Chapter 5 - Who are Our Learners and How do We Get to Know Them Better?
Learning Objectives
After reading and discussing chapter 5, participants will be able to do the following:
- Participants will demonstrate understanding of a fixed mindset and a growth mindset by creating a comparison chart using the characteristics created by Michael Richard.
- Participants will analyze classroom case scenarios and arrive at solutions to change student mindsets.
- Participants will reflect on their own teaching environment and list at least two ways that they can build better relationships with students in their classes in order to enhance learning.
Chapter Summary
Few teachers have classrooms of students that sit constantly at attention, absorbing every word we say, and immediately acting upon all instructions with perfection. Students come to the educational setting with a range of internal expectations and beliefs about their own abilities. These internal beliefs are called mindsets. If educators understand and recognize these mindsets, they can help improve the learning experience for their students. In research conducted by Carol Dweck, she labeled mindsets into two categories - fixed mindsets and growth mindsets. A comparison of these two mindsets are listed in the chart below (Doyle, 2011).
Strategies for helping students change their mindset (Doyle, 2011):
- Praise effort - not intelligence.
- Explain to students the neuron research and how they can develop their brains.
- Feedback should take the form of giving students new, specific strategies for improving their efforts and learning.
- Encourage students to take learning risks and then to learn from them (whether positive or negative).
- Current skills do not determine intelligence. It is just one point in time.
- Discuss mindsets and that fixed mindsets are not true; that all people can learn with time and effort.
Personal Connection
This one is a very personal "personal connection" as it is about my own children. Throughout the entire chapter, I envisioned two of my children. One child has always been an over achiever that goes above and beyond for every task she has ever been given. She is a very driven person, set out to succeed. There has never been an obstacle that she couldn't push out of her way. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is another one of my children. This child has the ability, in fact a very impressive IQ. However, he has never believed in himself. He never put forth effort in school and rarely did homework. His teachers always said he had so much potential that was going untapped. That is a very helpless feeling for a parent and I hate to say, there were times I believed he was just lazy. As an educator I should have known better. I tried getting him tutors, only allowing "fun" time if the homework was completed, and so forth. Nothing ever worked. Looking back, I wonder how his father and I would have responded if we were aware of the mindset research by Carol Dweck.
Suggestions for Implementation
My first suggestion is that teachers need to start looking at their students differently - things aren't always as they seem. Become more informed about the mindset research and strategies and share that information with your students. Once teachers are more aware of how these strategies, like praising effort (not intelligence), then they may be more likely to implement these in the classroom. All teachers want all kids to succeed, so I think once they know of this research and the strategies, it will have a positive effect.
Students should know that everyone can expand their learning pathways in the brain. They need to start realizing that the "little voice in their head" is a very powerful tool -- if used positively. They need to practice making the little voice say positive things and not negative things. If there is a careers class, study skills class, or something like that within the curriculum, teaching kids about this new research would be a great addition to the course.
Students should know that everyone can expand their learning pathways in the brain. They need to start realizing that the "little voice in their head" is a very powerful tool -- if used positively. They need to practice making the little voice say positive things and not negative things. If there is a careers class, study skills class, or something like that within the curriculum, teaching kids about this new research would be a great addition to the course.
QUIZ
RESOURCE:
Doyle, Terry, (2011). Learner-Centered Teaching: Putting the Research of Learning into Practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing
Doyle, Terry, (2011). Learner-Centered Teaching: Putting the Research of Learning into Practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing