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If we looked at all learners of a certain age and measured their progress over a certain period of time we would find that this progress had a ‘Bell Curve’ or Normal Distribution. Some learners would make a small amount of progress, most would make a near average progression and a few would make exceptional progress.

As well as being subject to natural variation, the improvement in achievement owes a lot to the environments in which learners find themselves.

The quality of teaching, availability of resources and many other factors may have an effect on the progress of individual learners. In fact, if we consider a fixed period of time we can talk of the amount of improvement a school has added to the learner.

All schools and colleges improve their learners in this way. However, if one school or college is increasing the achievement level of its learners more than other schools or colleges are, then its pupils gain an additional advantage.

It is this relative advantage that has come to be called value-added.

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Growth Mindset: Whole Team Approach (Podcast)

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Growth Mindset: Whole Team Approach (Podcast)

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Rachel Macfarlane talking about building the Isaac Newton Academy on Dweck's principle of Growth Mindset, and the incredible impact on learner outcomes.

A really powerful, motivating podcast.

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This episode we're speaking with Rachel Macfarlane. Rachel is the Director of Education Services at Herts for Learning, working with an enormous number of schools and school leaders across Hertfordshire in England. Rachel has been the Principal of three different schools and she shares her wisdom about school leadership, and education more generally, in her fantastic book, 'Obstetrics for Schools: Eliminating failure and ensuring the safe delivery of all learners.

Rachel has had an enormous impact on education in the UK and her clarity of vision, commitment, and ability to get things done is phenomenal. Rachel is a true inspiration when it comes to providing the kind of holistic education to students that so many of us aspire to, and I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing some of her insights about how to do this, within this podcast.
If you appreciate the ERRR podcast and you'd like to support its continuing production, please sign on as a patron at www.patreon.com/errr and support the show for as little as $1 per month, or the average donation of $5 per month. Links/resources mentioned in the show

Mentioned in the course of the show

Also see Ollie's book: Cognitive Load Theory in Action

This episode of the ERRR Podcast is brought to you by John Catt Educational. Use this link along with the code provided within the podcast to get 30% off all books from John Catt Educational! https://www.johncattbookshop.com/books/errr
Listen to all past episodes of the ERRR podcast here.

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ERRR #055. Rachel Macfarlane on knowledge, learning power, and character | Ollie Lovell

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This episode we're speaking with Rachel Macfarlane. Rachel is the Director of Education Services at Herts for Learning, working with an enormous number of schools and school leaders across Hertfordshire in England.

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'Teachers often hold unspoken beliefs about what their students can achieve, and research shows that those mindsets matter. Several studies have found that students recognize when teachers hold high expectations for them and perform better academically when educators do so. Conversely, when teachers hold lower expectations for some students, these are correlated with lower academic achievement.

Recommendations

Articulate shared high expectations for student engagement, work, and mastery across the school, district, or network. Use Professional Learning Community time to address current mindsets, assumptions, beliefs, biases, and prejudices that may influence staff's ability to set and hold students to high expectations as the school focuses on recovery.

Select rigorous high-quality instructional materials.

Use effective whole-group instruction instead of ability grouping as much as possible, so that lower-performing students are exposed to rigorous, grade-level content.

Implement a schoolwide approach to grading student work with high standards, including rubrics, grading scales, and common policies for accepting late assignments.

Implement a schoolwide approach to managing student behavior.

Survey students on whether they believe that teachers hold high academic expectations for them. Survey instruments to consider include those from Tripod or Panorama Education.

When hiring for teacher vacancies, look for candidates with a record of high expectations for children, and especially children of color.'

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Editor's note: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute recently launched "The Acceleration Imperative," an open-source, evidence-based resource designed to aid instructional leaders' efforts to address the enormous challenges faced by their students, families, teachers, and staff over the past year. It comprises four chapters split into nineteen individual topics. Over the coming weeks, we will publish each of these as a standalone blog post. This is the second. Read the first here. Recommendations
Student outcomes are strongly linked to adult mindsets, and teachers and leaders at high-performing schools tend to share a common set of high expectations for success. That's always been true, but it may be more important than ever given the challenges created by the pandemic. Many students are contending with massive learning losses and emotional trauma, and caring adults may be inclined, even in subtle ways, to lower the bar and shield students from challenging work.
Rationale
Educators should certainly demonstrate empathy, but it's essential that adult expectations for student progress remain high-among educators and parents alike. Instructional materials, teaching methods, teacher-student interactions, grading practices, and professional learning experiences should express high expectations for student achievement. School culture should push back against the soft bigotry of low expectations-including biases related to race and class-and help students set and achieve ambitious goals.

