Growth Mindset Albert Einstein is considered one of the greatest geniuses of all time, though rumor has it he failed high school calculus. As you might imagine, this is an exaggeration ‒ Einstein didn’t remember getting anything but A’s. It’s possible that this story had something to do with his math skills. Despite his amazing intellect, Einstein wasn’t as strong in math as many of the other physicists of his day. Throughout his life, he was known to have frequently said, “If I could just do the math.” At the age of 76, Einstein passed away. The greatest genius of his day ‒ and arguably in history ‒ understood that life is a process. We’re all born with certain skills, but the mindsets we have toward improving our skills and character ultimately determine our success in life. Einstein’s theories were the crowning achievements of his life. In her groundbreaking work, Mindset, Carol Dweck presents the “growth mindset” as the most essential element of success and happiness in life.
Becoming a growth mindset school The idea of becoming a growth mindset school has been over a year in the making. Our Headteacher bought each member of SLT a copy of Mindset for Christmas, and it was the main agenda item at our annual senior team conference. Today I launched the idea of becoming a growth mindset school to all staff at our INSET day. This is the basis of the presentation I did. Our INSET session was for all staff – teaching, support, administrative, catering, site, network, technicians – everyone! What is Growth Mindset? Professor Carol Dweck and “Mindset” Growth Mindset is the idea Professor Carol Dweck, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Dweck’s approach to mindset was sparked by her own experience of education. Even as a child, I was focused on being smart, but the fixed mindset was really stamped in by Mrs. The Science behind Growth Mindset I have previously blogged about my tentative first steps into neuroscience. Why are we interested in Growth Mindset
The Myth of 'I'm Bad at Math' - The Atlantic “I’m just not a math person.” We hear it all the time. And we’ve had enough. Because we believe that the idea of “math people” is the most self-destructive idea in America today. The truth is, you probably are a math person, and by thinking otherwise, you are possibly hamstringing your own career. Is math ability genetic? How do we know this? Different kids with different levels of preparation come into a math class. Thus, people’s belief that math ability can’t change becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The idea that math ability is mostly genetic is one dark facet of a larger fallacy that intelligence is mostly genetic. A body of research on conceptions of ability has shown two orientations toward ability. The “entity orientation” that says “You are smart or not, end of story,” leads to bad outcomes—a result that has been confirmed by many other studies. You have a certain amount of intelligence, and you really can’t do much to change it. The results? So why do we focus on math? 1.
6 ways to teach growth mindset from day one of school Imagine if your new class this fall was full of students who would: Be willing to try new thingsStick with hard tasks and not give upPush themselves to do their best work, not just what’s “good enough”Believe in themselves and their own ability to learn Here’s the great news–these are traits that we can help develop in our students by teaching them about how their brains work. Many students enter our classrooms believing they’re either smart or not smart, good at reading or math, or not good in those areas. This belief that our basic qualities like intelligence and talents can’t be changed is called a fixed mindset. Our students may not realize that their brains have the ability to change and grow through their experiences (neuroplasticity). And once they have a growth mindset, they can learn anything. Because a growth mindset is a critical element of success in school, I recommend teaching about it from the very first day. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Want more structured support?
Step by Step: Designing Personalized Learning Experiences For Students The phrase “personalized learning” gets tossed around a lot in education circles. Sometimes it’s used in the context of educational technology tools that offer lessons keyed to the academic level of individual students. Other times it’s referring to the personal touch of a teacher getting to know a student, learning about their interests and tailoring lessons to meet both their needs and their passion areas. As with most education jargon, the phrase isn’t fixed, but it usually connects to the idea that not all students need the same thing at the same time. It implies choice, multiple pathways to learning, many ways to demonstrate competency and resists the notion that all students learn the same way. Educator Mia MacMeekin has put together a clear infographic highlighting some of the ways teachers design “personalized” curriculum.
Developing a growth mindset in the classroom | M J Bromley's Blog This article first appeared in Sec Ed magazine in April 2014. To read the original, click here. To read more of my monthly columns for Sec Ed, click here. To read more articles about the growth mindset, click here. Visit my blog | Browse my books | Follow me on Twitter | Like me on Facebook | Connect with me on LinkedIn | Download more posters | There’s a free info graphic version of this article. As a kid I wanted to become a cliché when I grew up so I bought a guitar and grew my hair. What all these childhood endeavours had in common – apart from their mutual failure – was that I took it for granted that I’d have to work hard at them, I knew I’d have to practise endlessly and that I wouldn’t become expert overnight. I played that old six-string every night after school till my fingers bled, readily accepting that improvement would be incremental. Most of us feel this way about our interests. Sir Ken Robinson argues that every child starts out willing to take a chance. Like this: Related
The Language of Choice and Support Language shapes our worldview. The narratives we hear around us influence our perceptions and understandings. Take Carol Dweck's concept of fixed versus growth mindset. One of the primary tools for fostering a growth mindset is changing how we talk about learning, from how we give feedback to how we address failure. Dweck's work shows that simple shifts in language of praise and feedback can hold immense power in children's view of themselves and of learning. One in five children between age nine and 17 have mental health challenges that impair their daily functioning. Breaking Bad Habits: Changing Unintentionally Stigmatizing Language Stigma is powered by language. We should use language that accurately describes what we're trying to say, rather than falling back on figures of speech that may fuel negative attitudes toward those with mental health challenges. I can also avoid minimizing when I ask more questions to try to accurately describe a student who is struggling.
