A Sense of Doubt blog post #2445 - GROWTH MINDSET - part one

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2445 - GROWTH MINDSET - part one

I have been working on this post for a while.

I am dubbing it part one as I want to do a series, and as I am pressed for time today, the day after this post is set to be published, and so I am limiting my creation of original content.

I am proud to say that after a year of teaching using a LABOR-BASED GRADING METHOD (LBG) that my messaging about growth mindset is much better.

As we head into the home stretch with the end of the quarter (we're about to end week six of eleven), I need to zealously preach my messages more and more to quell student anxiety and emphasize our process.

Because writing is a process.

I am sharing this message more than ever. We engage in the process. We write, we reconsider, we revise, and then we share, get some feedback, rinse and repeat. Everyone starts and labors at different stages in the process.

For some it's easy to write a draft, and yet they sometimes feel that their first draft, or the first that they share, is just fine as it is, and they resist major revision.

Looking at the graphic below, this "it's fine; I don't see what needs changing" is part of a FIXED MINDSET, individuals operating in that mindset cannot handle criticism or feedback.

It takes humility to open one's self to the process and work to improve writing on draft after draft after draft.

I know from experience.

I really struggled with accepting feedback as a young person. I am a hog for validation and affirmation.

But then, all of my classes did not pace us students through draft after draft. We were to do that work before submitting. Then it was one and done.

Prior to LBG, I only did two drafts with students. They submitted a first draft and then could revise once for a final portfolio unless they sought extra help from me. This decision was simply about managing work load in semesters with seven classes at three schools and 300+ students.

Now, I am better at messaging. I try to be empathic. I try to give affirmation and validation, encouragement and reassurance, while also getting my fingers in the guts of the draft and stirring up the muck.

I urge students to embrace the process, to be open to the process, to give themselves over to molding clay not carving into stone.

Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.

Often students want the quick fix. Literally, they want to "fix" the draft as if it's a broken auto simply in need of a new spark plug.

Writing is not like a math problem or a science procedure.

Writing is dynamic, multi-faceted, and an art form.

It's okay to be at different stages in the writing process as long as one chooses to be open to improvements and has a growth mindset:

- views challenges as opportunities

- acknowledge and embrace weakness

- understanding failure is an opportunity to grow

These are the values I am trying to cultivate in my students as are my fellow faculty members.

GROW.

LEARN.

BE OPEN TO CHANGE.

The Lifelong journey of learning and growth.

https://ggie.berkeley.edu/student-well-being/growth-mindset-for-students/

What Is It?

To have a growth mindset about a particular personal quality or ability—such as personality, intelligence, or happiness—is to believe that the attribute is malleable, that it can change and develop through effort and practice. In contrast, a fixed mindset is the belief that the quality in question is set at a certain level and cannot be altered.

Carol Dweck, the leading researcher on growth mindset, has found that students, some as young as preschool age, with a fixed mindset are less likely to challenge themselves and are more helpless in the face of mistakes. Rather than striving to grow, they want to demonstrate how smart they are, and fear that failure will “reveal” a lower level of (unchangeable) smartness.

A fourth grader  with a “fixed mindset” struggles with fractions and claims, “I just can’t do math.” As a result, he barely studies for tests, gives up on homework easily, and sees his math grade decline, confirming his belief.

In contrast, students with a growth mindset are more resilient. They tend to see mistakes as a chance to grow and seek out challenges as a way to build their brain power. Overall, the good news is that studies have demonstrated that growth mindset can be taught.

A high school language arts teacher has helped her students develop their “growth mindset” around their ability to write by offering them multiple chances to revise their writing assignments before they receive a final grade. As a result, students’ writing not only improves, but their attitude towards their teacher’s feedback changes for the better. They now pay more attention to her comments, knowing that her suggestions will make them better writers.

