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Mindset Kit - 5-session professional learning series, Growth Mindset for Educator Teams

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This 5-session professional development series helps teams of educators develop the skills needed to implement growth mindset practices. Each session is one hour long and covers a topic from the Growth Mindset for Teachers Course.

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Growth Mindset Toolkit - Transforming Education

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Students with a growth mindset believe that ability can change as a result of effort, perseverance, and practice. You might hear them say, “Math is hard, but if I keep trying, I can get better at it.” Students with a growth mindset see mistakes as ways to learn, embrace challenges, and persist in th…

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A detailed definition of Growth Mindset from Carol Dweck’s Mindset

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A detailed definition of Growth Mindset from Carol Dweck’s Mindset

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Learn what a growth mindset is and why it’s important.

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Interview on Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck and Greg Walton

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Interview on Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck and Greg Walton

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Intentions and actions that benefit both the individual and others

How do you define character?

We define character as everything we do to help other people as well as ourselves.

As an organizing principle, we separate character strengths into three dimensions. Strengths of heart, such as gratitude, enable harmonious relationships with other people. Strengths of will, such as grit and self-control, enable achievement. Strengths of mind, such as curiosity, enable independent thinking.

Character Lab also recognizes and supports a diversity of frameworks including SEL, whole child, and 21st-century skills.

Strengths of heart

Interpersonal

Help us relate to other people in positive ways

Examples: gratitude, kindness

Strengths of mind

Strengths of will

Why character?

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education."

Overwhelming scientific evidence now shows that character strengths like self-control, curiosity, and gratitude are critically important to social and emotional well-being, physical health, and achievement. Although character strengths are malleable, surprisingly little is known about how to cultivate them intentionally.

How can we cultivate character?

At Character Lab, we believe that helping children develop character is an age-old challenge that will yield to a new solution: world-class scientists creating actionable resources for educators, parents, coaches, counselors, and anyone else interested in helping kids thrive. For more, read our Playbooks and Tips of the Week.

Download our Character Strength Posters

Character Strength Posters

Printable 11×17 posters for your classroom or office

Download now

Research articles about character

A tripartite taxonomy of character: Evidence for intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intellectual competencies in children
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 48, 16-27.
Park, D., Tsukayama, E., Goodwin, G. P., Patrick, S., & Duckworth, A. L. (2017).

Integrating psychological and cultural perspectives on virtue: The hierarchical structure of character strengths
The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(5), 407-424. McGrath, R. E. (2015).

The myth of achievement tests: The GED and the role of character in American life Heckman, J., Humphries, J. E., & Kautz, T. (Eds.). (2013). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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Intentions and actions that benefit both the individual and others We define character as everything we do to help other people as well as ourselves. As an organizing principle, we separate character strengths into three dimensions. Strengths of heart, such as gratitude, enable harmonious relationships with other people.

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The Power of belief -- mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach

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Watch Celtics' Brad Stevens Interview About Growth Mindset

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Watch Celtics' Brad Stevens Interview About Growth Mindset

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Carol Dweck’s TED Talk on the power of believing that you can improve

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Carol Dweck’s TED Talk on the power of believing that you can improve

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The power of believing that you can improve | Carol Dweck | TED

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Even Geniuses Work Hard: Strategies for Developing a Growth Mindset

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Even Geniuses Work Hard: Strategies for Developing a Growth Mindset

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We can all agree that meaningful schoolwork promotes students' learning of academic content. But why stop there? I believe that meaningful work can also teach students to love challenges, to enjoy effort, to be resilient, and to value their own improvement. In other words, we can design and present learning tasks in a way that helps students develop a growth mindset, which leads to not just short-term achievement but also long-term success.

During the past several decades, my colleagues and I have conducted research identifying two distinct ways in which individuals view intelligence and learning. Individuals with a fixed mindsetbelieve that their intelligence is simply an inborn trait-they have a certain amount, and that's that. In contrast, individuals with a growth mindset believe that they can develop their intelligence over time (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck, 2007; Dweck, 1999, 2007).

