Motivating Students to Reach their Potential Day 2 C. Anne Gutshall College of Charleston

Please Remember to Ask Questions

Stop, Consider and Discuss What does a motivated kid look like? What does an unmotivated kid look like?

Is there consensus? Are descriptions behaviors, personality traits, study habits?

DEFINITIONS from the research Motivation- drive to do something Motivation to Learn-A student’s tendency to find academic activities meaningful and worthwhile and to try to derive the intended academic benefits from them (Brophy, 1988, 205).

Common Theoretical Perspectives on Motivation 1. Behavioral 2. Cognitive/ Social Cognitive

Inherent Assumption of Behaviorist Models All student behavior is motivated by extrinsic forces that the teacher can shape and control with rewards and consequences In schools, there is typically an emphasis on the behavioral perspective ( ie. Grades, points, tickets)

2. Cognitive and social Cognitive theories Student behavior and motivation is determined by student beliefs and expectations in a social environment

A summary Equation Motivating students to reach their potential is seen as the product of 3 forces: Expectancy x Valence x Climate= Motivation (Vroom, Feather, Bandura and others)

In classrooms, Students Routinely ask themselves the following 3 questions: Can I do it? (expectancy) Is it worth it? (valence) Am I safe? (climate)

Can I do It ? Is it worth it? Am I safe? Can I do it? Related to mindset, Self Efficacy, task clarity, past experiences, local of control Is it worth it? Related to enjoyment of task, extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, goals, predictability of environment Am I safe? Related to relationships, predictability, emotional consistency, respectful environments

This morning our focus is on: Can I do it? ( academic mindset) Am I safe? (culturally relevant pedagogy)

Carol Dweck- Stanford University What we believe about our abilities influences our motivation- the “Can I do it” part of the equation. We all have implicit beliefs about our ability (growth, fixed). Commonly referred to mindset

So, what is mindset? The extent to which you believe that your intellectual ability can be grown through effort and persistence versus the idea that you are just as smart as you will ever be EX…”I am not a math person”…versus…”math takes more effort from me”

Agree or Disagree You have a certain amount of intelligence and you really cant do much to change it You can learn new things but you cant really change your basic intelligence Your intelligence is something about you that you cannot change very much

Dweck and others Puzzles (Mueller and Dweck) Middle School Kids (Blackwell, Triesneiwski and Dweck) Univeristy of Chicago…IQ test with moms Consider how you convey your beliefs “you’re so smart” (fixed) “Wow, you worked so hard and learned so much”

Practical Application fixed and growth mindsets

The power of “Yet” https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=C011US0D2 0140707&p=carol+dweck,+the+power+of+yet Dweck “ enjoy effort, seek challenge, be intrigued by mistakes”

Research suggests…. That student mindsets can be changed to promote resilience…or “good outcomes in spite of serious threats to adaptation or development” ( Masten, 2001, Yeager and Dweck, 2012).

(expectation)Goal Orientations (pintrich and Schunk, 2002) Approach focus Avoidance focus Mastery (growth) mastering the task, learning understanding Avoiding misunderstanding or not mastering the task Performance (fixed) Being superior, winning, being the best Avoiding looking stupid or avoiding losing

Mindset influences on Learner Attributes (Adapted from Yeager and Dweck, 2012) Fixed mindset Growth mindset goals Look smart learn Value of effort, help and strategies higher lower Response to challenge Tendency to give up Work harder

Additional Brief interventions to change student mindsets Wilson and Linville, 1982 First year college students struggling academically…….. Treatment- students watched videos of upper level students describing how their grades were low at first but improved over time. Control watched videos of upper level students talking about social and academic interests. At end 80% less likely to drop out, higher GREs and higher GPA

Good et al, 2003 Middle school students who received weekly mentoring emails describing a growth mindset over the year showed significantly higher math and verbal achievement scores than middle school students randomly assigned to a control group.

Social Psychological Interventions in Education: They are not Magic ( Yeager and Walton, 2011)

Applications to schools Encourage individual growth over time (personal best) Encourage deep practice as school culture Highlight learners who set challenging personal goals for learning Showcase teachers and students who struggled at first, but persisted, and overcame difficulty Praise process over intelligence or ability (Mueller & Dweck) Teach your learners basic neuroscience…the idea that brains are dynamic and that no brain is “done”( Blackwell, Triezneiski and Dweck). Make your classroom a place where mistakes are an expected part of learning and that effort is evidence that neuronal connections are being developed. Be careful not to praise “Getting done quickly”, convey that deep learning can be effortful and take time

Stop and Consider and Discuss When we consider our students “at risk”, or “below grade level”, what mindset are we promoting? How might our schools operate differently if we were less concerned with “getting kids caught up” and more concerned with “growing skills, capacities and talent”?

It turns out that Academic Mindset… Is part of a larger framework called the Non- Cognitive Factors Non-Cognitive Factors encompass individual “behaviors, skills, attitudes, and strategies that are crucial to academic performance in their classes “ ( Farrington et. al, 2012)

Non Cognitive Factors 1. ACADEMIC MINDSETS 2. ACADEMIC PERSEVERANCE 3. ACADEMIC BEHAVIORS 4. LEARNING STRATEGIES 5. SOCIAL SKILLS (Farrington et. al, 2012)

Academic Mindsets My ability and competence grow with my effort I belong in this academic community My ability and competence grow with my effort I can succeed at this This work has value to me

What does this sound like?

Academic Perseverance Angela Duckworth and Martin Seligman The degree to which students stay focused on long term goals despite obstacles GRIT http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxBlue-Angela- Lee-Duckworth-P ……………….Next time 

In conclusion “Decades of research have shown that students’ self motivational beliefs such as self- efficacy, task interest and achievement goal orientation (growth vs fixed) are important predictors of motivated behaviors (effort) and academic outcomes.” (Cleary, Gubi and Prescott, 2011)

Stop and Consider…discuss How can our traditional behavioral methods in schools ( ie. Stickers, praise, tickets) be enhanced or used differently given the research on academic mindsets, academic perseverance in order to encourage talent and skill growth and development?

Goal Setting Activity Set a goal for yourself and your teaching this year related to what you have learned about student motivation, mindset beliefs.

Thank you! Email me…………………..gutshalla@cofc.edu Read more? Mindset- Carol Dweck