Articulate shared high expectations for student engagement, work, and mastery across the school, district, or network. Use Professional Learning Community time to address current mindsets, assumptions, beliefs, biases, and prejudices that may influence staff's ability to set and hold students to high expectations as the school focuses on recovery.

Select rigorous high-quality instructional materials.

Use effective whole-group instruction instead of ability grouping as much as possible, so that lower-performing students are exposed to rigorous, grade-level content.

Implement a schoolwide approach to grading student work with high standards, including rubrics, grading scales, and common policies for accepting late assignments.

Implement a schoolwide approach to managing student behavior.

Survey students on whether they believe that teachers hold high academic expectations for them. Survey instruments to consider include those from Tripod or Panorama Education.

When hiring for teacher vacancies, look for candidates with a record of high expectations for children, and especially children of color.

Teachers often hold unspoken beliefs about what their students can achieve, and research shows that those mindsets matter. Several studies have found that students recognize when teachers hold high expectations for them and perform better academically when educators do so. Conversely, when teachers hold lower expectations for some students, these are correlated with lower academic achievement. Tragically, some studies have found that teachers tend to have lower expectations for students of color. Helping teachers see their own implicit racial biases and working to counteract them is therefore essential.

One of the best ways to create a culture of high expectations is to adopt and faithfully implement high-quality instructional materials. The best are designed to give all students access to the same challenging content, including through robust scaffolds that support student learning for students who do not possess the prerequisite concepts or skills.
Reading List
Connecting mindsets and materials to classroom practice is the next step. High-performing charter networks call this " intellectual prep aration." They use teachers' common planning time to review curricula and evidence of student progress, establish common expectations and grading norms, and ensure lessons leave the heavy lifting to students, through "productive struggle" with rigorous, grade-level content.

Finally, many of the highest-performing, high-poverty schools embrace specific pedagogical practices that convey high expectations, such as those identified by Doug Lemov in his highly influential book, Teach Like A Champion. These include four major techniques.

Andrews, D., and Gutwein, M. (2017). " 'Maybe that concept is still with us': Adolescents' racialized and classed perceptions of teachers' expectations." Multicultural Perspectives, 19(1), 5-15.

Demonstrates the baseline principle that teachers' expectations for students have a significant effect on academic achievement.

Davis-Kean, P. E. (2005). The influence of parent education and family income on child achievement: the indirect role of parental expectations and the home environment. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(2), 294.

De Boer, H., Timmermans, A., and Van Der Werf, M. (2018). The effects of teacher expectation interventions on teachers' expectations and student achievement: narrative review and meta-analysis. Educational Research and Evaluation, 24(3-5), 180-200.

Clarifies the concept of high expectations, specifically that students recognize when teachers have high expectations for them, which relates to stronger performance.

Lemov, Doug. (2014). Teach Like a Champion 2.0: 62 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College.

Papageorge, N., Gershenson, S., and Kang, K. (2020). Teacher Expectations Matter. Review of Economics and Statistics. 102(2). 234-251

Same, M., Guarino, N., Pardo, M., Benson, D., Fagan, K., and Lindsay, J. (2018). " Evidence-supported interventions associated with Black students' education outcomes: Findings from a systematic review of research. " U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest: Washington, D.C.

There is promising evidence for the role that high expectations play in all students' academic outcomes, and particularly so for African-American students.

Timmermans, A., and Rubie-Davies, C. (2018). Do teachers differ in the level of expectations or in the extent to which they differentiate in expectations? Relations between teacher-level expectations, teacher background and beliefs, and subsequent student performance. Educational Research and Evaluation, 24(3-5), 241-263.

When teachers hold differentiated expectations for students in their classrooms, this can be related to lower academic achievement. This speaks to the need to norm all teachers on a culture of high expectations before the school year even starts.

