For my second blog post I would like to discuss both the growth mind set and what is referred to by educators as the "minds on" portion of a teaching lesson. I will address both issues respectively.
The primary focus of this week's class has been on what is referred to as the "growth mindset". After doing a little research I found what I think is a good article about the subject by The Glossary of Education Reform entitled Growth Mindset. The article identifies Carol Dweck as the primary developer of the theory. She is quoted as stating:“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can
be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are
just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a
resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” This stands in opposition to what she calls a "fixed mindset." She explains, “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their
intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time
documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them.
They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.” Significantly, it is import for educators to foster the ideals of the growth mindset in their students while simultaneously steering them away from the debilitating qualities of a fixed mindset. The former provides students with the opportunity to develop and prosper, while the latter seems to offer only stagnation and even decline.
While the ideals proclaimed by believers of the growth mindset model are inspiring, this theory can also be used to help influence other pedagogical practices beyond idealism. What I am referring to in this instance is the aspect of teaching often referred to as the "minds on" portion of a lesson. Loosely speaking, "minds on" is a kind of 'warm up' activity teachers use prior to starting the main portion of a particular lesson. In class we discussed many ways in which these activities can be done effectively and to encourage aspects of a growth mindset. Spending time as a class looking at a question collectively and allowing students to decipher their own solutions allows for a low pressure environment that fosters ingenuity and creativity. Catering to a more free and less rigid approach to mathematics definitely appeals to me personally and I will be sure to incorporate aspects of the growth mindset when organizing my lesson plans in the future.
Hi Corey,
ReplyDeleteI really love the concept of growth mindset, especially in the context of teaching. So many times we get down on ourselves and want to give up when tasks get hard and we see others around us succeeding. By teaching and reinforcing the idea to our students that by believing you can and will improve through practice, we can accomplish and overcome obstacles we otherwise thought were impossible. There are many times when I am teaching students and they tell me “I can’t…”, demonstrating their fixed mindset. When this happens, I get them to repeat that same statement with “I can…”, building their growth mindset, and then celebrate their achievement with them when they do succeed.
Thanks for sharing.
Rebecca
Hi Corey,
ReplyDeleteI too discussed the concept of growth mindset in my blog. I love that you have discussed growth mindset and the importance of the "minds on" portion of lessons. If students are not engaged and challenged in the first part of the lesson then students will not have a growth mindset. Students will not be open to challenges and learning if they are not engaged. It is important for educators to use these games or collective discussions to create interest in mathematics. This interest is important for creating a growth mindset and building the "I can" statements that are necessary for student growth.
Great Post :)
Victoria