The Learning Brain: Growth Mindset and Effective Effort in the Classroom Jared Peet – History Department

1.Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much. 2.You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are. 3.No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit. 4.You can always substantially change how intelligent you are. Intelligence: How Smart You Are

1.You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. 2.You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can’t really be changed. 3.No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially. 4. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are. Personality & Character: Who You Are

1.You have certain talents, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. 2.You can try to master new things, but your basic talents can’t really be changed. 3.No matter what talents you have, you can always change them somewhat. 4. You can always significantly change your talents. Talent: How Gifted You Are

1.Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much. 2.You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are. 3.No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit. 4.You can always substantially change how intelligent you are. Intelligence: How Smart You Are

1.You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. 2.You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can’t really be changed. 3.No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially. 4. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are. Personality & Character: Who You Are

1.You have certain talents, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. 2.You can try to master new things, but your basic talents can’t really be changed. 3.No matter what talents you have, you can always change them somewhat. 4. You can always significantly change your talents. Talent: How Gifted You Are

GOALS – Why are we doing this? Students will not fear failure. Students will become more meta-cognitive. Struggling students will learn “effective effort.”

Objectives: Participants will know: A person’s ‘mindset’ about intelligence has a significant effect on his or her achievement, success and happiness. There are six elements of ‘effective effort’ that are each essential components in turning “hard work” into achievement. Practical steps to “saturate the environments” of their classrooms with a growth mindset

Evidence about Ability (Defines who you are) Fixed Evidence about Progress (Defines where you are) Growth EVENTEVENT Goal = Look Smart Goal = Learn PERFORMANCE It’s All About Perception!

Challenges Embrace ChallengesAvoid Challenges Obstacles Persist in the face of setbacks Get Defensive or Give up Easily Effort Effort = Path to mastery Effort = Only for ‘ungifted’ Criticism Learn from Criticism Ignore Negative Feedback Success of Others Find lessons and Inspiration Feel Threatened Growth Mindset Desire to LEARN Fixed Mindset Desire to LOOK SMART Effects of the Mindsets on Achievement

Saturate the Environment Goal: Change Mindsets Teach Effective Effort Praise & Feedback

TEACH EFFECTIVE EFFORT

Teach Effective Effort Commitment Time Focus Strategies Resourcefulness Feedback

Effective Effort Pyramid

SATURATE THE ENVIRONMENT COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES DAILY ROUTINES STORIES AND VISUALS

Policies and Procedures: Syllabus

Policies and Procedures: Late Work and Test Corrections

Daily Routines The Five Bs – Brain – Book – Board – Buddy – Boss “I don’t know... Yet!” a week

Saturate the Environment Course Structure Course Goals Grading Policy Late work Other? Course Structure Course Goals Grading Policy Late work Other? Daily Routines Stories & Visuals Can’t…Yet!

PRAISE AND FEEDBACK STUDENT-TEACHER INTERACTIONS

Praise & Feedback “You learned that so quickly! You’re so smart.” “If I don’t learn something quickly, I’m not smart. I should avoid doing things that I can’t learn quickly.” “Look at that drawing. Martha, is he the next Picasso or what?” “I shouldn’t try to draw anything difficult or they’ll see I am no Picasso.” “You’re so brilliant! You got an A without even studying!” “I’d better not study or they won’t think I am brilliant.” “I’m disappointed in you.” “You’re lazy.” “Something is wrong with me. There’s no reason to bother to try. I can’t change. There’s nothing I can do about this situation. I feel bad about myself.” “Wow- you put a lot more time into this than before and look how it came out!” “Great job today in class. You were really focused on the work and didn’t let yourself get distracted.” “I’m impressed by how you tried this over and over until you got it without giving up.” “You’re stuck on this problem. Can you find a different approach?” “This essay has a lot of grammatical errors. Who could you ask to proofread it for you?”

Clear Feedback Students need honest, constructive feedback – Don’t protect them from failure! “Yeah, that’s sort of right. Who can build on that?” “That’s not correct, but pay attention because you’re about to learn something, and that’s awesome!”

Saturate the Environment Goal: Change Mindsets Teach Effective Effort Praise & Feedback

Is it working? “For next time I will use the study tips Mr. Peet gave me when I had a meeting with him. I must use homework assignments as a study guide, use Powerpoints as resources, always focus on details and don’t just read I should take notes and discuss the topic with another person to show how much I know and understood.” -Student who scored a C- on first test

Is it working? “To do better, I must follow the steps to effective effort. I realized I have been doing 3 things wrong. I haven’t been asking the teacher questions when I am stuck, I have been multitasking a lot and this leads to loss of full focus on studying for the test, and I have been underestimating the time needed to study for the test. I realized that I should ask Mr. Peet a question every single time I am a little confused. I should also split up my time by watching TV and entertaining myself for 2 hours before so I can satiate my entertainment needs so I don’t feel the need to multitask with Facebook and TV and that way I can be fully focused on studying. I have made a plan so that I study for the maximum amount of days, for 1 hour everyday just so the material can sink in and so I have enough time to ask Mr. Peet all necessary questions.” -Student who scored a B+ on first test

QUESTIONS? Jared Peet