TNTP. (2018). The Opportunity Myth. New York, NY.

Finds a larger effect size for adult expectations than other major factors, with the most pronounced impacts on students of color or from low-income families.

Trinidad, J. E. (2019). Collective expectations protecting and preventing academic achievement. Education & Urban Society, 51(9), 1147-1171.

All adults in a school holding high expectations for students is correlated with positive academic outcomes.

Uchida, A., Michael, R., and Mori, K. (2018). An Induced Successful Performance Enhances Student Self-Efficacy and Boosts Academic Achievement. AERA Open, 4(4), 1-9.

If students believe that they can do something, they experience more academic success.

Zhan, M. (2006). Assets, parental expectations and involvement, and children's educational performance. Children and Youth Services Review, 28(8), 961-975.

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Editor's note: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute recently launched "The Acceleration Imperative," an open-source, evidence-based resource designed to aid instructional leaders' efforts to address the enormous challenges faced by their students, families, teachers, and staff over the past year. It comprises four chapters split into nineteen individual topics.

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At the beginning of a new academic year, I always create expectations with my groups.

We imagine that they are already in industry. They might have landed a leading role in a West End musical, joined Royal Philharmonic Orchestra or booked an arena gig with their band. We talk about their new role, and what they need to succeed. We talk specifically about what they need from their colleagues to succeed. They tell me that they need their colleagues to attend rehearsals, to not arrive late, to treat them with respect and kindess...

I write it all down on the whiteboard.

They tell me they need their colleagues to arrive with the proper equipment, to take care of themselves so they don't fall poorly, to ask for help and to respresent the organisation well even when they're not working. You can go as deep as you like with the expectations.

Then I ask them to imagine that I am part of the company. I am their musical director, their conductor or their manager. I ask them what they need from me to succeed.

Many requests are very similar to their colleagues. To arrive on time, to be prepared etc. Others are more specific, like let them ask questions and find answers that they need. To help them when they need me and to not shout at them.

I write it all down and agree.

The whiteboard becomes our Team Expectations for the duration of our time together. I take a photograph of it, or ask them to create graphics. It's uploaded to their Google Classroom and Google Chat group. Sometimes it's printed and displayed on classroom walls.

It's referred back to constantly. I often check that we're in agreement that I am meeting my expectations, and that tehy are meeting theirs.

I've found it to be a really powerful tool.

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We can use our everyday learning check techniques to promote hard thinking!

When we ask open questions to the room, learners opt in to answer...or they opt out.

Use mini whiteboards, true / false sheets, a show of hands or another whole class answer method to gather your initial response.

From the intial response, begin bouncing around the challenge using the question prompts here or some of your own:

- Do you agree? Why?
- What makes you think that?
- What if I said that's not true?
- How might that relate to current events?
- How might you argue against that answer?
- What would happen if...?

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Developing and Modelling a Growth Mindset

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Developing and Modelling a Growth Mindset

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'The way we think about ourselves and our abilities can have a significant impact on our performance, at work, during studies, and in everyday life. Yet not everyone takes the time to think about the way they think and may make assumptions about their skills that can be negative. So what is a growth mindset? And how can it help us achieve our goals?

Here, we explore the definition of a growth mindset, how it differs from a fixed mindset, and how you can work to develop a growth mindset. As well as giving some practical examples, we’ll also suggest some courses that can help you progress.'

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Discover what it means to have a growth mindset, how they can help you, and the steps you can break away from a fixed mindset.
The way we think about ourselves and our abilities can have a significant impact on our performance, at work, during studies, and in everyday life. Yet not everyone takes the time to think about the way they think and may make assumptions about their skills that can be negative. So what is a growth mindset? And how can it help us achieve our goals?

Here, we explore the definition of a growth mindset, how it differs from a fixed mindset, and how you can work to develop a growth mindset. As well as giving some practical examples, we'll also suggest some courses that can help you progress.

What is a growth mindset?

A mindset is the series of beliefs people hold about themselves; their self-perception. A growth mindset is a belief that you can develop your skills and talents through hard work, the right strategies, and guidance from others.

The term growth mindset was coined by American psychologist Professor Carol Dweck in her 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Her work explored how an individual's underlying belief about their intelligence and ability to learn could impact their performance.

