CAITLIN:I鈥檝e never built a rocket before.
TOM:Nor Me! It says to mix soda with vinegar and see what happens. I think it鈥檚 our rocket fuel.
CAITLIN:Cool! I鈥檒l measure the baking soda. You do the vinegar?
CAITLIN (CONT):This should work.
TOM:It suggests we start with ten grams. Is that the same as a spoonful?
CAITLIN:Mm, think so鈥
TOM:Um鈥 Here鈥檚 the vinegar 鈥 fifty milliliters.
CAITLIN:Are you sure?
TOM:Yes! I鈥橵E measured it exactly! See!?
MINI CAITLIN:Ignore him, he鈥檚 worrying too much. Let鈥檚 just see what happens, like we鈥檙e supposed to.
MINI CAITLIN:C鈥檓on Caitlin 鈥 If at first you don鈥檛 succeed 鈥
MINI CAITLIN (CONT):Try 鈥 try 鈥 try again 鈥 Whoops!
CAITLIN:Look! I can鈥檛 even get the balloon on -it鈥檚 fizzing SO much!
TOM:What happened?
CAITLIN:I think we put too much powder in!
TOM:You mean YOU put too much powder in!
CAITLIN:It was a mistake! But 鈥 maybe we can learn from it?
MINI-CAITLIN:Isn鈥檛 gas what you need for lift off?
MINI-CAITLIN (CONT):Hey! Look! The bubbles are keeping you up鈥
CAITLIN:I think it could be a GOOD mistake!
MINI-TOM:Whoever heard of a good mistake? This is going to be a disaster!
MINI-TOM(CONT):Careful Tom 鈥 don鈥檛 put a foot wrong!
MINI-TOM (CONT):Argh! Look out for the piranhas! Woah!
MINI-TOM (CONT):Phew! Better safe than sorry.
TOM:You do what you like. I think I鈥檒l go and do some proper rocket research.
MINI-TOM:You鈥檙e right to leave Caitlin to it if she thinks mistakes are good.They didn鈥檛 get to the moon by making mistakes!
TOM:Too right!
MINI-CAITLIN:Now for more vinegar.
MINI-CAITLIN (CONT):OK, remember what happened last time. Here come the bubbles鈥
MINI-CAITLIN (CONT):Wa-hey!
CAITLIN:Look! At least we know our rocket will fly!
TOM:How did you do that?
CAITLIN:I鈥檝e been learning what works and what doesn鈥檛.
MINI-TOM:You missed out because you were too worried about making mistakes. Maybe you can learn from THAT mistake.
TOM:What can I do to help?
CAITLIN:Let鈥檚 see if we can make the rocket go even higher 鈥
TOM:Ready to launch! In goes the vinegar鈥
CAITLIN:Here鈥檚 the baking soda. I鈥檝e rolled it in paper to stop it fizzing so quickly! I got the idea from Lucas!
TOM:Oh Cool! And now let鈥檚 try something a little different.
MINI-TOM:Go on Tom! Shake it! See what happens!
CAITLIN:This could go horribly wrong!
MINI-TOM:Ignore the piranhas鈥 Keep moving鈥
MINI-TOM (CONT):Ok Tom let鈥檚 shake it up.
MINI-TOM (CONT):5鈥4鈥3鈥2鈥1鈥ift off!
TOM:Woah!
CAITLIN:Awesome!
TOM:I wasn鈥檛 sure it would work! Shaking the bottle could have been a big mistake!
CAITLIN:But it wasn鈥檛! It was a GOOD mistake!
Video summary
Tom and Caitlin are two young students doing a science project at a space centre.
Tom starts off with a fixed mindset. He is wary of taking risks with his learning and fears the consequences of making mistakes.
Caitlin is the opposite.
She has a growth mindset and feels happy and confident when taking risks.
She wants to use trial and error to see what works. She understands the value of good mistakes!
Caitlin decides to take a risk with the science project.
She wants to see what happens, and knows that she can learn lots by trying things out - and not worrying about what might happen.
Tom finds this difficult.
He wants to do everything he can to avoid making any mistakes, even if it means missing out on opportunities and new learning.
Through the clip, we see Tom's mindset start to change.
He moves from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. He starts to realise that mistakes can be good.
In fact, they can be great! And, you can learn lots by having a go, seeing what happens and viewing your mistakes in a positive light. By the end, Tom and Caitlin both have a growth mindset.
They are learning from their mistakes and having fun as they do.
They both appreciate the benefits of good mistakes.
This is from the series: Growth Mindset.
Teacher Notes
This could be used as an introduction to growth mindsets and a fantastic tool for helping learners reflect on how they think about learning and their own potential to develop.
This clip is suitable for teaching PSHE/Modern Studies at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 1st and 2nd Level in Scotland.
How your mindset can affect your approach to challenges. video
An animated clip exploring the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.
How to develop a positive mindset. video
An animated clip exploring how to develop a positive mindset.
听