peer review
Mindset A resource for teaching students to cultivate a growth mindset
Created by:
Alex Yu, Chloe LeSire, Julia Buchan, and Scott Goddard for EDCI 335
● What is a mindset? ● What mindset do you have? ● What categories of mindsets exist?
○ What is the difference? ● Can your mindset change? ● Why do we think the way we do? ● What are the benefits of a growth mindset?
After completing this learning resource, you will have an improved understanding of mindset and will be equipped to answer the questions above.
● To give credit for the images, we have either embedded the originating website, or posted them below the image. Simply click on the images or links to be taken to that website.
Learning Outcomes
What Is a Mindset? A mindset is the established set of attitudes and beliefs a person holds (Ostrow, Schultz, &
Arroyo; 2014).
We will focus on the growth mindset, but will also compare them to fixed or mixed mindsets.
Mindset exists on a continuum, from fixed to growth.
Before we discuss mindsets, please take this quiz to see where you fall on the spectrum of
mindsets.
Was it frustrating that the link didn't work?
Why do you think we did that?
Possible reasons
Possibility #1) We forgot to link it to the quiz.
Possibility #2) We are evil people …
Possibility #3) We wanted to make it more difficult for you to calmly take the quiz.
Now that you’re thoroughly frustrated, here is the real mindset quiz:
Click on “quiz.”
Image found at: https://lanzaroteinformation.co.uk/the-big-lanzarote-quiz/
Your mindset could have
made a difference in your
answers to the quiz …
Maybe you want to change it?
How were your results?
Were they as you expected?
Maybe a bit different?
Are you how you want to be?
Check out Mel Robbins
#MindsetReset youtube channel.
Growth, Mixed, or Fixed Mindset? Growth: The belief that basic skills and abilities can be developed through dedication
and trust in the process of hard work (Seaton, 2018; Ng, 2018; Ostrow, Schultz, &
Arroyo, 2014). People with a growth mindset are more likely to work through
challenges and overcome hardships.
Mixed: A mixed mindset takes beliefs from both growth and fixed mindsets (Ostrow,
Schultz, & Arroyo, 2014).
Fixed: The belief that abilities and skills are fixed traits that cannot be improved over
time (Yeager and Dweck, 2012)
In a substantive review of research, Yeager and Dweck
(2012) offer evidence that students with growth mindsets
tend to show higher academic and social achievements
than those with fixed mindsets. These individuals
conceptualize challenges and obstacles as things they can
overcome with effort and determination, new strategies,
help from others, and patience (p. 312).
What Do You Think? The following slides have a series of scenario pictures.
Which mindset does each character in the scenarios exemplify?
Don’t forget to write down your answers as you go.
Answers are at the end of the set of slides.
Don’t worry if you answer wrong- failing is part of the learning process! www.wordart.com
1. 2.
http://missshirey.weebly.com/grow-your-brain.html http://kaitlynolcese.weebly.com/grow-your-brain.html
3.
4.
http://rmotley.weebly.com/grow-your-brain.html
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Scenario One and Two In scenario one the little girl has a growth mindset because she tells the young boy that she
wants to teach him to swing on the swings. Whereas the boy has a fixed mindset because he
doesn’t think he can learn to swing.
In scenario two the teacher is trying to get the students excited about the challenge of a new
math concept - she is fostering a growth mindset. One of the students, the boy, is worried about
looking dumb and thinks he can’t learn the quadratic equation. He is showing a fixed mindset.
The girl is excited to learn something new and challenging, therefore she exemplifies a growth
mindset.
Scenario Three and Four In scenario three, two students receive their grades back from a test. One young boy believes he is
bad at math and will never be able to improve, even when his friend tries to convince him all he
needs to do is put in hard work. This boy has a fixed mindset because he doesn’t think he can
improve his math skills through hard work.
In scenario four, Calvin talks to his friend who is rereading notes because she didn’t understand
what they meant. This makes Calvin think that she wasn’t as smart as he thought, however, his
perception is incorrect. When Calvin’s friend puts in extra work, she is trying to gain
understanding, which likely means she has a growth mindset.
More About the Scenarios Although the scenarios all depict a male character as having a fixed mindset and females having a
growth mindset, this is not always the case. Mindsets are not more prone to one gender nor
another. One’s mindset depends on many factors, including how they are praised and raised.
Helpful praise is process praise: Praising hard work rather than the final outcome. This type of
praise indicates to a student that their ability can develop (Skipper, & Douglas; 2012, MacLellan;
2005).
Unhelpful praise is intelligence praise: Praising the outcome rather than the effort and hard work.
This type of praise tends to send the message that a student can not develop their abilities (Skipper,
& Douglas; 2012, MacLellan; 2005).