Her studies show that those who believe they can develop their talents tend to achieve more than those who feel their abilities are innate and fixed. Those with a growth mindset see opportunities instead of obstacles, choosing to challenge themselves to learn more rather than sticking in their comfort zone.

As Professor Dweck explains it:

This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way-in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments-everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

What's clear from this quote is that each of us can develop a growth mindset and that understanding that fact is sometimes half the battle.

Growth mindset vs a fixed mindset: what's the difference?

The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset. While the former is focused on self-improvement and development over time, a fixed mindset is essentially the belief that abilities are innate and fixed from birth.

As Dr Paula J Caproni from the University of Michigan explains in the video below, a fixed mindset means believing in nature over nurture. Those with a fixed mindset believe that each person inherits qualities such as intelligence, talents, and personality characteristics.

Those who feel that their qualities are unique to their genetic makeup generally also feel that these characteristics stay pretty stable throughout their lives.

Such a mindset is proven to be limiting in certain settings. According to Dr Dweck's original research, those with a fixed mindset are more likely to seek opportunities to demonstrate strengths rather than those that could expose weaknesses.

She goes on to say that such an approach to life can backfire. Although they take fewer risks, people with a fixed mindset can miss out on opportunities and chances to learn and grow.

You can learn more about the science and research behind success in our course The Science of Success from the University of Michigan.

Does a growth mindset work?

In an academic setting, some studies have shown that academic performance influences students' mindsets. These results imply that mindset and academic performance constitute a positive feedback loop.

Other research has shown that a short, online growth mindset intervention can help improve student performance. This short course teaches that intellectual abilities can be developed, and the researchers studied performance and enrolment figures across secondary education in mathematics in the US.

However, a study from the University of Edinburgh showed no benefit in growth mindset theory among students aged nine to 13. Others have criticised the original research from Dr Dweck, claiming that the results cannot be replicated or are statistically biased.

Similarly, some have suggested that intelligence and personality are the more significant predictors of success at school and work. What's more, these traits tend to be more stable, especially in adults.

On the other hand, more recent research from Dr Dweck and the OECD has shown further positive results. The 2021 data showed that schools can foster a growth mindset by rewarding progress, trying different learning strategies and looking for meaningful feedback.

In this study, students were asked how strongly they believed that "your intelligence is something about you that you can't change very much." Those who disagreed (growth mindset) scored higher in reading, science, and math than those who agreed (fixed mindset).

Evidently, there is more research needed into growth mindsets and their potential impact. We need to understand how such an approach can be applied and encouraged in the education system and beyond.

Growth mindset examples

To further understand what a growth mindset looks like, it's worth highlighting some examples of the two differing approaches. As explored in our fixed and growth mindset open step from the University of Groningen, there are some useful situational examples:

Situation

Fixed mindset approach

Growth mindset approach

You get a very high grade on an exam Great! I must be really intelligent in this area Great! I must have worked hard and learned a lot

You're starting a new assignment or project I hope this will be easy for me I hope this will be interesting!

You get negative feedback on your work Oh no! This proves I'm no good at this Okay, I need to get back to work and learn more

These examples show the differences in mindset. With a fixed mindset approach, it's easy to attribute success and failure to inherent ability. You may look for reassurance by doing things you know you're comfortable with.

With a fixed mindset, you can recognise your hard work and strive to improve when you've underachieved. You may look for challenges, particularly when you have the opportunity to learn something new.

10 ways to develop a growth mindset

If you feel that a growth mindset is something you want to aim for, there are ways you can go about developing one. However, it's important to recognise that, according to Dr Dweck's research, no one has an entirely fixed or entirely growth mindset; most are somewhere in the middle.

Similarly, it's worth pointing out that not everyone can achieve everything. Hard work, dedication and attitude can all contribute to success, but we each have our limitations. What's more, other factors besides mindset often determine positive results.

All that being said, we've outlined some ways to work on developing a growth mindset. Some of these are highlighted on our teaching and mentoring open step from the University of Groningen:

1. Identify your own mindset

By considering how you currently approach challenges, either at work or in education, you can determine your current mindset. For example, you can ask yourself whether you say things like ' I'm a natural people person' or 'I've learned to work well with people'? Or would you say, ' she's a natural leader', or ' she worked her way up to the leadership role '?

