Growth Mindset
About Growth Mindset
For some specific examples of strategies we use at Driscoll, visit "Growth Mindset Around the School." There are also photographs of this work in action: Primary (K-2), Intermediate (3-5) and Middle School (6-8). Parent StrategiesPraise Persistence & Effort
Persistence is one of Driscoll's student habits. Research has shown that students that value persistence -- the process of working through and learning from mistakes -- are more adept and ready for challenging tasks. Celebrate Mistakes Making a mistake is a chance to learn, and helps the brain continue to grow! Instead of responding with "no," ask a question, or reaffirm the value of the mistake. Give Specific Feedback Instead of saying, "good work!" to every right answer, give specific feedback. "I notice that you organized your thinking in a table. That seemed really helpful! I bet that will work for another problem." "Making that open number line made it so much easier to catch the mistake!" "How did you solve all of these problems so quickly? That's really working for you!" Help Make Connections and Generalizations Math is all about making connections -- between mathematical representations or models, between ideas, and between problem solving strategies. Math makes sense! Modeling a problem or idea in more than one way can help to reveal the underlying concepts. Examine Misconceptions Ask students to examine and analyze mathematical misconceptions. What might have caused this misconception? Why? How can it be addressed? Encourage Questions Students and teachers should be asking lots of questions -- deep questions! Why does that work? Why does that make sense? Can I draw or model that? How does that method connect to another? Take Time to Reflect Reflect is another of Driscoll's student habits. Allowing time for reflection allows students to evaluate the learning experience, and to learn more from the process. Consider taking Stanford's free "How to Learn Math - For Students" Online Course (EDUC115N) Stanford offers a wonderful -- and free! -- self-paced, online course for math learners of all ages. The course was developed by Stanford mathematician and founder of YouCubed.org, Jo Boaler. The "course" includes six 20-minute lessons broken down into two categories: The Brain and Math Learning and Strategies for Success. T -J. Laib, 2015 Growth Mindset-minded Feedback
Specific feedback you can give students, from when they are struggling despite strong efforts to when they succeed easily without effort.
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image from KQED's Mind/Shift
Articles
What Every (Great) Parent Should Know About the Mindset of Success
by Carol Dweck published in Educational Leadership (October 2007, Vol. 65, No. 2, p. 34 - 39) http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct07/vol65/num02/The-Perils-and-Promises-of-Praise.aspx "The wrong kind of praise creates self-defeating behavior. The right kind motivates students to learn."
What Every (Great) Parent Should Know About the Mindset of Success
by Sumitha Bhandarkar published on AFineParent.com http://afineparent.com/mindset/growth-mindset-introduction.html This is the first of four articles by Bhandarkar in a series on Mindset.
What it Feels Like to be Bad at Math
My hazy, anxious, defensive procrastination made me a better teacher by Ben Orlin, author of mathwithbaddrawings.com published by Slate Magazine on April 29, 2013 http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/04/math_teacher_explains_math_anxiety_and_defensiveness_it_hurts_to_feel_stupid.html
New Research: Students Benefit from Learning That Intelligence Is Not Fixed
by Ingfei Chen published by Mind/Shift on July 16, 2014 http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/16/new-research-students-benefit-from-learning-that-intelligence-is-not-fixed/
Setting Up Positive Norms in Math Class
by Jo Boaler published by YouCubed.org http://www.youcubed.org/wp-content/uploads/Positive-Classroom-Norms2.pdf This article offers great action-oriented suggestions for developing a growth mindset in a mathematical setting.
Could Small Tweaks Reap Big Rewards in Math Class?
by Kevin Harnett published by the Boston Globe on July 26, 2015 http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2015/07/25/can-small-tweaks-mean-big-stridesin-math-prociency/bQbj9b22OV0h0WmmsAoUKM/story.html Interested in continuing the conversation about growth mindset? This is a school-wide goal for Driscoll! Talk with your child's classroom teacher, as well as specialists like Carrie Gross (K-5 Guidance), Kate Sullivan (6-8 Guidance), Jenna Laib (math), Ellen Davidson (ECS), among others. |
Stanford professor Jo Boaler offers specific, action-oriented suggestions to help foster a growth mindset in a mathematical setting.