I find the research around growth mindsets fascinating. I catch myself praising students for intelligence now and switch it to effort. I reflect on my own language when talking about students and try not to say things like “level 2 kids” or “IEP kids” as if they are labelled for life. I reflect on my own teaching practice and try to build in opportunities to look at mistakes differently. And, I want to convey to students that grit, perseverence, effort and setting goals all make a difference.
But, I am also concerned how the educational community has jumped on the growth mindset bandwagon so quickly, as we in education are apt to do. I never check my twitter feed without seeing new posts about growth mindset. Teachers on pinterest are posting anchor charts and classroom libraries devoted to growth mindset. I have been wondering how best to bring growth mindset research into the classroom.
As in many things (see my post: Is Teacher Lingo Good for Kids?) I worry that teachers may be laying the research too much at the feet of students. I believe that all teachers should have a solid understanding of the current research about growth mindset. It is our job to understand learning. And, I don’t think it is a bad thing to let kids in on the information: in small doses, as is age appropriate and not to the point that it overtakes the joy of learning. If we really want students to believe in growth mindset, then we need to create a learning environment that supports it:
Teachers can ensure that they create open-ended and interesting tasks that are more likely to engage students in taking risks and persevering because they want to.
Teachers can ensure that they give descriptive feedback to students that helps them move forward and past the obstacles.
Teachers can help students to identify their own goals by providing exemplars, checklists and anchor charts.
Teachers can experiment with grading fewer assignments and giving effective feedback (not “good job!”) more often.
Teachers can encourage students during lessons to share both their successes and challenges. There is great power in students showing how they didn’t solve the math problem or asking their peers to help them rewrite the lead of their story.
Teachers can show students how they have developed their skills and grown over time.
Teachers can plan recursively so that students have multiple opportunities to learn key concepts.
Teachers can plan activities that require a bit of struggle and let students struggle. Students don’t really like tasks to be simple and boring–like anyone else, they enjoy challenge.
Students can learn about how feedback can help you improve a task (such as the famous butterfly example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqh1MRWZjms). Students can read a book here or there where the theme is about effort and setting goals. Students can celebrate when they have mastered something that was tricky before.
But, let us think more about how we as teachers create an environment in which students experience the benefits of a growth mindset over an environment where everything is about growth mindset. Experience more than research is what will change a child’s mindset. There is a plethora of children’s books about growth mindset but as a kid I wouldn’t want to read one every day. Robert Munsch is probably still way more entertaining. I would hate us to be so concerned with students believing in growth mindset that a parent-teacher interview started with: “Jimmy just doesn’t seem to have a growth mindset and that is why he is not progressing as we would hope”.
Growth mindset is exciting research that may open up many pathways to students. Our job is to embed the philosophy into our teaching, not teach the philosophy. Let us create the conditions whereby students can’t help but believe that they can do anything.
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