    • Indigenous Education
    • International Languages
    • International Students
    • Kindergarten
    • Math
    • Pathways
    • Program Review of the Reaching Individual Success and Excellence (RISE) Program
    • Online Learning and Technical Support
    • School Libraries (Learning Commons)
    • Special Education
    • Student Exchange Opportunities
    • Summer Programs
    • The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award - Canada
    • Travel for Credit
    • Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts
  • Family and Community Support
    View More...
    • 40 Hours Community Involvement
    • Accessibility
    • Champions for Education
    • Child Care
    • Cyber Security
    • EarlyON Child and Family Centres
    • English as a Second Language
    • Equity and Inclusive Education
    • Extreme Weather Events
    • Guest Speaker Application
    • Mental Health and Well-Being
    • Parent and Guardian Engagement
    • Renting School Facilities
    • Scholarships and Bursaries
    • Student Accident Insurance
    • Submit Community Flyers and Events
  • News and Events
    View More...
    • Labour Updates 2025
    • News and Stories
    • School Year Calendar and Schedules
    • News Releases
    • Professional Development
    • Community Updates
  • About GECDSB
    View More...
    • Budget and Finance
    • Board Meetings
    • Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
    • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • EQAO Testing
    • Freedom of Information Requests
    • GECDSB Land Acknowledgement
    • Human Rights
    • Our Board
    • Plans and Reports
    • Policies and Regulations
    • Privacy Policy
    • Purchasing and Procurement
    • Student Senate
    • 2023 Student Census
    • 2023-2024 Student Census Portraits
    • Water Testing for Lead
    • Waste Audits

Quick Links

  • Students
    Toggle
      40 Hours Community InvolvementAthletics and SportsBrightspace (D2L)myBlueprintHow to Become a Student TrusteeOffice 365Online Learning and Technical SupportScholarships and BursariesSchool Cash OnlineMFA and SSPR combined registrationSummer ProgramsVirtual LibraryStudent Senate
  • Parents & Families
    Toggle
      Edsby For ParentsmyBlueprintParent and Guardian EngagementRegistering for SchoolSchool Cash OnlineSchool Year Calendar and SchedulesSpecial Education
  • School Board
    Toggle
      Board AdministrationBoard Meeting CalendarCareersMeet our TrusteesPolicies and RegulationsStaff

Building Math Mindsets

HomePrograms and LearningMathBuilding Math Mindsets
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

It is important that parents, guardians and educators help students build a math mindset. This can encourage students to develop a desire to learn and improve their skills through hard work and persistence. At the Greater Essex County District School Board, we've collected resources for families and educators to assist with this process.

How to build a math mindset

Educators, including parents and guardians, play a central role in demonstrating to children that everyone can learn, and that learning is the result of effort and application, not an inherent intelligence that some have, and others do not. Check out these tips to build a math mindset.

Praise

Every word and action sends a message. It tells children how to think about themselves. When you offer praise, make sure to praise the student's effort, resilience and hard work – not their intelligence.

Here are some examples of positive praise that can help build a math mindset:

  • I like the way you tried all kinds of strategies on that math problem until you finally got it.
  • I like how you tried to solve the math problem, showed your work and asked for help instead of giving up.

Feedback

A growth mindset means that a child will be open to feedback and welcome it. We can use feedback to help students focus on improving their own performance, in small achievable steps. When providing feedback, we should:

  • Remind students that if the work is not hard, they are not learning
  • Stress that intelligence is improved by effort and hard work
  • Explain that we all learn in different ways and at different rates

Learning from mistakes

It is important that students learn to find value in mistakes. Let students know that you appreciate mistakes and it's through mistakes that our brains grow.

Thomas Edison said,

“You must learn to fail intelligently. Failing is one of the greatest arts in the world. One fails forward to success.”

Developing productive beliefs about teaching math

Math lessons should centre on engaging students in tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving. This includes:

  • Encouraging student interactions
  • Teaching students how to understand math concepts and procedures

It is important that teachers have productive beliefs about math to be able to teach in an engaging way.

