Mindset

Educationalist Carol Dweck RSA

The Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) used Carol Dweck’s Mindset for a focus at the summer institute in August 2017. It was a great lens for thinking and conversing about teaching and learning. Recently, MALI Design Team member, Bronwyn Sale, sent us a link to an RSA ANIMATE: How To Help Every Child Fulfill Their Potential. Carol Dweck explains how the wrong kind of praise actually harms young people.

Growth Mindset

Growth Mindset

A great big thanks to Melanie Crowe, Maine Arts Leadership Initiative Teacher Leader for collaborating to make the Twitter Chat on October 30 on Mindset possible. It is clear that the topic is not just being looked at closely in Maine schools but across the country.

Interestingly enough a day before the Twitter Chat Education Week provided several articles on the topic. They did a thorough job of providing information and resources on the topic. I have included the information from Education Week on the topic. The articles and research provide food for thought in support and opposed to Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset work. I encourage you to continue learning on the topic.

Growth Mindset articles from Education Week:

• Carol Dweck provides a Commentary called Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’. It includes her thoughts on the research that she did for her book Growth Mindset that set this topic in motion. READ MORE.
• Why a ‘Growth Mindset Won’t Work – John Hattie’s research shows that growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset has an effect size of .19 which is below the Hinge Point, and the biggest reason why the growth mindset may not work is in the classroom. Written by Peter DeWitt.  READ MORE.
• Mindset in the Classroom: A National Study of K-12 Teachers. This one is based on results from a national survey conducted by the Education Week Research Center. The report examines the concept of growth mindset as well as key misconceptions that could undermine its effectiveness. READ MORE.
• A Growth Mindset May Counteract Effects of Poverty on Achievement, Study Says written by Evie Blad. A growth mindset may buffer students from the effects of poverty on academic achievement, Stanford researchers concluded after studying test scores and survey results for 168,000 Chilean students. READ MORE.
• Teachers Seize On ‘Growth Mindset’, But Crave More Training written by Evie Blad. As enthusiasm about “growth mindset” spreads across schools, researchers who popularized the idea are concerned that teachers might not have the resources or understanding to use it effectively in their classrooms. READ MORE. 
• Mindfulness in the Classroom: A How-To Guide written by Teacher Linda Yaron shares what elements she incorporates into her curriculum to help strengthen student opportunities for success. READ MORE.

Twitter Chat on Mindset

Join MALIs first Twitter Chat

Join your colleagues from across the state (and the nation) and participate in a Twitter Chat on Mindset. The Maine Arts Leadership Initiative’s Teacher Leader Melanie Crowe helped to create our first Twitter chat opportunity.

The chat is based on the book of the same name, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck. It is not necessary to read the book to participate but we highly recommend it. 

The Twitter chat is scheduled for Monday, October 30, 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. eastern time.

The conversation provides the opportunity to consider your own learning and how you approach it. And, will include the chance to consider your classroom environment and how you approach your teaching. The overarching discussion question: How does your mindset influence the way that you approach students?

The following questions will guide the online conversation:

1. Consider mentors in your life who have supported you through a growth mindset approach. Reflect on your own growth and response with their guidance.
2. In what areas can I continue to be a learner? What am I personally and professionally interested in? How can my professional learning opportunities be more relevant to my own needs as a learner?
3. When reflecting on something that you have learned recently, what kind of impact has it had on you and by extension your students?
4. What resources, materials and/or curriculum is available for use at your school that supports a growth mindset?
5. In what ways can you share with students your own struggles and successes with your current and/or previous work?
6. How can students connect the dots between what they are learning now and their own experiences? How are you helping them to see those connections?
7. Do your students have an opportunity to help adults with genuine problem solving?

If you’ve never participated in a Twitter chat and wondering how to participate, the directions are below.

1. If you don’t have a Twitter account, please start one at Twitter.
2. TweetChat is a great tool to use when you participate in a tweet chat. Log in with your Twitter handle, enter the hashtag of the event (#MEArtsEd), and TweetChat will pull up all the related messages so you can follow the conversation.
3. If you are not using the tool TweetChat, once logged into your twitter account you can search the hashtag #MEArtsEd and see the live conversation stream taking place or after the event to view the conversation.
4. Make sure you add the tweet chat hashtag (#MEArtsEd) to your tweets (if you’re not using TweetChat) so participants can find your messages in the conversation.
5. When you begin the chat – take a moment to introduce yourself and where you are from – remember to use #MEArtsEd
6. The tweet chat host (@crowe_artteach) will mark questions with Q (for question) and the number of the question. When you submit your answer, mark it with A (for answer) and the number of the original question so other participants can link your response with the correct question.
7. Sit back, relax, join in on the conversation to learn, reflect, and respond to your colleagues from the state of Maine and beyond!