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The Power of The Growth Mindset Assignment
The Power of The Growth Mindset Assignment
The Power of The Growth Mindset Assignment
Students had four Formative assignments to work on over the course of five class days as well as three weekend
days. While students were encouraged to try to keep up with the general pacing outlined in the calendar, they were
truly able to work at their own pace. Students had time to process the material, make mistakes, ask questions,
work with their group members, hear other students’ thought processes, discuss their questions with me during
class, come to tutorials for additional help if necessary, and correct their assignments. I think the blended model
and pacing of the assignments helps set the tone of “yet”- it is okay to not master the material yet; you have time to
get it figured out. It’s okay to still have red dots; they aren’t permanent. As students fix their mistakes and figure
out the correct answer, they can type in their new answer and see the red dot change to green. I want to phrase red
dots not as “wrong answers” but as opportunities to learn something new or to gain a deeper understanding. Red
dots encourage students to dig into the material. Why did they get it wrong? What other strategies can they try?
Because their assignments aren’t due yet, I hope to relieve the pressure that students feel to just get the right
answers. The goal is for them to shift from the fixed mindset’s “desire to look smart,” scrambling to turn their reds
into greens, to the growth mindset’s “desire to learn” (Graphic by Nigel Holmes).
While students with a growth mindset want to learn regardless of the fact that they’ll be given a grade, grades are
often a huge source of discouragement for many students. Struggling students often feel hopeless and defeated
after receiving a low grade. There are many ways I can use my school’s grading policies and procedures to
communicate the message of “yet” to my students.
Re-testing. Students are allowed to re-test any test on which they have received a grade below 70.
Traditionally, students have taken retests with either a sense of embarrassment and shame or with an
attitude of indifference (because they’re probably afraid of the possibility of failing again.) If students view
retests as an extension of “yet”, as an opportunity for improvement instead of as a negative consequence of
a failure, they will tackle the retest with a growth mindset.
Semester design. Students’ semester averages are compose of two nine-weeks grading periods as well as a
final exam. If the first nine-weeks doesn’t go as planned, there is still time to adjust course and end the
semester well.
Semester averaging. We even have a policy that if a student fails the first semester but their second
semester grade averages with their first semester grade to a passing average, they can regain credit for the
first semester. It is never too late for a student to turn their year around.
Grade change requests. For extreme situations where a student has really fallen behind and has multiple
retests that need to be completed, it is possible to do a grade change request and change grades from
closed grading periods. If a student retests something from the previous nine weeks, their grade can still be
changed. The hope of a grade change can be a total game changer for students who have not yet mastered
the course material and are at risk of failing the course. It can be a source of encouragement that their hard
work will pay off and that they aren’t just spinning their wheels for nothing.
What resources (content, video, media, etc.) will you use to promote the growth mindset?
I frequently include quotes, images, and non-math related reflection questions in my Formative assignments. I will
include a quote about as aspect of the growth mindset and then ask students to reflect on it. Through Formative, I
can type comments to students and give them feedback on their thoughts, beginning a dialogue. An example of a
quote for students to reflect on might be:
“When the student made this mistake, it was good, because they were in a stage of cognitive struggle and their
brain was sparking and growing.” – Joan Boaler, Mathematical Mindsets (p. 17).
I also embed videos into my Formative assignments as students are used to watching my video lessons. I can
embed a video discussing the growth mindset in a Formative and have students reflect as well. For example:
In Mathematical Mindsets, Jo Boaler includes an image that depicts brain activity in people with a growth versus a
fixed mindset. I find this image to be incredibly powerful and I can display it on my wall as well as including it in
Formative assignments as a reminder that mistakes lead to brain growth!
Jo Boaler also shares the Fortune 500’s list of most valued skills (Boaler, 2016, p. 29). I will post this list in my
classroom in order to encourage students to focus on the true life skills we are working on developing in Geometry,
specifically being able to work on a team and problem solving.
When and how often will I promote the growth mindset?
I am able to hear students’ fixed mindsets and internal dialogue emerge all throughout my day as I am constantly
answering questions and helping students work through problems during class as well as during tutorials before
and after school. I regularly hear students making comments about everything from “not being good at math” to
needing to drop out of Pre-AP to making jokes about going to community college instead of 4-year university they
dream of attending. I am in the trenches while students are making mistakes and struggling through them. Thus, I
should be promoting the growth mindset with every interaction I have with students, particularly when students
are frustrated or struggling with the material. If I hear a student say something that indicates they are operating
under a fixed mindset, I should guide them through the four steps to help them respond with truth from the growth
mindset.
