What is growth mindset?
In order to comprehend the purpose of developing and supporting a growth mindset in myself and within the students in my classroom, it is imperative to be familiar with the fundamental ideas about growth mindset as described by psychologist, Carol S. Dweck in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. (2008) This book has rapidly gained popularity as the ideas addressed can be applied not only to students, but to many different aspects of both our personal and professional lives. Dweck (2008), defines growth mindset as the “belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.” (p.7) The opposite mindset has been labeled as a fixed mindset, which Dweck (2008), defines as the belief “that your qualities are carved in stone” (p.6) The following graphic by Nigel Holmes is referenced in the book as it further explains the differences between a fixed and growth mindset. (p. 245)
The importance of growth mindset my classroom
How does this apply to my students? I teach the AVID elective class at the 7th and 8th grade level. Through the use of Cornell Notes, group tutorial sessions, and other activities, my class aids students in developing the skills necessary to be well prepared for college. We have tutorial sessions twice a week during class accompanied by college tutors. In preparation for these tutorials, the students fill out a tutorial request form in which they state a question from a core class that they need help with. During the tutorials, group members will ask them questions to guide them toward the correct answer, and ultimately a better understanding of the topic. My students comply with the process, but it is not as successful as it could be due to mindsets. For the most part my students fall into 3 categories: fixed mindset (high achieving), fixed mindset (low achieving), and growth mindset. My fixed mindset (high achieving) students are those that have been constantly praised for being smart, they tend to obtain A’s on their report card, and perform rather well on tests. The issue with these students is that they perceive effort as “an admission of weakness.” (Dweck, 2008, p. 83) For the most part these students want to prove that they are naturally smart and therefore do not need to try, much less do they need help from somebody else. Every week it is a battle with them because they claim that they do not need help with anything. When I suggest that they bring in a challenging higher level question, they groan and pick out a question over a topic they are already well familiar with. Unfortunately these students have developed this fixed mindset as a result of a society that values “natural, effortless accomplishment over achievement through effort” and will therefore do everything in their power to maintain this image of being naturally smart. (Dweck, 2008, p. 41) My fixed mindset (low achieving) students are those that have are always being corrected, they tend to obtain failing grades, and do not perform very well on tests. The issue with these students is that they do not see their potential and give up before they give themselves an honest opportunity to learn. These students fail to see that “just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn’t mean that others can’t do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training.” (Dweck, 2008, p. 70) These students become discouraged when they see a classmate grasp a concept faster than them. These students are also afraid to put forth effort because they fear they will still fail anyway. Their reputation is on the line, they do not want to give others the opportunity to say or even think that they are dumb. My growth mindset students are very few and far in between. There is one thing that is consistent with these students, and that is their effort. These students are always asking questions and seeking opportunities to learn. When prompted, they give an honest effort to find a solution and further their understanding on a topic. If they are not successful, they try again or seek help. Contrary to their classmates, when the students with growth mindsets would make mistakes during the tutorials, “they didn’t even think they were failing. They thought they were learning.” (Dweck, 2008, p.4) Due to the fact that they thought they were learning, these students were not discouraged, they kept seeking more knowledge. The four steps to changing from fixed mindset to growth mindset On her website, Dweck (2006) has identified the four steps to changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset as follows: “Step 1: Learn to hear your fixed mindset voice. Step 2: Recognize that you have a voice. Step 3: Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice. Step 4: Take the growth mindset action.” It is not enough to know what these four steps are; they will not be very helpful unless I consistently reference them and apply them to my learning as well as my teaching. If I want to help my students to change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, I have to not only have them become familiar with these four steps, I need to have my students put the steps into action.
Incorporating the four steps in the classroom
I have created the following info-graphics to help guide my students through the four steps particularly in regards to the AVID tutorial process.
Sharing these info-graphics with my students will not be enough, I will have to be vulnerable and model for my students by giving my own personal examples. To ensure that they are constantly reminded of these four steps, I will print out poster sized copies and display them in my classroom for easy access. As students communicate a fixed mindset, I can easily go point to the display and have them reflect on the step they need to work on. This will be applicable to all of my students because “people can have different mindsets in different areas” meaning that some students may not need to reference the steps for math, but they may need to for reading; some students may not need it at all for academic subjects, but may need to apply it to other areas of their lives, such as sports, vice-versa. (Dweck, 2008, p. 47) People can also go back and forth between mindsets; while a student may be a growth mindset one day, something might occur that can cause them to be fixed mindset the next.
