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Growth & Mastery
Approaching growth mindset is a challenge that many students and professionals grapple with when learning. According to Kazakoff and Mitchell (n.d) the work of developing growth mindset is not only about the students, but the systems around them. In society being wrong is not a pleasant idea, because as toddlers we are taught to correct is good and wrong is bad in the simplest terms. However, growth mindset challenges the idea of being wrong, in the case that there is room for growth. According to Midles (2021), teaching learners the basics of learning science so they better understand conditions, context and thriving; and practice giving feedback in thoughtful ways. Learners are not expected to know everything that is taught in class and a perfect score in a class shows that the learner has not received a challenge. According to American University (2020), mindset techniques involve shifting emphasis away from outcomes and toward efforts and process. In my classroom, I have incorporated the saying “it’s okay to be wrong,” for my students to understand that I do not expect them to know everything that is taught in my science class or to get a 100 on every test in the class. Teaching 8th grade students, means that the students are almost done with their grade school education and have developed their own ideals about school. However, to combat the fixed mindset that many of the adolescents in my classroom have, I integrate thoughtful feedback in their assessments. This feedback may be in the form of praise or mini shoutouts. A student may not get a question correct, however during these times of wrongness, I work with students in their thinking process and praise them when they have navigated to the correct answer with assistance. This method encourages students to continue working through their learning. This method is supported by Finley (2014) statement that states when students succeed, praise their efforts and strategies as opposed to their intelligence.
A growth mindset promtoes student confidence while also encouraging students to take risks in their learning. These risks can often exhibit student learning and understanding of content being taught, which can aid teachers in the necessary steps needed next. Integrating mastery into student learning encourages growth mindset because students have micro-goals to achieve that boost their confidence. As students developed, teachers want to facilitate to student development by moving their fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
A growth mindset promtoes student confidence while also encouraging students to take risks in their learning. These risks can often exhibit student learning and understanding of content being taught, which can aid teachers in the necessary steps needed next. Integrating mastery into student learning encourages growth mindset because students have micro-goals to achieve that boost their confidence. As students developed, teachers want to facilitate to student development by moving their fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
Research Based Strategies
Meaningful Feedback
Feedback is an integral piece in cultivating growth mindset amongst students. Providing meaningful feedback to students encourage students to analyze their opportunities to grow. Formative assessments are great tools to provide meaningful feedback that student can receive encouragement to continue their learning. It is important to provide students with feedback that provides opportunity for students to self-evaluate their performance and thinking process. Many students have found that they learn more when they analyze their own misconceptions and navigate their learning through this method. To encourage students to self-evaluate themselves, students are provided classroom incentives to make corrections and explanations to their formative assessments. Manu students use this opportunity to talk through the feedback I provided with me and clear any misconceptions before their summative assessment.
Success Files
Success Folders are intended to show students their successes over time. This folder exhibits how students grow throughout the course and they can look back at these files and look at how their short comings turned into successes that they can see. The success files are beneficial in encouraging students to maintain motivation when they are not making the grades that they want at a particular time.
Language Change
To encourage successful implementation of growth mindsets, teachers must be mindful that their language and interactions play a large role in determining whether a student will have a fixed or growth mindset in the classroom. Including the word “yet” into teacher vocabulary regularly promotes student motivation and deep thinking on how to improve their performance on tasks. This change in language can be influential on student language and their mindsets.
Redesigned Curriculum
Student #1 |
Student #2 |
This student has always found school to not be meant for her. She has discipline record and often gives up on learning content before trying. I spoke with the parent to gather background information about the student and what interests the student. The parent informed me that the student responded well to micro-goals. To appeal to this interest of the student, I co-planned with the student on micro-goals that still was equivalent to the rest of the class. The student has responded well to the implementation of micro-goals that also come with small incentives that correlate with the school’s PBIS incentive.
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This student came into 8th grade physical science with belief that they were going to be the best in their class when it came to science. However, this student struggled with math concepts that physical science require from a student. The student began to become frustrated and give up easily if he could not figure out the answer as leisurely as he had done in previous years. However, I began to use the word “yet” around the student to reinforce that the student will master the content in due time. The student eventually mastered the concept that required an immense number of basic computations and has continued to flourish in the classroom since.
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References
American University (2020, December 10) How to Foster a Growth Mindset in the Classroom. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/growth-mindset-in-the-classroom
Finley, K. (2014) 4 Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset in the Classroom. Edsurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-10-24-4-ways-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-the-classroom
Kazakoff, E. & Mitchell A. (n.d) Cultivating a Growth Mindset with Educational Technology. Lexia Learning. https://www.lexialearning.com/sites/default/files/resources/Cultivating-Growth-Mindset-with-Educational-Technology-White-Paper.pdf
Midles, R. (2021) Five steps to Embed Growth Mindset Practices into Learning Culture. Getting Smart. https://www.gettingsmart.com/2021/07/15/five-steps-to-embed-growth-mindset-practices-into-learning-culture/
Finley, K. (2014) 4 Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset in the Classroom. Edsurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-10-24-4-ways-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-the-classroom
Kazakoff, E. & Mitchell A. (n.d) Cultivating a Growth Mindset with Educational Technology. Lexia Learning. https://www.lexialearning.com/sites/default/files/resources/Cultivating-Growth-Mindset-with-Educational-Technology-White-Paper.pdf
Midles, R. (2021) Five steps to Embed Growth Mindset Practices into Learning Culture. Getting Smart. https://www.gettingsmart.com/2021/07/15/five-steps-to-embed-growth-mindset-practices-into-learning-culture/