Asking such questions about your approach to the world can help you identify whether you've more of a fixed or growth mindset. Such awareness is the first step toward making changes, which could help you reimagine your career.

2. Look at your own improvements

Think about something that you're better at now than you were in the past? What did you previously find difficult? Why does it feel easier now? And how did you achieve such a change?

These thoughts can prompt you to think about the time and effort you've spent to improve in particular areas, the hallmarks of a growth mindset.

3. Review the success of others

Try to think about something that you've seen someone else do against the odds. Think about how they achieved their success and what this says about their ability to develop their capabilities.

4. Seek feedback

Whether you've been successful in a project or not, seeking feedback from others is a good way to develop a growth mindset. They may give you insight into where you've developed or what needs improvement. In turn, this can help you to set goals for improvement.

5. Harness the power of 'yet'

The concept of 'yet' is one that Dr Dweck spoke about during a TEDx talk. Essentially, this part of a fixed mindset is about realising that there will be skills or subjects that you're not good at yet. However, with work and perseverance, you can improve in these areas.

Developing a growth mindset is about realising that your weaknesses are strengths you haven't necessarily developed yet.

6. Learn something new

Try a completely new activity and challenge yourself to learn something that you're not already good at. You could start with learning a new language, picking up an instrument, or understanding the basics of economics.

By getting used to getting out of your comfort zone, you can develop a growth mindset and be more open to learning new skills.

7. Make mistakes

You're not going to get everything right the first time of trying. Allow yourself to make errors and then learn from those missteps. Rather than thinking that mistakes equal ineptitude, think of them as part of the learning process.

Mistakes give you the chance to identify where you may have a weakness or lack of understanding - areas you can work hard to improve.

8. Be kind to yourself

Rather than scolding yourself for your errors, try and identify how you'd treat someone else in your situation. If someone was to fail at a task you know inside out, would you tell them they're useless or encourage them to learn?

Being mindful can help you to improve your communication, relationships and emotional help. It can also help you identify thoughts that are linked to a fixed mindset and move away from them.

9. Look at examples

If you're striving to develop a growth mindset, it can help to look at those who already embody one. Whether it's examples from experts such as Dr Dweck or through looking at people you already know, there are opportunities to learn from others. Examine what they do and how they approach challenges, and think about how you can apply similar tactics.

10. Set realistic goals

As we've explored already, there are many determinants of success. Personality, intelligence, circumstance and other factors can all contribute. However, by setting clear goals that provide a motivating challenge, you can work towards success.

Final thoughts

Despite some conflicting evidence on the power of growth mindsets, many studies have discovered potential benefits. Combined with other positive factors, it seems plausible that having such an approach can help you learn and develop.

Hopefully, some of the growth mindset examples and tips we've provided can help you determine whether such an approach is beneficial to your own life. By challenging yourself and continuing to learn, you can work on your goals and personal development.

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What is a growth mindset and how can you develop one? - FutureLearn

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Discover what it means to have a growth mindset, how they can help you, and the steps you can break away from a fixed mindset. ...

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The Pygmalion Effect: The Latest Research

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The Pygmalion Effect: The Latest Research

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In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a renowned sculptor. He had such love for one of his statues that the gods turned it into a real person.

This story gave its name to the Pygmalion Effect, which is the power of having high expectations of someone else.

No-one rises to low expectations. What we permit, we promote. If we lower our standards in terms of behavior and what is possible, then students will automatically and subconsciously follow suit.

By believing that everyone has the capacity to learn and improve, and by supplementing this with strategies such as focusing on process and mastery, we can ensure that no child is ever left behind.

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The Pygmalion Effect: the latest research

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Many studies have proved the power of high teacher expectations. Recent research gives us clearer strategies to use the Pygmalion Effect in the classroom.

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Ask learners to produce (an) exam question(s) that they could answer confidently.

Gather the questions and redistribute them at random. Learners will be given a set time to answer the question(s) they received.

Learners then meet up with the question author to mark their work against the marking rubric.

Allow learners a short amount of time to improve their answer.