Another natural time to promote the growth mindset is when I have students reflect after a test to begin a new
unit. I ask students to reflect on their studying habits, their use of time in class, and other academic behaviors that
impacted their results on the test. An example of this is my Unit 1 Self Reflection
(https://goformative.com/clone/ZSCZTY)that students will be completing to begin Unit 2. In these reflections, I
will include reflection questions that help students check their mindset. The graphic from Nigel Holmes comparing
the fixed and growth mindsets would be particularly helpful for generating reflection questions. Are students
avoiding or embracing challenges? How do they feel when their classmates are successful?
I will celebrate the growth we have made as a class. I can share data about items such as homework completion
and growth on our communication rubric. Jo Boaler discusses the topic of “compression” in her book Mathematical
Mindsets (Boaler, 2016, p. 37). Concepts that were once challenging for students are compressed in their brains
once students understand them conceptually. An example in Geometry is vertical angles. Students learn how to
identify and use vertical angles in the first unit and often find it to be very challenging. As the year continues,
students become so comfortable with identifying and using vertical angles that it becomes one the first things they
notice in a situation when writing a proof. Throughout the year, I will celebrate the compression that has occurred
to remind students of how much growth they truly have made.
How will the growth mindset influence or impact the way I approach my work in this course and
the Digital Learning and Leading program? How will I develop my own growth mindset?
As a lifelong overachiever, I tend to want to be perfect at everything as soon as I begin something new. I often
struggle with a fear of failure and some anxiety about being “good enough.” The Digital Learning and Leading
graduate program is a new experience and I’ll be evaluated and graded. Many of the same anxious thoughts, self-
doubts, and worries that I felt all throughout my years in school and in college quickly returned upon beginning the
program, especially since I haven’t received any grades or feedback yet. I remember the panic I felt before my first
set of college exams because they were so mysterious and unknown to me. In order to learn to hear my “fixed”
mindset voice (Step 1), I am going to have to constantly self-reflect and maintain self-awareness in order to catch
myself slipping into my fixed mindset patterns. I know that I will need to keep watch for worries about grades,
deadlines, and others’ perceptions of my work and capabilities. These are my common triggers and frequent
worries.
Next, I am going to have to recognize the choices I can make and the control I have over my thoughts (Step 2). I can
look at my calendar and remind myself that I have scheduled sufficient time throughout my week to work on my
assignments and readings. I can remember the mindsets that I desire my students to have and give myself the same
grace. I can reflect on my hopes and goals for what I will learn and how I will grow from this graduate program.
When I’m passionate and excited about something, the work I have to do shifts from a source of anxiety to an
enjoyable experience. I can think about the principles of a growth mindset and the success that inevitably comes
with persevering through struggles and seeking growth.
After I recall all of the alternative thoughts I can choose to focus on, I will talk back to it with a growth mindset
voice (Step 3). I will remind myself that I am doing the best that I can and that until I receive feedback or criticism,
genuine effort is all I can ask of myself. I will choose to believe that I will grow and that mistakes are unavoidable,
beneficial, and a part of the process.
Finally, I will take the growth mindset action (Step 4) and continue to do my best, thoughtfully complete
assignments, and embrace the struggle. I will do the work with the goal of learning and growing instead of just
trying to make a certain grade.
I believe I am going to go through the four steps fairly often throughout this program, particularly at the beginning
of each course. The fear of the unknown is real and anxiety about school work is a lifelong struggle of mine.
Developing my growth mindset and actively working to fight against my fixed mindset will help me approach this
graduate program with joy instead of obligation, with excitement instead of fear. The more fun I’m having and the
more empowered I feel, the better the results will be. I honestly enjoy working until the fear of failure creeps in.
The more I can hold to my growth mindset, the more ideas I will come up with to improve my classroom, the more
passionately I will complete assignments, and the more delight I will find in my courses. I won’t be working for a
grade, but for powerful knowledge and strategies that will make a positive impact in my classroom and on my
campus.
References
Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring
Messages, and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dweck, C. (n.d.). How can you change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset? Retrieved September 7, 2018,
from http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/index.html
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Holmes, N. (n.d.). Fixed Mindset, Growth Mindset [Graphic].Sprouts. (2016, April 15). Retrieved September 07,
2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUWn_TJTrnU
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. (n.d.). Unpacking Each Feature of Student-Centered Schools.
Retrieved September 7, 2018, from https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/node/1208