Communicating the message of “yet” in my classroom
Prior to familiarizing myself with Dweck’s work, my only exposure to the message of “yet” had been through Pinterest boards. Even without knowing the background behind it, I was fascinated by this message. While I did not post a bulletin board with the power of “yet” I did start incorporating it in my dialogue with my students. Often times my students would come in upset because they received a failing grade on a test, they would say something along the lines of, “I just don’t know anything about the American Revolution, it doesn't make any sense!” Previously I would have questioned them about their note taking skills, their study habits, the use of their test taking strategies, etc. This year, rather than questioning them right away, I started to repeat their statement and add that powerful 3 letter word. For example, “The American Revolution doesn't make sense to you YET.” Nine times out of ten, my students react the same way; a smile emerges on their face. “Yet” communicates the following to them:
Resources to promote growth mindset in my classroom
The graphics for the four steps to changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset will be displayed as posters in the classroom. Additionally, they will also be posted on the students’ Schoology accounts so the students may have access to them outside of my classroom and even outside of school. Any additional resources that I discover and deem to be appropriate for my students will be shared on the Schoology account for reference. I will use EdPuzzles in which students will be prompted questions as they view the video in order to check for understanding. Below you can view an example of the type of videos my students will be watching.
Surrounding campuses in my District have adopted the Connect program; I recently learned from a colleague that they introduce the concept of growth mindset to their students at the beginning of the year as they acquaint the students with the logistics of the course. I will collaborate with those members from my district to gain ideas and resources for my own classroom. These members have already implemented these lessons, reflected, and applied necessary changes; therefore their ideas and resources will be of great value.
Logistics of promoting a growth mindset in my classroom
The concept of growth mindset will be introduced toward the beginning of the year along with the rules, procedures, and expectations for the classroom. This will send a clear message to the students that this concept of developing a growth mindset is not something sporadic, it will be at the center of our learning. Lessons about the growth mindset will be implemented throughout the school year because, “these changes have to be supported or they can go away faster than they appeared.” (Dweck, 2008, p. 243) The students will reference the info-graphics shown above on tutorial days (twice a week) prior to beginning their tutorial sessions in order to self-analyze their mindset for that day and move toward having a growth mindset. A growth mindset will allow for these tutorial sessions to be truly beneficial to the students because they will be more willing to try new methods and accept challenging questions posed by their peers. Having the students self-analyze their mindsets prior to tutorials will increase the rigor of these tutorial sessions and hopefully provide the students with the help they need to grow in their learning.
Goal of incorporating the growth mindset to my own learning
What kind of educator would I be if I don’t practice what I teach? If I want my students to really buy into this growth mindset concept, I have to model it the best way I can in the most authentic way I can. Online learning is a new experience for me, the bulk of my learning has been face-to-face or hybrid. More than approaching my learning with a positive attitude, I need to carefully develop a plan which maps out how I will be successful in the course as well as the overall Digital Learning and Leading Master’s Program. In order to get the most out of this learning experience I have to be willing to commit to whole heartedly participate in discussions with my peers, not just comply with postings. For the sake of authenticity, I also need to commit to think of ways to bring back what I have learned to my own classroom. It is of high importance to ensure that I don’t fall into the trap of a false growth mindset. Dweck defines the false growth mindset as instances “when educators think and do all sorts of things that they simply call growth mindset” but do not reflect the actual concepts of growth mindset. (2016) Teachers can fall into this trap by focusing too much on praising effort alone and over ensuring the students without giving them the means to succeed. When fall victims of this growth mindset, they run the risk of hiding the achievement gaps. Dweck reminds us that “the growth mindset was intended to help close achievement gaps, not hide them. It is about telling the truth about a student’s current achievement and then, together, doing something about it, helping him or her become smarter.” (2015) My goal is to help students develop into college, career, and world ready individuals; this is a goal that can be possible if I commit to living and teaching a growth mindset. Sources: B. (2016, January 21). Retrieved April 20, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv2ar6AKvGc Dweck, C. S. (2006). MINDSET. Retrieved April 20, 2017, from https://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/index.html Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: the new psychology of success:. New York: Ballantine Books. Dweck, C. S. (2015, September 22). Carol Dweck Revisits the 'Growth Mindset' Retrieved April 20, 2017, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html Dweck, C. S. (2016, January 11). Recognizing and Overcoming False Growth Mindset. Retrieved April 20, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/recognizing-overcoming-false-growth-mindset-carol-dweck
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