Growth Mindset VS Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset Vs. Fixed Mindset - SQTE
Growth Mindset VS Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset Wie Denkweisen und Selbstbilder Lernen und persönliche Entwicklung begünstigen oder How Ways of Thinking and Self-images Canerschweren Benefit or Impede Learning and Personal Development School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots 1.1 Dominik Harnisch & Roland Bernhard
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots 1.1 Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset How Ways of Thinking and Self-images Can Benefit or Impede Learning and Personal Development Citation: Harnisch, Dominik/ Bernhard, Roland (2019): Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset. How Ways of Thinking and Self-images Can Benefit or Impede Learning and Personal Development. School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots 1.1. www.sqte.at The School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots are an initiative that emerged within the framework of the project School Quality and Teacher Education which is funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF (P 31965). The SQTE project is conducted at the Universities of Salzburg and Oxford and addresses the issue of what, from the perspective of headteachers and teachers from highly effective schools, really works with regard to school quality improvement. The School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots aim to provide scientific findings from school effectiveness and improvement research in a readable way to headteachers and teachers in the practice. The School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots are published by: Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr. Roland Bernhard Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg/School of Education Erzabt-Klotz-Straße 1, Room 2.422, 5020 Salzburg, Austria Contact: Roland.Bernhard@sbg.ac.at Open-Access-Publication in terms of the CC-Licence BY 4.0 2
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots Content 1. Growth vs. Fixed Mindset – Introduction 2. Fixed and Growth Mindset Thinking in Various Situations 6 3. Approaches to Growth Mindset Teaching 4 9 3.1 Learn with your students how the brain works 9 3.2 Communicate growth-oriented 10 3.3 Monitor your own mindset 11 4. Growth Mindset in Effective Schools 12 5. Summary 15 6. References 16 3
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 1. Growth vs. Fixed Mindset – Introduction Conducted in the framework of the SQTE project, our interviews with headteachers from highly effective schools demonstrated that a concept, that is discussed under the name growth mindset in the educational sciences, plays a role on several levels in these schools. Thus, in this booklet the well-known mindset theory of motivational psychologist Carol Dweck (Stanford University) is presented. The theory describes two different ways of thinking that can account for some students exceeding all expectations and others failing to fulfil their potential. The theory is based on empirical foundations (Yeager et al., 2019) and especially popular in the context of schools. However, it is also applied to other areas, such as the working life or sports. In the context of schools, several studies demonstrated that both students’ and teachers’ specific ways of thinking (mindsets) can impact learning outcomes. Here, a growth-oriented way of thinking (growth mindset) has a particularly positive impact (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007; Yeager et al., 2016). The content of this booklet aims to familiarise headteachers and teachers with mindset theory and illustrate several behaviours and situations in which the respective mindsets can be expressed by students. Furthermore, suggestions are made on how teachers can develop both their own and their students‘ mindsets in accordance with the desirable growth mindset. A readable summary of mindset theory can be found in: Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group. The issues that are addressed in this document are: 1. 2. 3. What are mindsets that benefit or impede learning? How can these mindsets come into effect in various situations? What can teachers draw on when they want to improve their teaching in compliance with the mindsets? 4
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 1. Growth vs. Fixed Mindset – Introduction In her mindset theory, the motivational psychologist Dweck describes two fundamental beliefs that people can have about their intelligence. On the one hand, people can have a fixed mindset. These people assume that intelligence and other personality traits are inherent and, hence, fixed. On the other hand, people with a growth mindset are convinced that intelligence and other personality traits are malleable through effort, learning and training. Since these mindsets usually refer to the own abilities, they are also termed „self-concepts“. Since they believe that intelligence is inherent and not malleable, people with a fixed mindset want to prove themselves and others that their intelligence is especially pronounced. The resulting morale can negatively influence their learning behaviour. Novel things which one may potentially fail in, are often not even given a try. In contrast, people with a growth mindset assume that their intelligence is expandable. These people tend to seek possibilities to learn and develop further. It is advantageous for the development of a human when he or she holds a growth mindset and knows that intelligence and other personality traits are malleable. Innate abilities Intelligence Personality Fixed Mindset Intelligence and other personality traits are innate and fixed Where does success come from? Hard work Learning Training Persistence Growth Mindset Intelligence and other personality traits are malleable through learning and training 5
