Mindset & Math
Barb Bouthillier
Context for this talk
Something more is going on…..
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1st Generation College Students
Stereotype Threat
Hope
GRIT
Carol Dweck
Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, in
decades of research on achievement and success,
has discovered a truly groundbreaking idea—the
power of our mindset.
Academic Mindset
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Passion and Purpose
Grit and Growth
Identity and Community
Snipes, Fancsali. & Stoker, (2012)
Intelligence, Ability, Talent....
are all fixed entities;
you get what you get.
Intelligence, Ability, Talent....
are all growable;
they can be developed.
Want to appear “smart”
Want to learn
• Believe math comes easily
to smart people
• Won’t ask questions
• Do not seek out help
• Avoid any behavior that
indicates they don’t
understand
• Willing to work at
learning
• Ask questions
• Get help when needed
• More concerned about
learning than what other
people think
• Believe smart people
don’t struggle
• Struggle means I am
not smart
• Would rather give up
than appear to be
stupid
• Avoid inevitable
failure by not
engaging
• Struggle is a part of
learning
• Intelligence develops
through struggling
• Embrace the
challenge
• Develop persistence
and resilience
• Confirmation of
lack of ability
• Stamp of approval
that their mindset
is correct
• Indication that there is
room for improvement
• Might be a setback but just
means they need to try a
different approach or
practice more.
• Power of Yet
The final result is that
people with fixed
mindsets don't try.
Unwillingness to
struggle and fear of
failure confirm their
notion that they
simply do not have
the "right stuff."
For people with growth
mindsets, the final result is
that they push themselves
to accomplish more.
With the motto of "I am not
there yet" they constantly
accept the challenge to
learn something new.
Strategies to Develop Growth Mindset
Strategies to Develop Growth Mindset
Strategies to Develop Growth Mindset
Explicit
Implicit
Explicit Instruction
Teach students about growth and fixed mindsets.
Teach them about brain plasticity.
Teach them how to “grow” their brains.
7th Grade students
Control group – taught about stages
of memory
Growth group – training in the growth
mindset; how the brain grows;
how to apply this idea to
schoolwork
Blackwell, L., Trzesniewski, K., & Dweck, C.S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement
across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78. 246-263, Study 2
% Identified as Increasing in Motivation
% Identified as Increasing in Motivation
30
27
25
20
15
10
9
5
0
Control
Growth
From “Making the Case for Brainology” Ppt. at
http://www.mindsetworks.com/program/making
-the-case-for-brainology.aspx
Change in Math Grades
Time 3 (PostIntervention)
Time 2 (PreTime 3 (PostIntervention)
Intervention)
Control
Growth
Time
1
Time
2 (PreIntervention)
3
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.2
Time 1
Math Grades
3
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.2
From “Making the Case for Brainology” Ppt.
at http://www.mindsetworks.com/program/making-the-case-for-brainology.aspx
Control
Growth
What I did:
Other Ideas?
Implicit Instruction
Picked up from attitudes and responses.
Communicated by systems and policies.
The way we express affirmation.
Attitudes and Responses: Example from Facebook
Comments:
“Your son is smarter than the
person who wrote that question.
It is just stupid!”
Attitudes and Responses
As teachers how do we respond when
• Students struggle
• Students fail
• Students succeed
What do we reward?
Each student worked on a non-verbal IQ test & was given
either intelligence praise, effort praise, or generic praise.
Intelligence Praise
Effort Praise
“Wow, that’s a really good
score. You must be smart at
this.”
“Wow, that’s a really good
score. You must have tried
really hard.”
Control Group
“Wow, that’s a really good score.”
From “Making the Case for Brainology” Ppt. at http://www.mindsetworks.com/program/making-the-case-for-brainology.aspx
Mueller, C. M. & Dweck, C. S. (1998).
# of problems solved on the IQ test
Trial 1 (before failure) and Trial 3 (after failure)
# of Problems Solved
6.5
6
Effort Praise
Control Praise
Intelligence Praise
5.5
5
4.5
Trial 1
Trial 3
From “Making the Case for Brainology” Ppt. at http://www.mindsetworks.com/program/making-the-case-for-brainology.aspx
Proportion of Children
Lying: Students who misrepresented
their
scores
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Intelligence
Control
Effort
From “Making the Case for Brainology” Ppt. at http://www.mindsetworks.com/program/making-the-case-for-brainology.aspx
Conclusion
If having a growth rather than a fixed mindset
can make a difference for our students is it
worth investing in helping them change their
mindset?
References
Blackwell, L., Trzesniewski, K., & Dweck, C.S. (2007). Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement
Across an Adolescent Transition: A Longitudinal Study and an Intervention. Child Development, 78.
246-263.
Mueller, C. M. & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Intelligence praise can undermine motivation and performance.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 33-52..
Murphy, L., & Thomas, L. (2008). Dangers of a Fixed Mindset: Implications of Self-theories Research for
Computer Science Education. ITiCSE ’08 June 30–July 2, 2008.
Snipes, J., Fancsali, C., & Stoker, G. (2012). Student academic mindset interventions: A review of the current
landscape. Retrieved from https://www.impaqint.com/sites/default/files/files/
impaq%20student%20academic%20mindset%20interventions%20report%20august%202012_0.pdf
Charts for Studies taken from “Making the Case for Brainology” Powerpoint at http://www.mindsetworks.com/
program/making-the-case-for-brainology.aspx