Thursday, December 4, 2014
Chapter 3
"Can anyone do anything? I don't really know. However, I think we can now agree that people can do a lot more than first meets the eye." Although I agree with a lot of Dweck puts out there, I think this is the most realistic statement she has made thus far. I think we are all more capable of doing things than we let on. I am still waiting for her to address how the upbringing of a child plays into the mindset role. As a special education teacher, I feel that many of us have the growth mindset, however, as we continually motivate, support and differentiate, we are still not able to reach all learners. When we have students entering the high school reading at a 3rd grade level and by the end of the year they have progressed to the 4th grade level, we are excited for that student. Unfortunately, that student has to take the same Regents exams as their classmates. That growth is not applauded by the state because they are still significantly below grade level. These students obviously want to improve their reading scores and possess the growth mindset. However, the Low-Effort Syndrome could very likely come into play when test time comes. Even if these students are provided test modifications, they can still feel threatened by the test and may protect their ego by not trying to the best of their ability.
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I love that quote as well. I totally agree with you, Lisa, that the upbringing of a child has a lot to do with their mindset and what they are capable of. It's that learned helplessness idea that because "I wasn't good in Math so Johnny won't be either." The low effort is also a real problem. Just because we put a lot of time and effort into changing a student's mindset doesn't necessarily mean they will have the success they are truly measured for.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the upbringing of a child has a major impact on the mindset of that child. This ties into the idea from the last chapter that all effort is not created equally - "Rich, educated, connected effort works better." Children require basic needs met, in addition to praise and positive reinforcement, role-modeling, and structure. Many students come to school lacking one or more of these qualities. This will definitely negatively impact a child's ability to learn and the mindset to learn. Like Lisa said, the need to protect the ego is stronger than the need to put in a lot of effort and still maybe not succeed (as judged by grades). This is due to the fact that the system is set up to reward grades not effort. The grades matter to a lot of other people including parents, staff, the district, the state, and so on... If effort counted more than grades, rank and GPA would not be considered for colleges and scholarships. I would be able to recommend one of my students for Scholar/Athlete as her effort is great but her GPA and grades are not. Do I believe that a growth mindset is valuable? Yes. Do I believe we can stretch abilities beyond our expectations? Yes. Do I believe it is worth trying? Yes. But, in the end, do grades matter? Yes. Recently, I was called in to have a discussion as to why my students are failing and what we can do to help improve their scores to passing. So, yes, grades matter. Many of these kids have years of experience at failing and being compared to their peers who pass; I am sure it is difficult to continue to have a positive, growth mindset and sustained effort. I am not sure I would be able to, either. However, I am sure increased effort wold have a positive impact on their success. I guess I am not sure how to be the sole effort cheerleader in their lives, though I try while at school. I was hoping there would be more support in this area in the reading.
ReplyDeleteI know where you're coming from all too well! I have felt the same way in past years with some of my students too. Some of our students face so many obstacles it just seems unfair and impossible to overcome them. I wonder what it would hurt if we started to teach some of your students about what it means to have a growth mindset and how their brain works.....just a thought.....
ReplyDeleteI wish I had read this one first! In the other Chapter 3 discussion I pointed out that grades have become a primary, if not exclusive, motivator for students. The tests that measure whether they are "successful" or not. I think much of what we do in education right now actually encourages a growth mindset by tying all work to a final grade. I understand the need for a measure of how a students' performance, ultimately, relates to the knowledge and skills he or she is supposed to have, but students (and their parents) have become so fixated on grades that there are great opportunities for learning simply passed on in favor of playing it safe. Tresel's comment about needing to teach our students about mindset is well made. I think our students don't even realize how fixed they have become in many cases.
ReplyDeleteHaving read Tresel's post, having gotten to the end of the book, and having gone to many trainings on the brain - I really do believe that teaching kids about how their brain functions, grows, freezes up, and how it can be calmed down should be part of curriculum that is taught each year - along with study skills about how to make your brain stronger! They don't' have the support and resources at home unfortunately due to a myriad of reason that we all know too well. I know all of our days are cramped and jammed full of stuff that the state has deemed we must attend too...but if from K-12 we took 10 minutes a day to teach kids how to grow and change their brains...I wonder how much less we would have to work because kids would know how to make their brains work for them rather than against them which is what is happening in today's world.
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