Promoting Growth Mindset and Belonging Jacquie Beaubien Stanford

Promoting Growth Mindset and Belonging Jacquie Beaubien -Stanford University. June 9 th, 2016 @pertslab

Agenda • Growth Mindset • Impact on achievement • Teaching practices • Belonging • Stereotype threat • Intervention overview • Mindsetkit. org – Free resources • Q&A @pertslab

Familiarity with Growth Mindset • Totally new • Some familiarity • Actively implementing – Teaching it to students – Modifying your practice in some way @pertslab

What Affects Student Success? • Intelligence • Previous experience • Teacher and school quality • Structural factors, e. g. , poverty, trauma, discrimination • Students’ mindsets @pertslab

Mindsets Certain beliefs make learning feel… safe and exciting. @pertslab

Mindsets While others make learning feel… threatening and scary or maybe just irrelevant @pertslab

@pertslab

What does critical feedback mean? Look at all these comments. I guess I’m not very good at this. Look at all these comments. These are really helpful! @pertslab

Mindsets What’s the point of revising this if I’m stupid. These will help me make my next version even better. @pertslab

Mindsets @pertslab

Explaining Achievement Gaps • Intelligence • Previous experience • Teacher and school quality • Structural factors, e. g. , poverty, trauma, discrimination • Students’ mindsets @pertslab

From Inequality to Underperformance: A “Direct Path” Structural Inequality& Discrimination Fewer Opportunities Available Lower Achievement @pertslab

From Inequality to Underperformance: A “Direct Path” Structural Inequality & Discrimination Internalized Negative Beliefs About Abilities Fewer Opportunities Available Lower Sense of Belonging at School Fewer Opportunities Taken Lower Achievement @pertslab

Three Important Learning Mindset • Growth Mindset: Do students believe their abilities can be developed? • Belonging: Do students believe they belong in school? • Purpose/Relevance: Do students feel like their schoolwork is meaningful? @pertslab

Growth Mindset @pertslab

Professor Carol Dweck @pertslab

Mindsets about Intelligence Fixed Mindset • Intelligence is a fixed trait • You can’t change it Growth Mindset • You can grow your intelligence through effort and good strategies @pertslab

Mindsets Shape Goals Fixed Mindset Goal • Look Smart at All Cost! Growth Mindset Goal • To Learn at All Cost! @pertslab

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset Response Patterns Growth Fixed Mistakes Acceptance Normal part of learning Anxiety Proof of not being smart Being challenged Curiosity / Excitement Opportunity to learn and improve Avoidance Trying hard seen as proof of low ability Critical feedback Openness Helpful for improving Defensive Reminder of what they lack so tune out Failure and setbacks Resilient Short-term and surmountable Helpless Proof of not “having what it takes” @pertslab

Mindsets Affect Achievement Decades of research show a powerful relationship between mindset and achievement @pertslab

Mindsets Predict Achievement Evidence From A Nationwide Sample In Chile Susana Claro Dave Paunesku • Chilean National Achievement Test • 10 th grade test incorporated Growth Mindset Assessment • n=147, 000 Claro, Paunesku, & Dweck (under review) @pertslab

Fixed Mindset and Bottom Scores Fixed Mindset students were 4 x more likely to score in the bottom fifth! Claro, Paunesku, & Dweck (under review) @pertslab

Growth Mindset and Top Scores Growth Mindset students were 3 x more likely to score in the top fifth! Claro, Paunesku, & Dweck (under review) @pertslab

Mindsets And SES Claro, Paunesku, & Dweck (under review) @pertslab

Mindset Cycles Growth Mindset Increase Effort & Strategies Higher Achievement Challenge or Failure Fixed Mindset Reduce Effort & Withdraw Lower Achievement @pertslab

Mindsets Can Change! @pertslab

Online Growth Mindset Intervention Study Design: – 1584 students, SES from 1% to 90% reduced lunch – 13 high schools (8 public, 4 charter, 1 private); SES from 1% to 90% reduced lunch Intervention: – Two 45 -minute sessions – Taught about the brain and neural plasticity – Discuss implications for effort, help seeking, and intelligence Paunesku, Walton, Romero, Smith, Yeager, & Dweck (2015) @pertslab

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At-Risk Students Earning As, Bs, & Cs in Core Classes Paunesku, Walton, Romero, Smith, Yeager, & Dweck (2015) @pertslab

What shapes students mindsets? @pertslab

What shapes student mindset? Language • The Language we use tells others what we believe and what we value School and Classroom Norms • Teaching practices can send mindset messages @pertslab

Praise @pertslab

Praise Research Question: Do different kinds of praise influence students’ response to failure? Claudia Mueller @pertslab

Praise: Effects on IQ Test Performance • N = 128 5 th grade students • Standard progressive matrices (Ravens) Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Praise: Effects on IQ Test Performance • Completed moderately difficult IQ problems • Received positive feedback (intelligence praise, effort praise, or control) Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Praise: Effects on IQ Test Performance • Control Group: “Wow, that’s a really good score. ” • Intelligence Praise: “Wow, that’s a really good score. You must be smart at this. ” • Effort (Process) Praise: “Wow, that’s a really good score. You must have tried really hard. ” Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Praise: Effects on IQ Test Performance • Completed moderately difficult IQ problems • Received positive feedback (intelligence praise, effort praise, or control) • Completed very difficult IQ problems Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Praise: Effects on IQ Test Performance Part 3: IQ Test = Very Difficult Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Praise: Effects on IQ Test Performance After setback “That’s a lot worse” Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Praise: Effects on IQ Test Performance • Completed moderately difficult IQ problems • Received positive feedback (intelligence praise, effort praise, or control) • Completed very difficult IQ problems • Received negative feedback that they did a lot worse • Completed moderately difficult IQ problems Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Number of Problems Solved Before and After Setback Control praise Intelligence praise Effort praise Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Lying Mueller & Dweck, 1998 @pertslab

