S2E4 - Fiona Boylan: Mindset Matters
Description
In this episode of Leading the Early Years, host Dr Amie Fabry is joined by Dr Fiona Boylan, senior lecturer and researcher at Edith Cowan University and author of Fostering Children’s Growth Mindset in the Early Years. Fiona brings her 25 years of experience as an early childhood educator into a compelling conversation about mindset theory, advocacy, and the power of embedding growth mindset practices into daily early years pedagogy.
Together, they explore Fiona’s research journey—from classroom observations to her PhD—and the development of nine key design principles to help early childhood educators foster resilience, persistence, and self-efficacy in young children. Fiona also shares personal insights into navigating leadership, public speaking fears, and the importance of advocacy in education.
This inspiring episode offers practical strategies, heartfelt stories, and a powerful reminder that children are capable of deep metacognitive thinking from a very young age—and that educators have a vital role to play in nurturing that.
United States
