Educating for the Future: Growth Mindset Pedagogy for the AI Era

Outline

Session Outline

Welcome & Ice-Breaker
Quick poll — “What word comes to mind when you hear AI in education?”
Participants pair-share their fears and hopes.
Time: 5 minutes

Mindfulness Practice & Short Opening Lecture – Brains Change!
Brief mindfulness exercise to help participants pause, settle, and connect emotionally with the session.
Visual micro-lecture on neuroplasticity and the mindset continuum using a one-slide brain diagram.
Individual reflection prompt: “Which belief about my teaching might need rewiring?”
Time: 7 minutes

In-Class Flip Stations
Three rotating stations (6 minutes each + transitions):

Station 1 – Brain & Mindset: Card-sorting activity on myths and facts about neuroplasticity.

Station 2 – Mindset & AI Triggers: Continuum test and role-card challenge identifying fixed-mindset reactions to technological change with AI.

Station 3 – Feedback for Growth: Rewriting two feedback comments into growth-oriented feedback using guide prompts.
Time: 20 minutes

Collaborative Synthesis
Groups post one actionable strategy on a shared Padlet.
Gallery walk and volunteer share-outs.
Time: 8 minutes

Closing & Call to Action
Recap of durable skills and adaptability.
Invitation to join the online Padlet follow-up hub.
Time: 10 minutes

Total Duration: 55 minutes

Engagement tactics: peer-to-peer dialogue, device-based polls & Padlet, tactile card activities at stations, real-time public gallery walk.

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to:
-Explain how neuroplasticity, fixed-vs-growth mindsets, and feedback for growth influence teaching beliefs, practices, and use of AI.
-Identify personal fixed-mindset triggers and re-frame them through reflective tools from The Growth Mindset Revolution Guide.
-Design at least one classroom or PD strategy that integrates mindset-aware feedback in an AI-mediated environment.
-Commit to a concrete action step—documented on a collaborative Padlet—to sustain a professional growth community after the conference.

Supporting research

America Succeeds. (2025). Durable skills advantage framework. https://americasucceeds.org/the-durable-skills-advantage-framework-a-guide-for-workforce-agencies-and-businesses
Brock, A., & Hundley, H. (2023). In other words: Phrases for growth mindset: A teacher's guide to empowering students through effective praise and feedback. Simon & Schuster.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
De Gioannini, Daisy, The Innovative Teaching Mindset in an Era of Digital Evolution: A Longitudinal Study of Teacher Perceptions and the Rise of AI (July 12, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5349191 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5349191
Frondozo, C. E., King, R. B., Nalipay, M. J. N., & Mordeno, I. G. (2022). Mindsets matter for teachers, too: Growth mindset about teaching ability predicts teachers’ enjoyment and engagement. Current Psychology, 41(8), 5030–5033. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01008-4
García Cardona, P., Tejada-Sánchez, I., & Ramírez, M. (2024). The growth mindset revolution: A guide for educators [OSUN OER].
Gregory, J. L. (2021, October). Mindset predicting mindfulness: Developing professional capacity. In Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA) Annual Conference (NERA Conference Proceedings 2021). University of Connecticut Library. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/nera-2021/
Kim, A. S., Jones, K., Lang, G., Raider, H. J., Sheikh, A., & Simione, K. (2025). Beyond technical skills: Uncovering durable competencies through multi-level stakeholder analysis. Information Systems Education Journal, 23(6).
OECD. (2025). Empowering learners for the age of AI: An AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education. https://ailiteracyframework.org/
Ramírez, M., & Buitrago, C. (2022). In-class flip: A student-centered approach to differentiated learning. ISTE.
Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2012.722805