Productive beliefs

Here are some productive beliefs about math that will help improve your teaching:

  • Learning math should focus on developing an understanding of concepts and procedures through problem solving, reasoning and discourse
  • All students need to have a range of strategies for problem solving, including but not limited to, general methods, standard algorithms and procedures
  • Students can learn math through exploring and solving contextual and math problems
  • Engage students in tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving
  • Provide students with appropriate challenges, encourage perseverance in solving problems and support productive struggle in learning math

Students should be actively involved in making sense of math tasks by using:

  • Varied strategies and representations
  • Justifying solutions
  • Making connections to prior knowledge or familiar experiences
  • Considering the reasoning of others

Unproductive beliefs

Here are some unproductive beliefs that can prevent your students from learning math and developing a positive relationship with math:

  • Teaching math shouldn't focus on practicing procedures and memorizing basic number combinations
  • Students shouldn't just learn and use the same standard algorithms and prescribed methods to solve algebra problems
  • Students don't need to master basic math skills before they can begin applying mathematics
  • Teachers shouldn't tell students exactly what definitions, formulas and rules they should know and demonstrate how to use them to solve math problems
  • Students should not memorize information and then use it to solve problems in their homework, quizzes and tests

Tips for developing a growth mindset

Here are some tips you can follow to help you develop a growth mindset that will lead to a fuller understanding and appreciation for math:

  • Instead of thinking “I'm not good at this,” try thinking “What am I missing?”
  • Instead of thinking “I give up,” try thinking “I'll use a different strategy”
  • Instead of thinking “it's good enough,” try thinking “Is this really my best work?”
  • Instead of thinking “I can't make this any better,” try thinking “I can always improve”
  • Instead of thinking “This is too hard,” try thinking “This may take some time”
  • Instead of thinking “I made a mistake,” try thinking “Mistakes help me learn”
  • Instead of thinking “I just can't do this,” try thinking “I am going to train my brain”
  • Instead of thinking “I'll never be that smart,” try thinking “I will learn how to do this”
  • Instead of thinking “My friend can do it,” try thinking “I will learn from my friend”

Build a growth mindset not a fixed mindset

A student with a fixed mindset believes their basic abilities, their intelligence, and their talents are fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that's that, and then their goal becomes to look smart all the times. A student with a growth mindset understands that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. Here are some common characteristics of each.

Growth mindset

A growth mindset leads to a desire to learn and a tendency to:

  • Embrace challenges
  • Persist in the face of setbacks
  • See effort as the path to mastery
  • Learn from criticism
  • Find lessons and inspiration in the success of others

As a result, they reach even higher levels of achievement.

Fixed mindset

A fixed mindset leads to a desire to look smart and a tendency to:

  • Avoid challenges
  • Get defensive and give up easily
  • See effort as fruitless
  • Ignore useful feedback
  • Feel threatened by the success of others

As a result, they may plateau early and achieve less than their full potential.