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 2. Fixed and Growth Mindset Thinking in Various Situations The two mindsets can have an impact on learning behaviours of students in various situations : Challenges „Why waste time proving over and over how great you are when you could be getting better?“ (Dweck, 2006, p. 7) Fixed To prove that they are especially intelligent, people with fixed mindset prefer to work on relatively easy tasks they know they will succeed in. Growth People with growth mindset are more likely to accept challenges, because they seek possibilities to grow and learn. They are less interested in tasks that match their current abilities. Barriers „Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them?“ (Dweck, 2006, p. 7) Fixed In the face of barriers or setbacks people with fixed mindset assume that they are not smart enough for the given task. Hence, they tend to withdraw from the task, for instance by stopping to make an effort or by giving up. That way they can regain control over the situation and ascribe a potential failure to other factors than their lack of intelligence. Growth In the case of barriers and setbacks, people with growth mindset are more likely to believe that failures are necessary to learn from them and that barriers can be overcome with appropriate effort. Hence, people with growth mindset tend to have relatively more perseverance. 6
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 2. Fixed and Growth Mindset Thinking in Various Situations Effort „Why seek out the tried and true instead of experiences that will stretch you?“ (Dweck, 2006, p. 7 ) Fixed In their view, people with fixed mindset are not talented enough for tasks that would require much effort. Since they believe that their intelligence cannot be developed, they do not see a benefit in putting extra effort into a task. Growth People with growth mindset often enjoy and persevere in tasks that require much effort. In their view, effort is necessary to develop intelligence and other desirable character traits. Feedback „Why waste time proving over and over how great you are when you could be getting better?“ (Dweck, 2006, p. 7) Fixed Positive feedback that confirms the own abilities is readily accepted by people with fixed mindset. However, they perceive negative feedback as obstructive and tend to take it personally. Hence, negative feedback is more likely to be ignored or discredited. Growth Both negative and positive feedback is more likely to be valued and accepted by people with growth mindset. Feedback is seen as a possibility to learn and develop rather than a threat for the self-image. 7
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 2. Fixed and Growth Mindset Thinking in Various Situations Success of others „Why look for friends and partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will challenge you to grow?“ (Dweck, 2006, p. 7) Growth People with growth mindset perceive successful others as source of inspiration and learning possibilities that can support the development of own abilities. When others are successful, a typical question that arises for them is: „What can I learn from this person?“. Fixed For people with fixed mindset, success means to be better than others, since this proves in their view that one is especially talented. However, when others are successful they tend to feel threatened because they perceive this success as proof for themselves not being as intelligent as others. Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset Challenges Avoid Accept Barriers Give up quickly Persevere Effort Useless Neccessary to grow Feedback Ignore Learn from Success of others Threat Inspiration 8
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 3. Approaches to Growth Mindset Teaching Dweck and colleagues demonstrated in numerous studies that students‘ mindsets have an impact on their performance (Blackwell et al., 2007; Yeager et al., 2016, 2019). Even with the most talented students holding a fixed mindset, it is observable that their achievements stagnate early on and that they do not fulfil their potential. Since they are especially focused on looking smart, they do not achieve what they are capable of (Dweck & Legett, 1988; Mueller & Dweck, 1998). On the other hand, students with growth mindset continually develop further and usually enjoy learning more. These students often exceed all expectations that one had of them. Mindsets develop already rather early in live through nurture and learning experiences. Still, Dweck and colleagues could in several studies demonstrate that the mindsets are malleable (Aronson, Fried & Good, 2002; Blackwell et al., 2007). Growth mindset interventions enable students to develop their mindsets toward a growth-orientation which, in turn, is reflected in better learning performances. Based on these studies and Dweck‘s accounts, three approaches are presented in the following that teachers can use to promote growth mindset in their classrooms. 3.1 Learn with your students how the brain works It became apparent in studies that the academic performances of students can improve when they learn about the plasticity and trainability of the brain (Blackwell et al., 2007). Dealing with subjects, such as the plasticity of the brain, the impact of brain exercises on intelligence and the continuous formation of new synapses may illustrate students that we can develop our intelligence over the course of a whole life. 9
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 3. Approaches to Growth Mindset Teaching 3.2 Communicate growth-oriented Through the way they communicate, teachers can develop their students’ growth mindset beliefs. For instance, it was demonstrated that children who are praised for their intelligence and abilities often attributes these characteristics as being fixed and, hence, are less motivated to develop them further (Mueller & Dweck, 1998). Therefore, it is recommended to praise students especially for effort, commitment and strategies and less for their achievements and abilities. This way, they can understand that success is primarily a result of effort and persistence and not only attributable to giftedness or talent. It is recommended to relate praise and appreciation to effort, persistence and strategies of the students and to put less emphasis on achievements and abilities. With „the power of yet“ Dweck describes the relevance of the word „yet“ for a growth mindset. For instance, when a student complains: „I just cannot calculate in fractions“, the teacher can correct the student: „You cannot calculate in fractions yet“. That way, the teacher implicitly communicates his or her conviction that the student will master the calculation of fractions when they make an effort- a growth mindset belief. Additional examples for statement that correspond to a fixed or growth mindset are: Fixed Growth „I am so stupid.“ „I have to practice this.“ „I am so smart.“ „I am on the right track.“ „This is too hard.“ „This will need a lot of time and effort.“ „I am jealous of how smart this person is.“ „What can I learn from this person?“ „I am making too many mistakes.“ „Mistakes help to improve my skills.“ „That is enough.“ „Did I really give my best?“ 10