Egna lärarreflektioner kring statiskt och dynamiskt tankesätt efter läsningen av Dwecks Mindset Efter att jag läste ut Nottinghams bok Utmanande undervisning i klassrummet för #pedaläslyft var jag lite intresserad av att läsa vidare i Dwecks bok Mindset (Natur & Kultur 2015) som han bl a refererar till i Utmanande undervisning. Jag har också sett boken delas i sociala medier så med en dag till förfogande började jag läsa för att ta reda på vad som gör boken så populär. Dweck börjar med att förklara varför hon var intresserad av att ta reda på varför vissa människor klarar av misslyckas och vad som får den att fortsätta. Statiskt och dynamiskt mindset – vad är skillnaden? Dweck forskade i nästan 20 år om detta och hon fann att olika Mindset styr oss i vårt tänkande. Motsatsen till detta är ett dynamiskt mindset. I boken ger oss Dweck sedan många exempel på hur detta yttrar sig och jag tyckte det blev lite tråkig läsning då jag snabbt förstod vad det innebär. Beröm som blir fel Dweck visar på vad beröm gör med oss och hur fel det kan bli fast avsikten är god. Är det svart eller vitt?
jlsu Som en uppföljning till mitt förra blogginlägg om dynamiskt och statiskt tankesätt kommer här den s k isbergsillusionen. Isbergsillusionen visar exempel på vad som krävs för att bli framgångsrik, men som oftast inte syns på ytan. När man ser någon som är riktigt duktig (t ex en idrottsutövare, en musiker, en jonglerare etc) ser det väldigt enkelt ut. Därför är det lätt att tro att det handlar om ”medfödd talang”. Det man dock inte ser är all den träning, den uppoffring och det hårda arbete som ligger bakom. Oftast är det de som tränar mest (och bäst) som når längst. Den som vill ha isbergsillusionen som pdf kan ladda ner den här: Isbergsillusionen
jlsu En av böckerna som jag tipsade om i mitt blogginlägg boktips 2015 handlar om hur vi ser på hjärnan och vår förmåga att utvecklas. Boken jag tänker på är Carol S. Dwecks ”Mindset – du blir vad du tänker”. Hon skriver om ”fixed mindset” och ”growth mindset” som är två olika förhållningssätt till hjärnan och möjligheterna att utvecklas och lära sig. En svensk översättning av begreppen kan vara statiskt och dynamiskt tankesätt. Då hjärnan stimuleras och förändras beroende av vad vi utsätter hjärnan för är vårt förhållningssätt viktigt, särskilt för alla som jobbar i skolan. Jag har gjort några infographics som kan vara användbara i klassrummet. Lycka till med det dynamiska tankesättet och läs gärna Carol S.
Developing a growth mindset in the classroom | M J Bromley's Blog There’s a free info graphic version of this article. To download it, click here. As a kid I wanted to become a cliché when I grew up so I bought a guitar and grew my hair. I successfully learnt all the chords but struggled to combine them in a meaningful way (perhaps I should’ve joined an experimental jazz band instead of churning out 1980s power ballads). When my dreams of rock stardom eventually withered on the vine, I turned my attention to mastering magic, then to conquering chess, and to all manner of other hobbies. What all these childhood endeavours had in common – apart from their mutual failure – was that I took it for granted that I’d have to work hard at them, I knew I’d have to practise endlessly and that I wouldn’t become expert overnight. I played that old six-string every night after school till my fingers bled, readily accepting that improvement would be incremental. Most of us feel this way about our interests. Why should this be? Free info graphic version of this article:
untitled Top Ten Tips for developing a Growth Mindset in your Classroom Be Critical. Students should expect and welcome criticism. They must also be given the opportunity to act on any criticism or critique. Provide elements of choice. Imagine if every classroom, every teacher instilled this culture within your school. Author: Pete Jones I am primarily an Art teacher, but over the past 5 years have been co-developing an experienced-based learning programme in the school I work in called Pebble, (short for Project Based Learning).