Research shows that a teacher’s mindset can have an effect on the social, emotional and academic learning of students (Rissanen, Kuusisto, Tuominen, & Tirri, 2019; Georgiou, Christou, Stavrinides & Panaoura, 2002; Rattan, Good & Dweck, 2012; Rissanen, Kuusisto, Hanhimaki, & Tirri, 2018, a & b).
We now invite you to test your mindset again …
A teacher’s mindset affects the mindsets of their students because mindset directly affects one’s actions, language, and behaviors (Rissanen, Kuusisto, Tuominen, & Tirri, 2019, p. 205).
Why Does Your Mindset Matter?
Mindset can impact anyone, but it is most likely to impact those who have
been through traumatic events, who have a lower income or are more
vulnerable (Mindset Works Blog, Trauma-Informed Care: A Sociocultural
Perspective, Psychology Today, UVic library article search string, Michigan
State University).
Having a growth mindset helps everyone develop adaptive behaviours such as
responding well in response to failure, which will help by leading to greater
academic and life achievement (Michigan State University, 2018).
Who Does Mindset Impact?
Fluidity of Mindsets
A Fixed Mindset is like a
BUT
A Growth Mindset is like a
… or … somewhere in the middle … quicksand, maybe?
Research has provided evidence that a growth mindset promotes an individual’s openness towards
critical feedback, which in turn allows them to better understand their own abilities and correct their
mistakes (Cutumisu, M. ,2019; Moser, J. S., Schroder, H. S., Heeter, C., Moran, T. P., & Lee, Y. , 2011). In
addition, a neuroanatomical study found that maintaining a growth mindset is linked to cultivating grit
(Wang, S. et al., 2017). Grit is a personality trait associated with the drive to pursue long-term goals with
constant motivation and passion (Wang, S. et al., 2017). This holds value in learning as learning comes in
many shapes and forms outside of classrooms. The ability to influence one’s learning intrinsically with
this mindset will elevate their academic and life achievements.
**Just putting down findings for now ill polish it so it’s more reader friendly
Is Mindset important?
Implementation of Mindset There are 4 core features in a growth mindset driven classroom (Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., Tuominen, M., & Tirri, K. , 2019)
Promoting mastery orientation
Supporting student's individual learning processes
Persistence Fostering process-focused thinking
Supporting Individual Learning Process Having the teacher support each student's learning process is important for each student's success and failure. Teachers should understand that each student develops and learns at a different pace and from different styles. (Rissanen, I. et al., 2019)
General tips: ● Avoid quick, stereotypical judgments of students. ● Aim for frequent one-on-one interactions with students. ● Learn about student's individual barriers in learning and help
them overcome them. ● Differentiation as the basis of pedagogical practice
Promoting Mastery Orientation A growth mindset based pedagogy is about emphasizing on the process. This means that students are not encouraged to compete and compare their performance with others, but rather focus on the mastery of their own learning. (Rissanen, I. et al., 2019)
General tips ● Foster learning goals ● Emphasize formative assessment rather than
summative assessment ● Avoid comparisons to other students
Persistence A quality that is found to be important in teachers who adopt a growth mindset is persistence. Persistent teachers refuse to give up on students and push them into putting their best efforts into their works. While teachers with fixed mindsets may shy away from challenges, criticisms, and harsh feedbacks on weaker students to protect them, growth mindset-oriented teachers offer guidance through honest and critical feedbacks. (Rissanen, I. et al., 2019)
General tips ● Do not give up on students and leave no room for helpless behavior patterns. ● Do not try to protect students from challenges. ● Honest critical feedback in the form of “not yet”.
Foster Process-Focused Thinking
Teachers with a growth mindset and who design their teaching methods with a process focused orientation are likely to influence the students to think in a similar way. A growth mindset oriented teacher praises a student’s courage, strategies, and effort instead of their personal achievement and qualities. Most importantly, these teachers emphasize that failure is not the opposite of success, but is actually part of it. (Rissanen, I. et al., 2019)
General tips: ● Praise courage, strategies, and effort. ● Teach the positive role of failures, mistakes, and challenges in learning. ● Foster students' incremental beliefs and situational attributions. ● Teach learning strategies and emphasize learning-to-learn goals.
What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree with what we’ve presented about mindset? Is there
anything you feel should be added? Is there anything you disagree with?
Please share your feedback!
Check out this blog and offer your thoughts!
