Growth Mindset and Learning
When I was in 8th grade, I began to struggle. I was moved to regular people math, because I wasn’t understanding the concepts. My parents got a high school teacher to tutor me. It wasn’t that I couldn’t learn the concepts, it was that the junior high math teacher didn’t explain them very well. And then I didn’t ask for help. If I didn’t do everything in my power to find the answer, then I didn’t deserve to ask for help. Also, I would sound stupid, because other people found the answers on their own. As it turns out, everyone I thought was smarter than me, were actually cheating. And I did fine in regular math. I was just better at reading and writing, that’s all.
This continued throughout college. As a psychology major, who wanted to be a teacher, I focused my coursework on learning, development, memory and cognition, etc. I learned about how to study, how to be healthy, how the brain works to remember new information. Did I use any of the things I learned from text books? Ehh, not until I was studying for my teaching certification tests and working a full-time job. Then it all came together. I was out of my comfort zone, on my own, and was intensely motivated.
After I became a certified teacher, I was on the other side of the classroom. I saw learning from a teacher’s point-of-view (IRL!). “If you don’t get it, ask me! And don’t ask me when you think you’re stupid, or crying, or you’ve broken something. Ask me before that, when you are still able to learn. You are useless to me, until you are ready to learn. If you don’t think you can, then you will never learn anything new. Of course you can learn! You learned how to walk and talk didn’t you? You can read the McDonalds menu! Is that all you want to be able to read? Well, then I guess we should keep trying.” Now I didn’t say any of this out loud to a fourth grader. Of course not. But I say it to myself.
When Carol Dweck’s research and book trickled down to elementary education, it gave us data, new vocabulary, and a way of thinking and explaining learning and mindset. When I watched Carol Dweck’s TED Talk , I couldn’t Google the growth mindset game fast enough. I have played Refraction today for waaay longer than I would like to admit. I like the growth mindset language the game uses when responding to player actions.
Below I have embedded a few of my favorite infographics and charts that I have used when teaching growth mindset in the classroom. Love.
I know that the TIY intensive will be challenging and I am preparing to be the best learner I can.I am still tweaking my schedule allowing for generous amounts of sleep, journaling, blogging, 6 small 200 cal. meals throughout the day, 1 hour a day for a workout, and ways to relax. This is the only way I will survive for 12 weeks.
When learning, I solemnly swear to:
-Ask google, read the error, ask a student, then ask the teacher.
-Ask for help within 15 minutes.
-Be patient with myself.
-Remember mistakes are an opportunity, not my downfall.
-Ask for help.
-Get plenty of rest.
-Say “interesting,” not “doh!” when I get an error.
-Explain what % I have completed my work.
-Respect the culture of learning.
-Say “My current understanding is __. I expected to see __ here but instead I see __. What’s going on?
-Try hard.
-Be brave.
-Teach others, because it will help them (and help me) learn.
-Go back and rewatch Your Brain’s API.
-And ask for help.
