Summary
The Mindset Makeover PD focuses on increasing teacher knowledge about growth mindset and how they can foster it in their classrooms. Through this interactive session, participants will review research on growth mindset and develop their own goals for applying the research to classroom practices.
Essential Questions
How can our perceptions and beliefs affect our learning outcomes?
Materials List
Magnetic Statement Meme posters
Research statement cards
Chart paper (one for each group)
Card Sorts
Pledge cards
Markers
Mindset self-assessment
Authenticity Framework Reflection Tool
Learning Goals
Reflect on your own mindset and your current classroom practices to support a growth mindset.
Apply research-based practices to foster the development of students’ growth.
Create a plan of action to continue to foster a growth mindset.
Engage
All handouts and materials will be provided to participants as the activity begins. Briefly introduce the session and an facilitators for the session (slide two).
Transition to slide four. Facilitate a whole group discussion using the reflection questions below (slides four and five):
Think of a time when you believed you did not have a natural talent to succeed in an activity. How did that belief influence your effort in that activity?
Now, think of an area in your life in which you have worked hard to succeed. How many hours of work have you spent on improving your success in this area?
Participants will share out after each presented question.
Transition to slide six, and highlight the essential question: "How can our perceptions and beliefs affect our learning outcomes?" Explain that this question should be kept in mind as we work our way through this interactive session.
Next, Have the participants take the "Mindset self-assessment." There is a paper version attached to this activity but many online options also exist. Use the assessment that is best for you and your participants. Some free assessments can be found at https://www.mindsetkit.org/topics/assessments-growth-mindset-math or https://www.mindsetworks.com/assess/.
After participant complete their mindset assessment (and scored it if they are doing paper), provide some space for discussion:
What did you notice about the assessment?
Were your results what you expected?
Were there any statements you struggled with answering?
Wrap up the discussion by framing the next activity and transition to the session objectives on slide eight. As you transition, consider sharing something like, "Today we are going to look at research so we can all continue to grow our knowledge on growth mindset. Today's learning may challenge some of you more than others and you may not agree with everything we discuss. Each of us is on an individual journey towards better serving students.” Then highlight the session objectives.
Explore
Shift to slide nine, drawing attention to the meme posters around the room displaying the magnetic statements.
What if I told you … you will get better if you practice
What we think. We become.
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn.
Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.
Instruct participants to stand by the statement they feel most drawn to or repelled by. This will form the groups for the next activity, if too many are in one group, ask some to go to their second choice. Roughly even out the groups as needed since these groups will continue to work together for our next activity displayed on slide 10.
These small groups will review selected statements (or quotes) about growth mindset. In each group, participants will take turns reading aloud and discussing each of the research cards. Discussions should focus on the importance of that statement or quote and how it supports a growth mindset. If a statement is read, and the group is not ready to discuss it or uncertain of the connection to a growth mindset, they may put it to the side to revisit it at the end.
After discussing quotes, groups will summarize their discussion of the research by creating a CSI poster. Groups may choose to integrate how the meme they chose holds up in light of the research they were provided. Posters will be shared with the whole group.
As you provide directions for how to create the CSI poster, display slide 11. On chart paper, each group will divide the poster into quarters. In the top left, they will choose a color they feel represents the message of a growth mindset supported by their research statements. Then they will draw a symbol for a growth mindset in the top right. In the bottom left, they will draw a scene or an image that relates to both the growth mindset and their group’s chosen meme.
Each small group will share and explain why they chose the color, symbol, and image as a way to summarize their research statements. Encourage groups to select one research statement to read aloud to the whole group if there is time (slide 12).
Explain
Use the quote on slide 13 from Jo Boaler’s book Limitless Mind to set up the video about Giftedness (slide 14).
“[Giftedness] is a social comparison that causes students who arrive at school excited to learn - to quickly decide that they are not good enough.” (Bolar, 2019; p 88)
Share with participants something like, “The video is directly connected to teaching practices that are harmful to all students but focuses on the impact labels, like giftedness, have upon students’ own mindset.”
Show this selected video from youcubed titled, "Rethinking Giftedness" (slide 14).
