Growth mindset in the classroom

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A number of weeks back I had the pleasure of listening to Jo Boaler speak at the Wisconsin Mathematics Council annual conference. She spoke to us about many aspects of best practices in mathematics education. One of her main points was that we need to make a transition within our students from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Boaler referenced Carol Dweck's research on mindset. Dweck makes the point that students need to realize that their brains literally grow when they are challenged in the classroom. When a child is given a complex problem, the teacher needs to encourage the students that they can do this and that this challenge will grow their brains- the challenge is good. Dweck highlights the idea of "not yet" as an important way for teachers to think about assessment of students. She mentions that students who have a growth mindset really do see learning as a valuable endeavor.

 See Dweck's Ted Talk on "The Power of Yet" below.  

As I think about this growth mindset and the idea of not labeling students as smart or dumb, I feel like this is something we ought to be doing already. However, it really isn't the case.  And, I'm sure that I am guilty of unknowingly labeling my students in the various ways that I treat them.  Many students see themselves as smart or as dumb (fixed mindset).  Teachers need to be intentional in articulating to students that the lessons teacher's design are meant to be challenging and that hard work does pay off through perseverance and persistence. Within the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice, there is a standard (SMP1) that highlights the benefits of perseverance in problem solving. Any teacher of mathematics ought to realize that persistence in problem solving is a valuable trait, but often times we really struggle to get this trait to be manifest within our students.  Therefore, this intentional focus on perseverance is something that a teacher needs to purposefully cultivate in his or her classroom practice.

I have spent quite a bit of time with my 6-year old, helping her to see the value of hard work both in her reading and in her work with mathematics. The other night we were working on her leveled readers and she was working hard and struggling, but I told her, "Sweetie, you can do this. It is hard work, but hard work pays off.  Let's keep trying."   Eventually, after working really, really hard on a lot of words, she said, "Dad, I can do this!  I can read!" She was so proud of her hard work.  She experienced "not yet."

The other day we received a document from her school of a self-analysis that she did within a book called, "If I lived in a castle."  You can see the image below.  She identified herself as "Lady [her name] the Smart."  I'm not too concerned about this, but I do find it interesting that she is already labeling herself "the smart."

So, take another look at Carol Dweck's video and think about the idea of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset.  As an educator, my goal for my students and my children is that they have growth mindsets. It is work, but it is worthwhile work that pays huge dividends in learning and brain development.