Growth Mindset Praise • Avoid Praise that Focuses on… – Qualities commonly interpreted as innate, like talent or intelligence – Effort when students didn’t try hard • Focus on Praising the Process – Effort and strategies “I like how you tried a new way to solve that” – How they improve over time “You’ve been practicing, and I can see it’s @pertslab paying off”

What shapes student mindset? Language • The Language we use tells others what we believe and what we value School and Classroom Norms • Teaching practices can send mindset messages @pertslab

Teaching for Growth Mindset Study Design: • Surveys - 6 schools, 40 teachers, and 3400 of their students • In- depth case study of 7 teachers over 1 year Kathy Liu Sun, Ph. D. Stanford University Liu Sun, 2015 @pertslab

Teaching for Growth Mindset Results: • Teachers’ mindset not predictive of students mindsets • Teachers’ views of math and their practices were predictive Kathy Liu Sun, Ph. D. Stanford University Liu Sun, 2015 @pertslab

Teachers’ Views of Math Students were more likely to have a growth mindset when teachers: • Disagreed with one dimensional views of math – Mathematics involves mostly facts and procedures that have to be learned – There is usually one way to solve a math problem • Taught multidimensional views – Focus on the process of learning math – Legitimize different approaches to solving the same problem Liu Sun, 2015 @pertslab

FIXED Mindset Classrooms • Students group based on past achievement. • Low achieving students characterized as needing help but being incapable of offering help to others. • Focus praise on accuracy and speed. • Did not ask students to explain their thinking or work through confusion and/or mistakes on their own. • Only given one chance to submit work for a grade. Liu Sun, 2015 @pertslab

Growth Mindset Classrooms • • Used mixed ability grouping. Normalize mistakes as part of learning process. Create norm that all can contribute. Promote conceptual thinking (not rote memorization). Focus praise on process and strategy. Given math tasks that apply to multiple ability levels. Students asked to explain their thinking Students try to work through confusion or mistakes on their own or as group first. • Incorporate formative feedback. Liu Sun, 2015 @pertslab

Belonging

Belonging What is it? • Feeling socially connected, supported, and respected. • Trusting that others hold a positive view of you and have positive intentions in their actions towards you. • Not feeling worried about being treated as a stereotype and having confidence that you are seen as a person of value. @pertslab

Belonging Uncertainty • When people enter new social or academic environments, they may often question if they belonging. • This uncertainty can: – Make it harder to perform to one’s potential – Ambiguates the meaning of social events – Especially common among stereotyped students @pertslab

WHY?

Focus is on Ambiguous Cues @pertslab

Why focus on belonging in school? 1. Belonging is a fundamental human need 2. Belonging gaps reinforce achievement gaps 3. Educators’ decisions affect students’ belonging @pertslab

Stereotype Threat • Anxiety that ones performance will be used to confirm a negative stereotype about ones social group. • Worry that a negative stereotype might be true of the self, or that others might think it is true. • Mostly an unconscious process. @pertslab

Stereotype Threat • Has been shown to account for ~30 - 50% of the achievement gap • Impacts all groups for whom a negative stereotype exists – Minority students in academic settings – Women in STEM – Even White men in basketball @pertslab

Steele and Aronson, 1995 Steele & Aronson, 1995 @pertslab

How can we reduce students’ belonging concerns? By helping to change the narrative 1. Remove ambiguity by conveying high standards and reassurance. 2. Normalize belonging uncertainty during transitions. 3. Cultivate trust and respect between teachers and students. @pertslab

Wise Critical Feedback • Constructive feedback helps us improve • Belonging uncertainty can impact students’ interpretations of the meaning of feedback @pertslab

Wise Critical Feedback • Research Question: Does providing an explanation of motives increase persistence? David Yeager @pertslab

Wise Critical Feedback @pertslab

@pertslab

Wise Critical Feedback @pertslab

Wise Critical Feedback “Wise feedback: ” I’m giving you these Text comments because I have high standards and I know that you can meet them. @pertslab

Wise Critical Feedback “Placebo: ” I’m giving you these comments so you have feedback on your essay. @pertslab

Study 1: Percentage Resubmitting Essay (7 th graders) @pertslab Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, et al. (2014

Study 2: Quality of Final Essay (7 th graders) @pertslab Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, et al. (2014

Wise Critical Feedback • Provide feedback that: – Explains your motivation is to support their success – Reinforces your high standards – Communicates your belief in their ability to meet your high standards – Normalizes incremental improvement @pertslab

Other Interventions • Normalizing belonging uncertainty during the transition to college – Message “It’s normal and passes with time” increased GPA, academic behaviors, and well -being (Walton & Cohen, 2007, 2011) • Empathy building teacher intervention – Helping teacher build more trusting relationships halved suspension rates (Okonofua, Paunesku, & Walton, 2016) @pertslab

www. mindsetkit. org @pertslab

Questions? Comments? ? @pertslab

Thank you! Dave Paunesku Laura Stahl Chris Macrander Sarah Gripshover Dan Green Rumen Iliev Rachel Herter Nashalys Rodriguez Matt Kandler Abby Howard Research Collaborators Carol Dweck David Yeager Greg Walton Geoff Cohen Jason Okonofua Jo Boaler Susana Claro @pertslab