After the video, reflect with participants. Depending upon your group, discuss the questions on slide 15 or use a tech tool like Mentimeter for quiet self-reflection (see Tech Integration note below).
Possible reflection questions:
Do any of you have personal experiences or know someone who might have experienced this?
How has your thinking about struggle and failure changed in light of this new information?
How does knowing about growth mindset theory change the way you treat yourself when you fail?
How might labels either directly or indirectly be harmful to a growth mindset?
Have small groups revisit their CSI poster and now summarize growth mindset into three bullet points in the bottom right quadrant (slide 17).
Share and discuss the summaries, then the facilitator may add any key points that have not already been addressed in the summaries. Provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions.
Extend
Transition to slide 18 by saying something like, "Now that we’ve looked at the research, let's look apply our understanding to practice." Explain that in groups of two or three, participants are going to sort student activity cards (30 cards) into different growth mindset values categories (6 cards). First, hand out a set of six cards with growth mindset value statements on them (adapted from youcubed.com).
Teachers and students believe everyone can learn at high levels
Communication and connection are valued
The learning is visual
The learning is open
The environment is filled with wonder and curiosity
The classroom is a risk-taking, mistake-valuing environment
Then hand out a stack of student activity descriptions that support the above values.
After participants are done sorting, debrief where and why they placed the cards. Have groups share out why they sorted the way they sorted. Validate that some were either difficult to place under one value and may have been sorted into different values depending upon personal experiences and perceptions. There are no “right or wrong” answers in this card sort.
Evaluate
After discussing the card sorts (and connections to authenticity), transition to slide 20. Participants will choose one of the activity descriptions from the card sort and consider how they plan to use that activity to foster students’ growth mindset. Participants will record this activity and how they will facilitate that activity in their classroom.
For example, if the participant chooses the activity statement, “Students feel comfortable when they are stuck or wrong,” a good pledge statement would read something like, “Next time one of my students gives an answer, I will not tell them they are right or wrong. I will ask them to share how they came to that answer and celebrate their thinking process and effort. If the answer is incorrect, I will coach them towards a correct answer by building upon the thinking and work they have already produced.”
Follow-up Activities
Have teachers go forth and use this model lesson on growth mindset with their students.
Research Rationale
Research suggests that a growth mindset supports student achievement and success beyond high school. When an individual has a growth mindset, they are not as timid to take on challenges and not as set back by their failures on the way toward success. Motivation increases because achievement is not only tied to an immediate outcome, but also to the process of learning or growing. Some research shows that students who were taught malleable intelligence had a clear increase in math grades (Yeager et al, 2016). Teacher mindset also has a big impact on student mindset (Boaler 2020; Dweck, 2007). Mindset has been linked to academic achievement (and by extension college preparedness) in that students with a growth mindset are more willing to take on new challenges and not give up as soon as they experience failure. Yeager and colleagues (2016) reported results in a very large study (N = 3676) of students transitioning to high school. A revised growth mindset intervention was given online during two class periods at the beginning of the fall semester. Semester GPA was better for students in the experimental group than in the control group, but only for those who entered high school as low achievers (based on 8th grade GPA). The growth mindset intervention also meant reduced rates of poor performance for low, but not high achievers. However, although high achievers in the experimental group did not see an improvement in grades, they did exhibit more hypothetical challenge-seeking behavior compared to the control, suggesting that growth mindset interventions can encourage challenge-seeking in high achievers whereas it improves academic performance in low-achievers.
Resources
Boaler, J. (2020). Limitless mind: Learn, lead, and live without barriers. HarperCollins.
Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: the new psychology of success. New York: Random House.
Khan, S. (2012). The one world schoolhouse: education reimagined. New York, NY: Twelve.
Silver, D. (2012). Fall down 7 times, get up 8: teaching kids to succeed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Yeager, D. S., Romero, C., Paunesku, D., Hulleman, C.S., Schneider, B., Hinojosa, C., Lee, H. Y., O’Brien, J., Flint, K., Roberts, A., Trott, J., Greene, D., Walton, G. M.,& 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, 374-391.Doi:10.1037/edu0000098