These two mindsets lead to different school behaviors. For one thing, when students view intelligence as fixed, they tend to value looking smart above all else. They may sacrifice important opportunities to learn-even those that are important to their future academic success-if those opportunities require them to risk performing poorly or admitting deficiencies. Students with a growth mindset, on the other hand, view challenging work as an opportunity to learn and grow. I have seen students with a growth mindset meet difficult problems, ones they could not solve yet, with great relish. Instead of thinking they were failing (as the students with a fixed mindset did), they said things like "I love a challenge," "Mistakes are our friends," and "I was hoping this would be informative!"

Students with a fixed mindset do not like effort. They believe that if you have ability, everything should come naturally. They tell us that when they have to work hard, they feel dumb. Students with a growth mindset, in contrast, value effort; they realize that even geniuses have to work hard to develop their abilities and make their contributions.

Finally, students with a fixed mindset tend not to handle setbacks well. Because they believe that setbacks call their intelligence into question, they become discouraged or defensive when they don't succeed right away. They may quickly withdraw their effort, blame others, lie about their scores, or consider cheating. Students with a growth mindset are more likely to respond to initial obstacles by remaining involved, trying new strategies, and using all the resources at their disposal for learning.

Teachers who strive to design challenging, meaningful learning tasks may find that their students respond differently depending on the students' assumptions about intelligence. Students with a growth mindset may tackle such work with excitement, whereas students with a fixed mindset may feel threatened by learning tasks that require them to stretch or take risks.

To prepare students to benefit from meaningful work, therefore, teachers need to create a growth-mindset culture in the classroom. One way to create such a culture is by providing the right kinds of praise and encouragement. My research has shown that praising students for the process they have engaged in-the effort they applied, the strategies they used, the choices they made, the persistence they displayed, and so on-yields more long-term benefits than telling them they are "smart" when they succeed.

Teachers should also emphasize that fast learning is not always the deepest and best learning and that students who take longer sometimes understand things at a deeper level. Students can learn about many historical figures who were not regarded as "fast" learners in childhood. Albert Einstein swore that he was slow to learn and that's why he pondered the same questions year after year-with, as we know, excellent results.

Some teachers teach their students about the different mindsets directly. (To learn about a growth mindset curriculum that my colleagues and I have created, go to www.brainology.us.) Teachers may illustrate the concept of the growth mindset by having their students write about, and share with one another, something they used to be poor at and are now very good at.

In one class, for example, the students were astounded to learn that the school's baseball star used to be inept at baseball and only became proficient after much practice. Such discussions encourage students not to be ashamed to struggle with something before they are good at it.

Teachers can also ask their students to choose an area in which they would like to improve and then to establish a personal goal that would be a big reach for them. For example, a student who is typically afraid of criticism might decide to seek critical feedback on her next art project; an algebra student struggling to understand absolute values might commit to watching a YouTube video on how to solve linear absolute value equations, and then teach the process to his classmates; a student who lacks physical confidence might join a sports team; or a shy student might approach other students she would like to befriend. Students can share their plans and even help one another enhance their skills and reach their goal.

Another strategy is to have students write a letter to a struggling student explaining the growth mindset, telling the struggler not to label himself or herself, and giving the student advice on improvement strategies to try.

Through such exercises, teachers are transmitting crucial information-telling students that they view them all as having intelligence that they can choose to develop. The teachers are also communicating that their role is not to judge who is smart and who is not, but to collaborate with students to make everyone smarter.

Within a classroom culture that supports a growth mindset, teachers can design meaningful learning tasks and present them in a way that fosters students' resilience and long-term achievement.

Meaningful learning tasks need to challenge every student in some way. It is crucial that no student be able to coast to success time after time; this experience can create the fixed-mindset belief that you are smart only if you can succeed without effort.

To prevent this, teachers can identify students who have easily mastered the material and design in-class assignments that include some problems or exercises that require these students to stretch. This way, the teacher will be close at hand to guide students if necessary and get them used to (and ultimately excited about) the challenging work. Some teachers have told me that after a while, students begin to select or create challenging tasks for themselves.