Initial research on growth mindset focused mainly on beliefs about intelligence, but has since expanded to look at other personal qualities, such as personality, emotional experience, and moral character. As with intelligence, believing that these attributes can change tends to be associated with greater psychological well-being.

A teenager who tends to view people’s behaviors with a growth mindset responds to his friend’s unkind words with compassion rather than contempt, asking his friend if something has happened to upset him.

As the idea of growth mindset has become more widespread, especially in education, Dweck and others have cautioned against an oversimplified reliance on sheer effort as a panacea; the type of effort, such as strategies used, matters, of course, as do unrealistic expectations of oneself or others, which can lead to judgment and disappointment.

Still, believing that personal qualities even have the potential to change is a critical first step towards improvement.

 

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

–George Bernard Shaw

Why Is It Important?

Much of the research on growth mindset, especially in children and youth, deals with beliefs about intelligence, and shows that students with growth mindsets of intelligence tend to perform better academically (although effects may vary for different subgroups of students). But emerging research suggests the potential of cultivating social and emotional growth mindsets, as well, to increase well-being.

 

Growth mindsets can make us happier.

• People with growth mindsets about emotion regulate their feelings more effectively and experience more positive emotions.
• People who see levels of happiness or well-being as malleable tend to experience more of both.

 

Growth mindsets can boost social competence.

• Believing that personality is not fixed leads adolescents to show less vengeful aggression and more prosocial responses to social challenges, and can help young people overcome shyness.
• People with growth mindsets are also more likely to accept responsibility for their mistakes and less likely to engage in relationship violence.

 

Growth mindsets can reduce bias.

• Having a growth mindset about other people makes children less likely to stereotype and adults more willing to compromise for peace.
• People who see prejudice as changeable (vs. those who see it as a fixed trait) are more interested in and comfortable with cross-group interaction.

 

Growth mindsets can promote prosocial (kind and helpful) behavior.

• In studies with students from elementary school through college, those students who believe that personality, empathy, and morality can grow and change are more likely to make an effort to be empathetic and volunteer to help others.

 

https://www.innerdrive.co.uk/how-to-develop-a-growth-mindset/

YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT GROWTH MINDSET AND KNOW MANY TEACHERS WHO ARE KEEN TO DEVELOP IT.

But how do you develop a growth mindset in schools?

Growth mindset refers to a learning theory developed by Dr Carol Dweck. It revolves around the belief that you can improve intelligence, ability and performance. The opposite, a fixed mindset, refers to the belief that a person’s talents are set in stone . Years of research have shown that mindset is malleable. This means that by helping students to develop a growth mindset, we can help them to learning more effective and efficient.

 

ADVANTAGES OF A GROWTH MINDSET

There is a lot of peer-reviewed research on the pros of encouraging a growth mindset in students. These include:

• They will seek out better feedback and persist for longer


• They cope better with transitions and develop better self-regulation


• It reduces stress and aggression in students as well as increasing wellbeing and emotional functioning


• It Improves self-esteem, learning orientation and reduces helplessness


• It's linked with gritand pro-social behaviours

Growth mindset coaching has been shown to be most beneficial for disengaged students

HOW TO DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET

There is no set way on to develop a growth mindset in students. Areas that may act as a good starting point include:

• Types of Praise – praising the process, their effort and individual development over the result, Encouraging your students to ask for and act on feedback. Encouraging a sense of curiosity


• Level of Expectation – having high, challenging but realistic expectations of their performance and communicating this to your students. This can also help to fight against Imposter Syndrome.


• Positive Group Norms – creating a growth culture that values learning, education and development


• Helpful Self-Talk – Teaching students to manage how they talk to themselves and to do so in a positive, helpful and energised way.

A recent survey found that 98% of teachers believed that if their students had a growth mindset it would lead to improved student learning.

However only 20% of them believed they were good at fostering a growth mindset and 85% wanted more training and practical strategies.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2110.28 - 10:10

- Days ago = 2309 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.