Post on 14-Apr-2017
Raising Student Achievement By Promoting a Growth Mindset
Overview• Fixed versus Growth
mindset• Research on how beliefs
shape learning• How to change mindsets
– 5-session PD invitation
Quick SurveyHow many of you have …
• some familiarity with this topic?
• a great deal of familiar with it?
• no previous exposure to mindset research?
Some students are highly motivated and others are not.
Why?
What Motivates Students to Try Hard in School?
Growth Mindset and Achievement
• Decades of research show a powerful relationship between
mindset and achievement.• Students’ beliefs about intelligence and
learning impact:• Motivation• Academic behaviors (e.g., studying and
seeking help)• Responses to challenges and setbacks• Academic achievement
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
Fixed mindset Intelligence is a fixed trait. You can’t change it.
Growth mindset You can grow your intelligence through effort.
MindsetsThese two beliefs lead students to very different conclusions about the meaning of events
MindsetsAnd the meaning they make – the narrative they construct – determines the behaviors in which they choose to engage
Photo by Gregory Ewanowich
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Consequences of Beliefs
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School?
Values effort?Reaction to
Failure?
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart
Values effort?Reaction to
Failure?
Consequences of Beliefs
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort?Reaction to
Failure?
Consequences of Beliefs
GoalsLooking smart is most important:“The main thing I want when I do my school work is to show how good I am at it."
Learning is most important:“It’s much more important for me to learn things in my classes than it is to get the best grades.”
Fixed mindset
Growth mindset
Goals? Look Smart Learn
Values effort?
Reaction to Failure?
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
ERP Evidence for How Mindsets Control Attention
Procedure1. Participants asked a question.
2. Participants type their answer.
3. Participants are told whether they are right or wrong.
4. Brain activation is recorded.
5. Participants are told the correct answer.
6. Brain activation is recorded.
WRONG!
And the answer is...
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Consequences of Beliefs
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort?Reaction to
Failure?
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Consequences of Beliefs
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? NoReaction to
Failure?
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Consequences of Beliefs
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? No YesReaction to
Failure?
Value of Effort
Fixed mindset
Growth mindset
Goals? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? No Yes
Reaction to Failure?
Effort is negative:“To tell the truth, when I work hard at my school work it makes me feel like I’m not very smart."
Effort is positive:“The harder you work at something, the better you’ll be at it.”
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Consequences of Beliefs
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? No YesReaction to
Failure?
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Consequences of Beliefs
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? No YesReaction to
Failure? Give Up
Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck 2007
Consequences of Beliefs
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Goal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? No YesReaction to
Failure? Give Up Work Harder
Response to FailureHelpless“I would spend less time on this subject from now on.”“I would try not to take this subject ever again.”“I would try to cheat on the next test.”
Resilient“I would work harder in this class from now on.”“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”
Fixed mindset
Growth mindset
Goals? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? No Yes
Reaction to Failure? Give up Work
Harder
Consequences of MindsetsFixed Mindset Growth
MindsetGoal in School? Look Smart Learn
Values effort? No YesReaction to
Failure? Give Up Work Harder
Achievement Lower Higher
Does Growth Mindset Correlate with Achievement?
Evidence From A Nationwide Sample In Chile
• Chilean National Achievement Test
• 10th grade test incorporated Growth Mindset Assessment
• n=147,000
Claro, Paunesku, & Dweck (under review)
Susana Claro
Dave Paunesku
Does Growth Mindset Correlate with Achievement?
Evidence from a Nationwide Sample in Chile
Recursive Processes
Reduced Effort
Lower Achievement
Higher Achievement
Growth Mindset
Increased Effort
Challenge or Failure
Fixed Mindset
Mindsets Can Change!Rigorous research also shows that mindsets can changeWhen they are changed to have a Growth Mindset, students do better
Mindset Interventions
Online Growth Mindset Intervention
Paunesku, Walton, Romero, Smith, Yeager, & Dweck (2015)
Study Design:– 1584 students, SES from 1% to 90% reduced lunch– 13 high schools (8 public, 4 charter, 1 private); SES
from 1% to 90% reduced lunch– 33% Latino, 17% Asian, 23% White, 11% Black, and
16% other/mixed ethnicityIntervention:
– Two 45-minute sessions– Taught about the brain and neural plasticity– Discussed implications for effort, help seeking,
and intelligence
Paunesku, Walton, Romero, Smith, Yeager, & Dweck (2015)
Paunesku, Walton, Romero, Smith, Yeager, & Dweck (2015)
How Do Everyday Interactions Shape Mindsets?
• The language we use tells others what we believe and what we value
• Feedback tells us what is expected of us and what goals we should have
Self-esteem Movement
Praise• Research Question:
Do different kinds of praise influence students’ response to failure?
Claudia Mueller
Mueller & Dweck, 1998
• N = 128 5th grade students
• Standard progressive matrices (Ravens)
Praise Effects on IQ Test Performance:
• Control Group: “Wow, that’s a really good score.”
• Intelligence Praise: “Wow, that’s a really good score. You must be smart at this.”
• Effort (Process) Praise: “Wow, that’s a really good score. You must have tried really hard.”
Mueller & Dweck, 1998
Praise Effects on IQ Test Performance:
Part 3: IQ Test: Very Difficult
Mueller & Dweck, 1998
After Setback
“That’s a lot worse”
Mueller & Dweck, 1998
• Completed moderately difficult IQ problems
• Received positive feedback (intelligence praise, effort praise, or control)
• Completed very difficult IQ problems
• Received negative feedback that they did a lot worse
• Completed moderately difficult IQ problemsMueller & Dweck, 1998
Praise Effects on IQ Test Performance:
Number of Problems Solved Before and After
Setback
Control praiseIntelligence praiseEffort praise
Growth Mindset PraiseDon’t Focus On:
– Qualities commonly interpreted as stable, like talent or intelligence
Do Focus On:– Effort and strategies used
“I like how you tried a new way to solve that.”– Abilities improving over time with practice
“You’ve been practicing and I can see it’s paying off.”– Mistakes and being challenged as necessary part
of learning“I love mistakes because they’re an opportunity to learn – being challenged is when the brain grows most.”
What Can We Do For Our Students?
Let’s Learn Together!• You are invited to participate in an
upcoming professional learning cycle• Learn simple ways to cultivate a Growth
Mindset in your students• We will use resources developed by
Stanford University’s PERTS Laboratory (the Project for Education Research That Scales)
Mindset Kit – mindsetkit.org
Questions? Comments?How do mindsets show up in
your classrooms?