Growth Mindset

Growth Mindset, Carol Dweck:

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Fixed Mindset: The belief that intelligence or talent is a fixed trait and that talent alone creates success.

• • Abilities cannot change

  • Mistakes tell kids they are not smart, then children don’t take risks

  • High Achieving Girls are most affected by fixed mindset teaching

Growth Mindset: The belief that basic qualities like intelligence or talent are developed through dedication and hard work...brains and talent are just the starting point.

• • Ability can change with experience

  • Learn from mistakes

  • Fosters persistence

Growth Mindset will be fostered in 1L, 1M and 1S. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience which is essential for great accomplishment.

Language to Promote Growth Mindset:

• • Praise effort NOT outcome/ability. “Wow! You worked really hard!”

  • “Remember, the harder you work, the smarter you will get and the more your brain will grow!”

  • FAIL- First attempt at trying

  • We need to applaud mistakes because that is when learning takes place.

Children develop mindsets from about 3 years old. If one praises a child for being smart, when the child fails s/he thinks s/he is not smart. Praise what s/he has done. “That is great that you did that!” or “You worked really hard!”

Growth Mindset Videos:

Click here for Spanish and here for Chinese.

For All Grades

Videos from the Week of Inspirational Math 1 and 2 (WIM)

• • Click on “Materials” on WIM page for video

Growth Mindset for students (a series of 5 videos from Class Dojo)

Episode #1-

• • 2:35

  • Definitely accessible for K students, great animation and visuals

  • Big ideas: perseverance; anyone can be smart, just need to work at it; the brain is like a muscle

  • Simple information about the brain

Episode #2-

• • 2:57

  • Mistakes are good

  • Brain scientists have studied what people do when they make mistakes

  • When people focus on learning from mistakes, the brain grows extra hard to be smarter

  • Question posed: Can you learn from your mistakes?

Episode #3-

• • The power of yet

  • I just can’t do this “yet”

  • Question posed: Can Katie learn something from Mojo? (this could tie in nicely to how we learn from others during math- power of listening to others’ ideas and working collaboratively-)

Episode #4-

• • You have the power to change how your neurons grow

  • Learn challenging things

Episode #5-

• • Mojo puts it all together, Mojo and Katie attempt the biggest problem of all

  • Working on challenging problems is the best way to making your brain grow

  • Question posed: Is it possible for anyone to change?

Everyone Can

(Scroll down to “For Teachers”, click on “Very Cool Video from the UK”)

• • 3:16

  • Posted on youcubed.org, Jo Boaler is in it at the end

  • Features child teacher, Miss Rose

  • Big Idea: everyone can learn and enjoy math

  • 3 key things to math learning:

    • Practice

    • Hard work

    • Belief (that you can do it)

  • Boaler presents 3 important things from brain research

    • There is no such thing as a math person

    • Mistakes grow your brain

    • Speed is not important

  • Refers to Week of Inspirational Math

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

• • 3:50

  • Short animation which uses the tortoise and hare analogy to compare having a fixed vs growth mindset

  • Generally accessible for K-5, language may be a little advanced for K-1 but the visuals and analogies could serve as good springboard for future classroom conversations

For Grades K-2

Challenges Grow Your Brain

• • 1:51

  • Info about brain and how it grows

  • Challenges

  • Not specifically about math

  • You have power to make your brain stronger as you experience challenges

Sesame Street- might good for K

• • Very simple

  • “Don’t give up. Try, try again.”

  • Not specifically about math

General Growth Mindset (Not Math Specific)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElVUqv0v1EE

Growth Mindset links compiled by Lisa Humphrey