Product reviews for Learning without Fear

There's quite a lot of suspicion around the concept of growth mindset in education, largely down to the superficial way in which it's often interpreted. As a result, I approached this book cautiously; we've spent too much time over the last 20 years implementing various initiatives and ideas that have increased teachers' workload while having no discernible impact on anything that really matters. 

Before Learning without Fear even really gets going, however, we're reassured by Julia and Ruchi that this isn't the case here. The authors state that the phrase -˜growth mindset' is rarely explicitly used in their classrooms and that, instead, what they have developed are communities of learning. This idea is then refreshingly explored in significant detail, with frequent references to research and practice. 

Ultimately, this is a book about learning and about how to create the conditions for learning to happen, how to support this process, and how to recognise when something has been learned over time. Obviously, the idea of growth mindset is intrinsically linked with this - and the benefits for children in terms of developing metacognition and self-regulation are presented clearly throughout. 



If you're interested in optimising the conditions for learning in your classroom, this practical and well-informed guide is a great place to start.