Developing a growth mindset—the belief that skills are not innate, but can be improved through effort—can be particularly important for teenagers, who are developing their sense of identity.

Recent research within nevroscience (Tieme Janssen from the University of Amsterdam ) has tracked students' choice of problems on a challenging open test. While both students with growth and fixed mindsets slowed down after making mistakes, those with growth mindsets continued to explore and attempt even very difficult questions. By contrast, after making a mistake, students with a fixed mindset consistently picked problems well below their ability. Read more about the reslts here, published by Education Week at October 9, 2018.