Fostering a Growth Mindset in Primary School: From Principles to Action

When families walk through our Primary School hallways this fall, they’ll see something new: colorful posters created by CM1/Y4 and CM2/Y5 students. Each one carries a powerful message—mistakes are not setbacks, but stepping stones to learning.

This project grew from a larger initiative launched last year, when our faculty collaborated to define what excellent teaching and learning mean at the Lycée Français de New York. Together, teachers, coordinators, and school leaders studied research, shared classroom insights, and shaped a shared vision. The result was a framework built around four guiding pillars:

• Academic Innovation – sparking curiosity through creative strategies like visible thinking routines and real-world projects.
• Student Agency – empowering learners to set goals, self-assess, and share their voices, even leading parts of parent conferences.
• Personal Development – building resilience, empathy, and confidence through growth mindset practices, mindfulness, and well-being activities.
• Inclusive Education – ensuring every child feels valued, with differentiated instruction and culturally responsive practices.

Among these, one principle especially captured our students’ imagination: growth mindset. Coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, it’s the belief that intelligence and abilities aren’t fixed—they grow through effort, perseverance, and reflection. In a growth mindset classroom, students say, “I can’t do this… yet!” and recognize that mistakes are opportunities to try again.

To bring this principle to life, CM1/Y4 and CM2/Y5 delegates worked with Cycle 3 Coordinator Antoine Thibout and Elementary English Chair Leslie Wells on a special project: designing posters that illustrate the idea that “mistakes are essential to learning, and growth comes through effort and perseverance.”

Teachers sparked conversations: How do you feel when you make a mistake? What does it mean to grow from it? Students shared personal experiences—struggling with homework, retrying a game, or learning a new skill—and discovered how effort drives progress. They also explored stories of inventors and artists who failed many times before succeeding. Inspired, they set to work with their markers, words, and imagination.

The results were more than art. They reflected student agency and creativity—students shaping the culture of their school. Shy voices spoke loudly through drawings; others crafted empathetic slogans that resonated with peers. Every child contributed something meaningful, showing that talents come in many forms.

Now, as the 2025–2026 school year begins, those posters line our hallways. Parents and students encounter them during back-to-school, starting the year with a vivid reminder: here, mistakes are part of learning, and growth is always possible.

What began as abstract principles has become visible, student-led culture. In many ways, our students became the teachers—reminding us all that perseverance, optimism, and creativity are at the heart of learning.

As you walk through our school this fall, we invite you to pause with your child, look at the posters, and ask them which one inspires them most. At the Lycée Français de New York, we are not only learning about the world—we are learning how to grow together. And there is no limit to what a community of growth-minded learners can achieve.