One of the most common questions that I get from parents is, “What can I be doing at home to help my child?” The two most common responses I give include, “read with your child,” and “practice math facts.” These definitely are two very important things to do with your child. However, a new study shows that simply telling your child, “You are a hard worker,” after they show you something they have accomplished, may be effective for creating a learner, and therefore be just as important as reading and practicing math facts.
Mrs. Snyder and I recently attended a Scholastic Math Conference to learn new strategies to help students struggling in math. Surprisingly, one of the most powerful presenters that day talked nothing about math lessons or strategies at all. Instead, he talked about setting up a ‘Growth Mindset’ within a child. Growth Mindset? What was this new term? We had never heard this term before, but everything he was saying was resonating with experiences Mrs. Snyder and I were having with our students. Students we were currently working with thought they couldn’t learn math. Students would often say, “It’s too hard, and I’ll never get it.”
During this presentation we learned there are two kinds of mindsets: Fixed Mindset & Growth Mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe that the things they are and aren’t good at are based upon their inherent nature . . . they were born that way and there is no way to change. People with a growth mindset believe anyone can do anything because what you can and can’t do is based upon the amount of effort (or lack of effort) you have put into learning it.
The presenter shared the results of an interesting study. The study involved giving a test to a group of same-aged students with a wide range of abilities. After taking the test, all students were told they did well. Half were told, “You did well. You must be very smart.” (fixed mindset wording.) The other half were told, “You did well. You must have worked hard.” (growth mindset wording.) This whole group of students was then given a second test. Students were asked if they wanted to try a harder test. Most students who were told they were very smart chose NOT to take the harder test. Most students who were told they worked hard chose TO take the harder test (the second test given was of the same difficulty level as the first test regardless of student responses.) The student results of the second test were surprising and left quite an impression on Mrs. Snyder and I. On average, students who were told “You must be very smart” did worse, while students who were told “You must have worked hard” did better (even though the two tests were of the same level!)
What did we learn from this presentation? We learned that in order for students to grow and learn, they need to believe that they can. Students who are recognized and praised for working hard have a growth mindset, and are more likely to try new things, take chances, and even fail, which are all KEY elements in learning. So the next time your child is struggling with their reading, math facts, homework, or a new lesson, take a little time to ask your child about what they do know. Have them show you what they have done and what they can do. And after they show you, say, “Wow, you really worked hard on that!” Recognize that they “worked hard” on their last science test or math test, too. You will be setting them up with a growth mindset. You will be confirming that they CAN learn, and that working hard is the best quality to have when you want to grow and learn!