Fill in questionnaire

The higher the score the more of a growth mindset

Starter How can these phrases be made better? I can’t do it. It’s too hard. I am no good at this. I don’t take on new challenges as I might show myself up.

What you will learn The meaning of mindset. How mindset affects the development of abilities and whether these are fixed or changeable through effort. The strengths and weaknesses of Dweck’s mindset theory.

Dweck’s mindset theory and the effect of learning on development. Saturday, November 17, 2018 Dweck’s mindset theory and the effect of learning on development.

Key terms Mindset-a set of beliefs someone has that guides how someone responds to or interprets a situation. Fixed mindset-believing your abilities are fixed and unchangeable. Growth mindset-believing practice and effort can improve your abilities.

Background to the theory Mindset is the set of beliefs we all have about our ability to succeed in education and other areas. Understanding mindset is important because children’s educational achievements can influence their future and their future and their mindset can be improved to affect achievement in a positive way. The theory suggests that children who think they can improve will continue to put in effort, whereas those who think they do not have a particular ability tend to stop trying. Children with a fixed mindset can change to a growth mindset.

Fixed and growth mindset: ability and effort Carol Dweck focused on helping students to achieve more, by considering how praise affects a child’s development. According to Dweck, a child’s ability is fixed at birth. If a child is not praised for something, the child may assume they do not have that ability and conclude that it is pointless working hard to achieve it. It is better to praise children for their effort, as they then believe they can achieve something and so they carry on trying. Children need to avoid thinking they do not an ability and instead believe they can put in the effort to achieve.

What is a mindset? A mindset is a set of beliefs we have about our ability to succeed. It is a set of beliefs someone has that guides how someone responds to or interprets a situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUWn_TJTrnU&t=1s

Fixed mindset or growth mindset? ‘If I am not good at it I may as well give up’ ‘It’s no good me trying because I don’t have the ability’ ‘I enjoy a challenge’ ‘I am a really good reader’ ‘I look at others succeeding and think I can do the same’ ‘I can put in effort and change my abilities’

Key points of Dweck’s mindset theory Children can develop a fixed mindset about a particular ability they think they do not have and give up, fearing they will not be successful because the ability is not within them. They stop taking on challenges. With a fixed mindset a person can become depressed and stop trying. A growth mindset allows for the idea of effort bringing success. Teachers also have fixed or growth mindsets, which affect hoe they respond to a child. A teacher with a fixed mindset can see children as lacking a particular ability. Teachers with a growth mindset sees that a child can improve with perseverance.

Experimental evidence Muller and Dweck (1998) found that praising students’ ability led them to a fixed mindset and they were unable to cope with setbacks. In contrast, praising students effort or use of strategy, taught a growth mindset, leading to students persevering more. Another study by Yeager and Dweck (2012) of more than 1500 students, found that low-achieving students who learned to use a growth mindset did better compared to a control group who did not have that learning.

Key points Children should be praised for effort rather than ability Children can develop a fixed mindset and give up on challenges because it is not ‘in them’ to succeed Teachers also have fixed or growth mindsets - a teacher with a fixed mindset will focus on a child’s ability whereas a teacher with a growth mindset sees a child can improve with sticking at things (perseverance).

Your activity 1 Research the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Produce a display poster to show fixed mindsets and growth mindsets.

Activity 2: Exam questions For each child, state whether they have fixed mindset or growth mindset (2 marks). Tom does not do well at school because he does not try anything new. Kani now reads better having asked her mother to help her to practise. Fi felt she was not good at Maths because that is what she was told.

Your activity 3 - Experimental evidence In one of Dweck’s ________________ it was found that praising students’ _______ led them to a fixed mindset and they were vulnerable to issues such as _________ with setbacks. Praising ________ led to students sticking at things (________________). In another study it was found that low-achieving students who learned to use the ____________ mindset did better than those in a control group who did not have that learning. effort, ability, perseverance, growth, experiments, coping

Strengths and weaknesses Studying the mindset of a child may result in the child becoming the focus if there are problems with their progress, rather than the quality of what is being taught. and how teaching is done. It has practical applications. Teachers or parents can focus on praising efforts, rather than ability to encourage children. Studies that look into mindset have been experiments and so have artificial settings. Therefore, the results may not represent real life. This means the data lacks validity. The way many studies are done leads to the ‘type of praise’ being seen as an important variable, but there is a need to consider behaviour where praise does not feature. Studies testing the mindset theory tend to ignore the effects of giving feedback without any judgement about the child or their ability, such as telling the child to ‘add a conclusion’ to an essay. There is evidence to support mindset theory. Yeager and Dweck (2012) found that adolescents could deal better with not fitting in if they had a growth mindset. Being taught that people can changed led to better school performance. The way many studies are done leads to the type of praise being seen as an important variable, but there is a need to consider behaviour where praise does not feature. The theory itself is positive as it shows that change is possible, which helps society. Students to read through and decide which are the strengths and which are the weaknesses

Apply it When marking Sanjit’s and Sue’s essays, the teacher writes comments as well as giving marks. Her comments to Sanjit, whose mark is low, include ‘You do not write well’. Comments to Sue, whose mark is high include ‘You are very good at writing essays’. Using Dweck’s theory, explain the possible mindset of the teacher. State one comment for Sanjit and one comment for Sue to illustrate the opposite mindset.

Review and reflect Each group to write down 3 questions relating to Dweck’s theory. You then have to pass your questions to another group to see if they can answer them.