Growth Mindset Goals

Year Level

Year 9 (Ages approx 13-14)

Curriculum Context

This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum's Key Competencies — particularly:

• Managing self: Setting and monitoring personal learning goals and planning steps to achieve them
• Thinking: Using critical and creative thinking to set pathways for learning and development
• Relating to others & Participating and contributing: Sharing ideas and negotiating with peers during collaborative planning

Also supports the learning area of Social Sciences in understanding personal development and goal-setting relevant to future economic participation and financial literacy.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this 60-minute lesson, students will be able to:

1. Explain the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset (NZC Managing Self, Thinking)
2. Identify a personal skill or goal they want to improve (Managing Self)
3. Develop a structured plan detailing steps to achieve their goal, including what they need to learn and do (Managing Self, Thinking)
4. Apply the concept of growth mindset to their goal plan, demonstrating awareness of how effort and strategies affect success (Thinking, Managing Self)

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard / Smartboard
• Printed Goal Planning Worksheet (simple template for planning steps)
• Short video or presentation slides on fixed vs growth mindsets (optional but recommended)
• Pens and paper
• Example scenario: investing in the stock market (brief explanation and context)

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Lesson Structure (60 minutes)

1. Introduction & Engagement (10 minutes)

• Begin with a quick interactive discussion: Ask students what they think a "mindset" is. Write ideas on the board.
• Explain fixed mindset (belief that abilities are static) vs growth mindset (belief that abilities can improve with effort and learning).
• Use a short story or visual (e.g., the famous Carol Dweck mindset research summary) to illustrate.

2. Class Activity: Mindset Exploration (10 minutes)

• Show real-life examples of fixed vs growth mindset behaviours in school or business contexts (e.g., “I can’t do math” vs “I will try different ways to improve my math skills”).
• Ask students to share times they showed either mindset and reflect on outcomes.
• Emphasise that growth mindset helps people learn and adapt over time.

3. Introducing Goal Planning (5 minutes)

• Transition: Explain that having a growth mindset helps when setting goals.
• Present the example: "Imagine you want to understand investing in the stock market – what would a growth mindset approach look like for this?"
• Briefly unpack investing as a chosen goal to help model the process.

4. Individual Work: Personal Goal Selection & Planning (25 minutes)

• Hand out the Goal Planning Worksheet.
• Students choose a personal goal they want to improve on (it can be business-related like learning about investing, or a skill like public speaking, time management, etc.)
• Guide them to write their goal and then break down steps needed to achieve it. Prompts could include:
  • What skills or knowledge do I need?
  • What challenges might I face?
  • What new strategies can I try?
  • How will I know if I am improving?
• Encourage them to incorporate a growth mindset perspective: e.g., embracing effort, learning from mistakes, seeking feedback.

5. Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Students pair up or form small groups to briefly share their chosen goal and plan.
• Discuss how a growth mindset helps with challenges they listed.
• Teacher circulates, providing specific encouragement and feedback.

6. Wrap-up and Homework Task (if applicable) (5 minutes)

• Summarise key ideas: Growth mindset is about believing you can improve and planning your learning effectively.
• Optional homework: Start acting on one step from their plan and journal what they learn about their mindset.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative assessment through observation: Teacher notes students' participation in discussion and ability to articulate fixed vs growth mindset differences.
• Goal Planning Worksheet: Check students’ plans for realistic steps, evidence of growth mindset thinking (focus on effort, learning strategies, resilience).
• Peer feedback during sharing: Encourage students to assess and provide feedback on whether their peers considered growth mindset ideas.

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Alignment with New Zealand Curriculum

Curriculum Strand & Competency	Specific Alignment
Key Competencies	- Managing self: setting goals and self-monitoring - Thinking: developing ideas, planning to solve problems - Relating to others: sharing and negotiating ideas
Social Sciences: Identity, Culture, and Organisation	Understanding personal agency and decision-making, developing positive identities
English (Oral Language)	Students communicate ideas clearly during sharing activities
Health & Physical Education	Supports emotional wellbeing and resilience mindset
Financial Capability Links (cross-curricular)	Planning skills related to understanding investment and economic participation

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Differentiation and Inclusivity

• Provide sentence starters or example plans for students needing extra support.
• Allow use of digital tools or drawings for students with writing challenges.
• Encourage culturally responsive examples, recognising diverse goals and learning styles.
• Provide accelerated extension by inviting students to include measurable milestones and timelines in their plans.

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This lesson will build students’ self-awareness and strategic thinking, laying a foundation for lifelong learning attitudes essential for business and other areas of personal development.

If you would like, I can also provide a detailed Goal Planning Worksheet template and sample scripts for teacher facilitation.