Mindset in the Classroom.

Today's submission comes via Dr. Mary Sande, Instructional Strategies Facilitator and College Chemistry teacher at Irondale High School. Dr. Sande is leading the Professional Learning of teachers at Irondale around Growth Mindset. Follow Dr. Sande on Twitter at @mesande9 

Mindset in the Classroom

“I’m a terrible artist.”

“I’m just not a science person.”

“Speak English.  I don’t understand Spanish.”

“This is too hard.”

Have you heard these comments from students in your school?  Chances are high you have heard these types of comments because they are not uncommon in classrooms.  Many students, as well as their parents and teachers, believe that intelligence is a fixed trait that does not change over time.  This is a misconception.  Dr. Carol Dweck exposed fixed and growth mindsets in her groundbreaking book, Mindset,The New Psychology of Success. 

Dr. Dweck states that a fixed mindset is characterized by a belief that each person has only a “certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality and a certain moral character“(p. 6).   A person with a fixed mindset wants to appear intelligent, in calm control of the situation (as, of course, do we all).  Working to solve a problem, on the contrary, might appear to be an admission of weakness or inadequacy; much better to quickly give up on a difficult task and move on to something easier.  People with a growth mindset believe that a “person’s basic qualities are things that can be cultivated through effort” (p.7).  A person with a growth mindset is driven to improve.  Thus, effort, seeking out challenges, and persisting in the face of difficulty are welcome activities.  I certainly do not want to hear “I’m just not a science person” in my classroom.  I want my students to expend effort, persist in the face of difficulty, seek out different strategies, work with their classmates, and love the act of learning.  Only students with a growth mindset have the qualities I long for in my classroom.

But, not all of my students come to my classroom with a growth mindset.  How can I help my students foster a growth mindset?

While changing students’ mindsets is a long-term project, it is possible to begin fostering growth mindsets in your classrooms today.  It all starts with language.  Dr. Dweck suggests that praising the process of learning instead judging the intellect or ability is the first place to start.  Teachers should focus praise on

·         specific effort,

·         persistent struggle,

·         use of strategies,

·         learning something new,

·         improving on something,

·         taking on a difficult or complex task.

For example, when a student states, “I’m just not a science person”, instead of accepting the statement as truth, you could respond with “Everyone learns in a different way.  Let’s keep trying to find the way that works for you.”  Other examples of growth mindset responses to student comments are in the table below.  The goal is to help students redirect their self-reflection and self-questioning away from a fixed mindset towards a growth mindset.

When students say…	You say…
I’m not good at this.	What are you missing?
I’m awesome at this.	You’re on the right track.
I give up.	Have you tried to use some of the strategies you have learned?
This is too hard.	This may take some time and effort.
This is good enough.	You can always improve so keep on trying.
I just can’t do....	You can train your brain to do….
I don’t want to make a mistake.	Mistakes help you learn better.
She’s so smart.  I’ll never be that smart.	Have you asked her how she does it so you can try it?

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In addition to help students redirect their self-reflection and self-questioning, we also need to work on our own speech in the classroom.   I am guilty of fostering a fixed mindset in my classroom when I praise how quickly students understand a concept or how smart students seem.  I have actually said, “Look at how smart you are.” to students.  While I believe a growth mindset allows students to seek out challenges and persist in the face of difficulty, I certainly haven’t always fostered it in my classroom.  For example, “You are good at these kinds of chemistry problems.” validates a fixed mindset by praising the intellect of the student instead of praising the process of the learning.  A statement that would promote a growth mindset might be, “I can see that you used many different strategies for solving these kinds of chemistry problems.”

One strategy to help yourself with your teacher-talk is to have some “Go-To” slogans readily available.  Some suggestions might be:

·         Practice makes permanent.

·         A problem is a chance for you to do grow and improve.

·         Ok, we have recognized the problem…that’s the first step in solving it.

·         Here’s the challenge…

·         Here is an opportunity….

Or come up with your own but keep them handy as you respond to students or address the class.

As one of my colleagues stated, “I have a growth mindset about my growth mindset.”  As you notice your talk and your students’ talk, here is an opportunity for you and your students to foster a drive to improve through effort and seeking out challenges.  This will take some time and effort.  Mistakes will help you and your students learn how to develop and maintain a growth mindset.  Embrace a growth mindset and see what happens.

Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.