Programs and Learning
  • Math
    Toggle Section
    • Building Math Mindsets
    • Fundamentals of Mathematics Video Series
    • Math Resources for Parents
    • Math Vision and Task Force
  • Close Full Programs and Learning Menu
    Toggle Section
    • Alternative, Adult and Continuing Education
      Toggle Section Alternative, Adult and Continuing Education Menu
      • English as a Second Language Courses
      • Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
    • Athletics and Sports
      Toggle Section Athletics and Sports Menu
      • Divisions
      • Resources for Parents and Guardians
      • Windsor Essex County Secondary School Athletic Association
    • Black Canadian Programs
      Toggle Section Black Canadian Programs Menu
      • African Studies at GECDSB
      • Roads to Freedom
      • Teaching Resources and Local Field Trips
    • Co-op, SHSM, OYAP and Dual-Credit
      Toggle Section Co-op, SHSM, OYAP and Dual-Credit Menu
      • Co-op Education
      • Dual Credit Programs
      • Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)
      • Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)
      • Technology Courses
    • De-streaming
    • EcoSchools
      Toggle Section EcoSchools Menu
      • Certification
      • Ecological Literacy
      • Energy Conservation
      • School Ground Greening
      • Waste Minimization
    • English as a Second Language
    • Enhanced Learning Programs
      Toggle Section Enhanced Learning Programs Menu
      • e-STEAM
      • Enriched Programs
    • Experiential Learning
    • French as a Second Language
      Toggle Section French as a Second Language Menu
      • French as a Second Language Homework Toolbox
      • Helping Your Child in French as a Second Language
      • Kindergarten French Immersion
    • Indigenous Education
      Toggle Section Indigenous Education Menu
      • Indigenous Education Advisory Council Meetings
      • Indigenous Language Classes
      • Open Minds Program
      • Self Identification
      • Student, Parent and Guardian Resources
    • International Languages
    • International Students
      Toggle Section International Students Menu
      • Application for Agents and Parents
      • Fees and Refund Policy
      • Homestay
      • Make a Payment
      • StudyInsured International Students Scholarship
      • International Students Program Memberships
      • International Students Program Testimonials
    • Kindergarten
      Toggle Section Kindergarten Menu
      • Child Care
      • Getting Ready for Kindergarten
      • Kindergarten French Immersion
      • Register for Kindergarten
    • Pathways
    • Program Review of the Reaching Individual Success and Excellence (RISE) Program
    • Online Learning and Technical Support
      Toggle Section Online Learning and Technical Support Menu
      • Edsby, Brightspace, and Teams Help
        Toggle Section Edsby, Brightspace, and Teams Help Menu
        • Brightspace for Teachers
        • Edsby For Parents
        • Guest Meeting Invite Instructions
      • eLearning Courses
      • How to Change your Password
      • Mathify Online Tutoring Program
      • Microsoft Office
      • Online Student Support
      • Student Device Purchase Options
      • Virtual Library
      • Wifi
    • School Libraries (Learning Commons)
      Toggle Section School Libraries (Learning Commons) Menu
      • Guidelines for the Selection and Maintenance of School Libraries (Learning Commons)
      • Virtual Library
        Toggle Section Virtual Library Menu
        • Elementary Virtual Library Commons
          Toggle Section Elementary Virtual Library Commons Menu
          • Elementary eBooks
          • Elementary Encyclopedia
          • Online Databases
        • Research
          Toggle Section Research Menu
          • Apprentice Researcher
          • Expert Researcher
          • Rookie Researcher
        • Secondary Virtual Library Commons
          Toggle Section Secondary Virtual Library Commons Menu
          • Concussion Information
          • Secondary eBooks
          • Secondary Encyclopedia
          • Images and Media
          • Newspapers
          • Online Databases
    • Special Education
      Toggle Section Special Education Menu
      • Community Supports and Resources
      • Parent and Caregiver Guide to Special Education Process
      • Registering Your Child with Special Needs
      • Service Navigator Supports in the Community
      • Special Education Advisory Committee
        Toggle Section Special Education Advisory Committee Menu
        • Special Education Advisory Committee Calendar
      • Special Education Plan
      • Special Education Programs and Services
    • Student Exchange Opportunities
    • Summer Programs
      Toggle Section Summer Programs Menu
      • Camp Wonder
      • Grade 8 Students
      • Reading, Writing and Math Skills
      • Summer Co-op
      • Summer eLearning
    • The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award - Canada
    • Travel for Credit
    • Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts

Contact

Subscribe to page updates

Greater Essex County District School Board footer logo

Greater Essex County District School Board

451 Park Street West
P.O. Box 210
Windsor ON N9A 5V4

Phone: (519) 255-3200
Toll Free: 1-888-779-7735

Connect

  • Visit our Facebook Page in new window
  • Visit our Youtube Page in new window
  • Visit our Instagram Page in new window
AccessibilitySitemapPrivacyEdsbyOnline Learning PlatformsWebsite FeedbackContact Us

© 2022 Greater Essex County District School Board

By GHD Digital

Browser Compatibility Notification

It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.