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 3. Approaches to Growth Mindset Teaching 3.3 Monitor your own mindset In the classroom, indications of the teachers‘ own mindsets also play an important role. It was demonstrated that students indeed learn more effectively, when their teacher believes that everyone can develop their abilities further (Rattan, Good & Dweck, 2012). One can monitor the own mindset by halting for a moment in one of the situations described on p. 3-5 and exploring which mindset the first reaction on the respective situation corresponds to. After having identified the own mindset in different situations, one can shift fixed mindsets through consciously and actively altering them: Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset Negative Feedback I feel threatened and defend myself. I ask how I can improve. Others are successful I am jealous and find something to grouse about. I ask the person how he or she accomplished that. Difficult barrier I give up because it is so hard. This is a nice challenge I can grow with. 11
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 4. Growth Mindset in Effective Schools In the FWF-funded project „School Quality and Teacher Education“ (SQTE) , which this publication emerged from, headteachers from highly effective schools in England are interviewed about school quality development. The following quotations originate from interviews with headteachers from a comprehensive school in England that developed over the last years from an unacceptable level to one of the most effective schools in its area. The improvement process of the school represents a typical example of a „school turnaround“ brought about by effective leadership. Growth mindset plays a central role in this school. It is a constantly exercised practice in the school to let students speak publicly in front of other people at various opportunities. They are encouraged to give words of welcome in front of parents, teachers, guests and other students, to deliver a speech or to publicly present their ideas in other ways. By doing so, they should leave their „comfort zone“ to enable growth and development. As the headteacher and the executive headteacher – there are differentiated leadership structures and always several headteachers in English schools – explain in the interviews: „[ ] you talk about growth mindset which is something we have talked about explicitly for five years or so. You know, you start off talking about it a lot and teachers will be pointing it out, because, you know, a student may stand up in front of an assembly and talk about what they have done. And then the teacher will point out that they have displayed great growth mindset. So, you are kind of, you are adding the value on to what is already happening. And then over time, [ ] when students take on that themselves and when they are sharing their story they use, in fact, growth mindset and then it just becomes embedded in their thinking.“ (Headteacher 1) „And then when we have a student who says, and this happens to be recently, ‘I made myself do this public speaking because I wanted to have a growth mindset‘ you know that it worked.“ (Headteacher 2) 12
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 4. Growth Mindset in Effective Schools In the following sections it is be further demonstrated, how, from the perspective of the headteachers, growth-oriented mindsets and behaviours are effective in the school on various levels. For this purpose, several relevant quotations are presented and embedded in the previous remarks. Teachers with growth mindset „As [Headteacher 2] said earlier, the best teachers are lifelong learners. And if you do not feel like developing your craft, then you are not going to be as engaged [ ].“ (Headteacher 1) „And we just told the staff that it was not about failing, they must open their doors, they must share their problems and then we would work together as a team and support them.“ (Headteacher 2) Making an effort to improve „So, as long as things are continuing to be successful and we work hard at that, it gives us the creative space to think about what our own priorities are and own them.“ (Headteacher 2) Learning from others‘ success „Yes, we go and look at schools though we know that they [ ] have got a great reputation for [ ], it could be anything.“ (Headteacher 2) 13
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 4. Growth Mindset in Effective Schools Being confident in students meeting continually rising expectations „And for me, it is also, I think, it is about relentlessly higher expectations of students and how you deliver them for them, not just expecting all of them, but knowing they can produce it and how you make that happen.“ (Headteacher 1) About the success and improvement process of the school: „Well, I think going backwards, I think it is that determination and that vision about high standards and refusing to think that children cannot do things, there are barriers to their achievement.“ (Headteacher 2) Barriers and setbacks as motivation „A substantial proportion of your life is going to be spent dealing with things not going right. And it is important that that is a motivating factor not a demotivating, you know.“ (Headteacher 1) „I am just thinking about the way we manage it [character development]. Often it is through a student showing their experience. An assembly where somebody is talking about an example where they have shown resilience or where they failed and come back from it. We point out when we see resilience in the school and celebrate it.“ (Headteacher 2) 14
