A Learning Survey

After I handed back the final exams to my G7B and G8A students this morning, I asked them to take this survey. I am hoping the questions made them think a little bit. We will talk more about growth mindsets sometime this week.

1. Learning English needs a lot of effort氣力, hard work and practice練習.

Strongly                                                     Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

2. I am not afraid to make mistakes誤in English, in front of的面my classmates同班同學.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

3. Learning學識should come naturally輕而易舉地做 without effort.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

4. Setbacks挫折are always negative消極的.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

5. Set backs 挫折 are positive積極的. They are a natural正常的 part of the learning學識 process過程.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

6. If I don’t try試圖, then I can’t fail失敗.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

7. The brain腦is a muscle肌肉that can be trained訓練to be stronger強有力的.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

8. We are all born出生  with equal相同的 intelligence智力.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

9. Diet飲食, exercise運動 and sleep can hurt弄傷or help my brain腦 health健康.

Strongly                                                    Strongly

Agree              Agree 相同意見      Disagree不同意    Disagree

Teaching a Growth Mindset: If You're Not Failing You're Not Learning

I came across some interesting articles by Dr. Carol Dwek (Professor of Psychology Stanford) that support my value on process over product. Especially with some of my junior high classes that are lower level English and low EQ, I wish I had magic powers to help these kids want to learn. These “problem” students definitely are classic examples of a Fixed Mind Set.

Fixed Mindset	Growth Mindset
1. Goals- fear based, having to look smart at all costs; doesn’t study deeply	1. Goals- learn at all costs; dives into learning challenges and tasks, no fear of losing face in front of peers if learning
2. Effort- Learning something should come naturally; effort means not smart enough	2. Effort- enjoys effort; understands that hard work and practice, that learning is a process, it doesn’t come magically
3. Setbacks- Setbacks are always negative. Hide mistakes, conceal deficiencies, be defensive	3. Setbacks- Setbacks are always positive. Capitalize on mistakes, confront deficiencies; realize that setbacks are a  natural part of the learning process

How can I possibly help these kids change from a Fixed, to a Growth Mindset? According to Prof. Dwek, it comes in educating the person that they can change and become a better learner. Anyone can grow a growth mindset, like a muscle.

The person needs to learn brain basics (“Brainology”), that effort and difficulty create new neurons in the brain. These brain basics include a lesson on short term and long term memory and study strategies to help memory, a lesson on brain behavior, how neurotransmitters work with emotions and self-regulation and a lesson on brain building (neuroplasticity and learning).

 I would also want to emphasize to the kids how overall self-care contributes or harms brain health; getting enough sleep, drinking adequate amounts of water, omega 3 and 6, eating clean, managing stress, regular exercise, etc affects their brain health.

Dwek participated in many studies one of which proved that praising kids backfires and does not create a growth mindset. Praising final results (like good grades) backfires and promotes a fixed mindset. I see it here in this school, older elementary school students are afraid to make mistakes, to ask teacher crucial questions or take risks.  Praising results teaches the child that the adult can look inside of them and measure how smart they are. Instead parents and educators should be praising the process, praising the effort. In fact, in one study of mothers praising their 1-3 year olds, their child’s mindset could be predicted (fixed).

It is my hope I can have a classroom environment that feels safe for students to “fail forward”, to honor the process of learning and praise the effort. If I can at least reach one child to redefine success as growth and not perfection, then I am a successful educator. I realize there is also a cultural barrier; the whole "lose face" culture is very strong, especially with Junior High kids as well as parents of a Confucian background  focusing on test results over basics like getting enough sleep. Since final tests are over and we have 4 weeks of teaching before winter break, the next month will be one big experiment on promoting a growth mindset in my classrooms.

Here are some resources I recommend:

A School That Keeps Learning  

Creating a Community with a Growth Mindset 

Fostering a Growth Mindset In Struggling Students 

Why You Need To Fail 

The Neuroanatomy of the Changing Teenage Brain 

Failing Forward 

Teach Our Kids to Fail Forward