References Michigan State University. "Study finds popular 'growth mindset' educational interventions aren't very
effective." ScienceDaily, 22 May 2018. Accessed at: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180522114523.htm
Ostrow, K. S., Schultz, S. E., Arroyo, I. (2014). Promoting growth mindset within intelligent tutoring systems. In Sergio Gutiérrez Santos, Olga C. Santos (Eds.), Proceedings of the Workshops on The Non-Cognitive Factors and Personalization for Adaptive Learning (NCFPAL), Educational Data Mining 2014, London, United Kingdom, July 4-7, 2014
Ng, B. (2018). The neuroscience of growth mindset and intrinsic motivation. Brain Sciences, 18(20), 1-20. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8020020
Seaton, F. S. (2018). Empowering teachers to implement a growth mindset. Educational Psychology in Practice. 34(1), 41-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2017.1382333
Yeager, D. S., and Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302-314. DOI: 10.1080/00461520.2012.722805
Additional readings Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewsli, K. H., and Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across and adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78(1), PP. 246-263
Cutumisu, M. (2019). The association between feedback-seeking and performance is moderated by growth mindset in a digital assessment game. Computers in Human Behavior, 93, 267-278. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.026
DeLuca, C., Coombs, A., LaPointe-McEwan, D. (2019). Assessments mindset: Exploring the relationship between teacher mindset and approaches to classroom assessment. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 61, PP. 159-169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.03.012
ErEl, H., and Meiran, N. (2011). Mindset changes lead to drastic impairments in rule finding. Cognition, 119, PP. 149-165. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.01.002
Fraser, D. M. (2018). An exploration of the application and implementation of growth mindset principles within a primary school. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, PP. 645-658
Hwang, Y., Bartlett, B., Greben, M., and Hand, K. (2017). A systematic review of mindfulness interventions for in-service teachers: A tool to enhance teacher well-being and performance. Teaching and Teacher Education, 64, PP. 26-42, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.015
Irrmischer, M., Hautman, S. J., Mansvelder, H. B., Tremmel, M., Ott, U., Linkenkaer-Hansen, K. (2017). Controlling the temporal structure of brain oscillations by focused attention meditation. Human Brain Mapping, 39, PP. 1825-1838, DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23971
Lomas, T., Medina, J. C., Ivtzan, I., and Rupprecht, S. (2017). The impact of mindfulness on well-being and performance of educators: a systematic review of the empirical literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 61, PP. 132-141. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.10.008
Miyahara, M., Harada, T., Tanaka, S., Fukuhara, H., Kano, T., … Sadato, N. (2017). Mindfulness meditation for future early childhood education teachers in Japan. Teaching and Teacher Education, 65, PP 136-144. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.03.007
Additional readings Moser, J. S., Schroder, H. S., Heeter, C., Moran, T. P., & Lee, Y. (2011). Mind your errors:
Evidence for a neural mechanism linking growth mind-set to adaptive posterror adjustments. Psychological Science, 22(12), 1484-1489. doi:10.1177/0956797611419520
Nicolle, A., Symmonds, M., and Dolan, R. J. (2011). Optimistic biases in observational learning of value. Cognition, 119, PP. 394-402. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.02.004
Patrick, S. K., and Joshi, E. (2019). “Set in stone” or “willing to grow”? Teacher sense making during a growth mindset initiative. Teaching and Teacher Education, 83, PP. 156-167
Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., Tuominen, M., and Tirri, K. (2019). In search of a growth mindset pedagogy: A case study of one teacher's classroom practices in a Finnish elementary school. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, PP. 204-213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.10.002
Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., Tuominen, M., & Tirri, K. (2019). In search of a growth mindset pedagogy: A case study of one teacher's classroom practices in a finnish elementary school.Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, 204-213. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2018.10.002
Additional readings
Schroder, H. S., Moran, T. P., Donnellan, M. B., Moser, J. S. (2014). Mindset induction affects on cognitive control: A neurobehavioural investigation. Biological Psychology, 103, pp. 27-37
Seaton, F. S. (2018). Empowering teachers to implement a growth mindset. Educational Psychology in Practice, 34(1), PP. 41-57. DOI: 10.1080/02667363.2017.1382333
Siegel, D. J. (2009). Mindful awareness, mindsight, and neural integration. The Humanist Psychologist, 37(2), pp. 137-158, DOI: 10.1080/08873260902892220
Tang, X., Wang, M-T, Guo, J., Salmela-Aro, K. (2019). Building grit: The longitudinal pathways between mindset, commitment, grit, and academic outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, PP. 850-863. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-00998-0
I. E., MacLellan, E. (2005). Academic achievement: The role of praise in motivating students.
6(3), 194-206. doi:10.1177/1469787405057750
Additional readings
Truax, M. L. (2018). The impact of teacher language and growth mindset feedback on writing motivation. Literacy Research and Instruction, 57(2), PP. 135-157. DOI: 10.1080/19388071.2017.1340529
Wang, S., Dai, J., Li, J., Wang, X., Chen, T., Yang, X. … Gong, Q. (2017). Neuroanatomical correlates of grit: Growth mindset mediates the association between grey matter structure and trait grit in late adolescence. Human Brain Mapping, 39, 1688-1699. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23944
Ostrow, K. S., Schultz, S. E., & Arroyo, I. (2014). Promoting Growth Mindset Within Intelligent Tutoring Systems. In EDM (Workshops).
Skipper, Y., & Douglas, K. (2012). Is no praise good praise? Effects of positive feedback on children's and university students’ responses to subsequent failures. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(2), 327-339.