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots How Do Mindsets Influence Our Learning? 5. Summary Motivational psychologist Carol Dweck and her colleagues differentiate between two mindsets that can have an impact on learning behaviours of humans. The fixed mindset is characterised by the belief that intelligence and other character traits are innate and therefore not malleable. On the other hand, holding a growth mindset, one believes that intelligence and other personality traits can be developed through effort, learning and training. People with fixed mindset tend to be willing to prove how intelligent they are, whereas people with growth mindset rather seek to develop further. This has implications that relate to learning behaviours. A growth mindset is beneficial for learning processes and the development of students. Based on the studies of Dweck and colleagues, teachers can set steps that promote a growth mindset. For instance, achievements of students can already improve, when lessons deal with the plasticity and trainability of the brain. Furthermore, it is important to communicate growth-oriented. In this regard, Dweck recommends to praise more the effort and commitment of students and less their abilities and achievements. Teachers can monitor within which of the two mindsets they think themselves, since teaching approaches that are associated with the mindsets also influence the learning behaviour of students. Thus, it is recommended to actively pursue growth-oriented mindsets and behaviours and replace fixed mindsets with these. In sum, it seems that growth mindset is an effective approach to benefit a continuous development of both students and teachers. 15
School Quality and Teacher Education Snapshots 6. References Aronson, J., Fried, C. B., & Good, C. (2002). Reducing the Effects of Stereotype Threat on African American College Students by Shaping Theories of Intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38(2), 113–125. https://doi.org/10.1006/jesp.2001.1491 Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewsk, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement Across an Adolescent Transition: A Longitudinal Study and an Intervention. Child Development, 78(1), 246–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x Boaler, J. (2013). Ability and Mathematics: the mindset revolution that is reshaping education. Forum, 55(1), 143–152. https://doi.org/10.2304/forum.2013.55.1.143 Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group. Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A Social-Cognitive Approach to Motivation and Personality. Psychological Review, 95(2), 256–273. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.95.2.256 Macdougall, A., & Lupton, R. (2018). The „London Effect“: Literature Review. Manchester, UK: Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit. Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for Intelligence Can Undermine Children‘s Motivation and Performance. Journal of personality and social psychology, 75(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.33 Rattan, A., Good, C., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). “It‘s Ok — Not Everyone Can Be Good at Math”: Instructors With an Entity Theory Comfort (and Demotivate) Students. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(3), 731–737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.12.012 Yeager, D.S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G.M. et al. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature 573, 364–369 (2019) https://doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y Yeager, D. S., Romero, C., Paunesku, D., Hulleman, C. S., Schneider, B., Hinojosa, C., Dweck, C. S. (2016). Using Design Thinking to Improve Psychological Interventions: The Case of the Growth Mindset During the Transition to High School. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(3), 374– 391. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000098 16
thinking (growth mindset) has a particularly positive impact (Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck, 2007; Yeager et al., 2016). The content of this booklet aims to familiarise headteachers and teachers with mindset theory and illustrate several behaviours and situations in which the respective mindsets can be expressed by students.
a growth mindset and those associated with a fixed mindset. c. SWBAT identify benefits of growth mindset as it relates to school. II. Key Points that this lesson plan will address a. Why is growth mindset important? 1. Growth mindset helps students be more successful in school. Students are more likely to develop a growth mindset if theyFile Size: 1MB
3.Growth Mindset Maze (in the Growth Mindset Printables Kit) is a fun activity where kids decide whether a statement belongs to a fixed or a growth mindset. 4.Parent's Guide to a Growth Mindset (in the Growth Mindset Printables Kit) provides specific examples of what to say/ask to help
A Guide to the Fixed Mindset V the Growth Mindset World-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, in decades of research on achievement and success, has discovered a truly groundbreaking idea – the power of our mindset. Mindset – The New Psychology of Success How we can learn to fulfil our potential Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Intelligence mindset refers to one's belief that either intelligence is a malleable trait that can improve with effort—a "growth" mindset—or is a relatively stable trait—a "fixed" mindset. According to proponents of mindset theory, holding a growth mindset is beneficial (e.g., greater academic persistence) while holding a fixed
more fixed mindset of searching for praise instead of progress. This curriculum is great for elementary age children so that we can teach growth mindset at a young age. Grade Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset K n/a 100% 1 10% 90% 2 18% 82% 3 42% 58% Table 1 Changes in Fixed
Growth Mindset . in Your Students and Yourself . What is a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset, and how does it directly relate to the Common Core standards? Come investigate your own mindset and how it affects your teaching and your st
Mindset Grow Your Brain Do Your Best Never Give Up I Can Learn from Mistakes Introduce your students to the concepts of Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset (based on three decades of systematic research by Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University). NED’s message of Never Give Up and Do Your Best can help your
Anatomy and Physiology for Sports Massage 11. LEVEL: 3: Term: Definition: Visuals: Cytoplasm Within cells, the cytoplasm is made up of a jelly-like fluid (called the cytosol) and other : structures that surround the nucleus. Cytoskeleton The cytoskeleton is a network of long fibres that make up the cell’s structural framework. The cytoskeleton has several critical functions, including .