When presenting learning tasks to students, the teacher should portray challenges as fun and exciting, while portraying easy tasks as boring and less useful for the brain. When students initially struggle or make mistakes, the teacher should view this as an opportunity to teach students how to try different strategies if the first ones don't work-how to step back and think about what to try next, like a detective solving a mystery.

Suppose that a student has attempted a math problem but is now stuck. The teacher can say, "OK, let's solve this mystery!" and ask the student to show the strategies he or she has tried so far. As the student explains a strategy, the teacher can say, "That's an interesting strategy. Let's think about why it didn't work and whether it gives us some clues for a new path. What should we try next?"

When, perhaps with the teacher's guidance, the student finds a fruitful strategy, the teacher can say "Great! You tried different ways, you followed the clues, and you found a strategy that worked. You're just like Sherlock Holmes, the great detective. Are you ready to try another one?" In this way, the teacher can simultaneously gain insight into what the student does and does not understand and teach the student to struggle through knotty problems.

Meaningful learning tasks give students a clear sense of progress leading to mastery. This means that students can see themselves doing tasks they couldn't do before and understanding concepts they couldn't understand before. Work that gives students a sense of improvement as a result of effort gives teachers an opportunity to praise students for their process. That is, teachers can point out that the students' efforts were what led to the progress and improvement over time.

Some teachers make students' progress explicit by giving pre-tests at the beginning of a unit that purposely cover material students do not know. When students compare their inevitably poor performance on these pre-tests with their improved performance on unit post-tests, they get used to the idea that, with application, they can become smarter.

Homework is an especially important component of an instructional program that enhances students' sense of learning and progress. Homework assignments should not feel like mindless, repetitive exercises; rather, they should present novel problems for students to solve, require them to apply what they've learned in new ways, or ask them to stretch to the next level.

For example, suppose that students are learning about the rise and fall of civilizations. Their homework assignment might be to apply their learning by designing a civilization that would either thrive (by building in positive factors) or implode (by building in risk factors). They can write the story of their civilization and what happened to it. Or suppose students were studying Shakespeare's sonnets. For homework, they could write a sonnet to the person or animal of their choice in the style of Shakespeare.

The way teachers evaluate their students' work can also help students develop a growth mindset. At one high school in Chicago, when students don't master a particular unit of study, they don't receive a failing grade-instead, they get a grade of Not Yet. Students are not ashamed of that grade because they know that they're expected to master the material, if not the first time, then the next time, or the next.

The word "yet" is valuable and should be used frequently in every classroom. Whenever students say they can't do something or are not good at something, the teacher should add, "yet." Whenever students say they don't like a certain subject, the teacher should say, "yet." This simple habit conveys the idea that ability and motivation are fluid.

Some teachers my colleagues and I work with tell us that they've shifted their grading system to consider more growth-mindset criteria, so that no student can coast to an A and students who struggle and improve get credit for their effort. One school bases one-fourth of each student's grade on growth-mindset factors, thus rewarding students who challenge themselves, are resilient in the face of difficulty, and show clear improvement over time. Other schools give a separate grade for challenge-seeking, effort, and resilience. Of course, for that grade to be effective (and not just a consolation prize), teachers need to have reinforced the value of these qualities daily throughout the school year.

What if a student puts in great effort but does not improve? The teacher needs to factor in the effort but then work with the student to figure out what the impasse was and how the student can break through that impasse.

Meaningful work not only promotes learning in the immediate situation, but also promotes a love of learning and resilience in the face of obstacles. This kind of meaningful work takes place in classrooms in which teachers praise the learning process rather than the students' ability, convey the joy of tackling challenging learning tasks, and highlight progress and effort. Students who are nurtured in such classrooms will have the values and tools that breed lifelong success.

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We can all agree that meaningful schoolwork promotes students' learning of academic content. But why stop there? I believe that meaningful work can also teach students to love challenges, to enjoy effort, to be resilient, and to value their own improvement. In other words, we can design and present

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The Power of Mistakes: Creating a Risk-Tolerant Culture at Home and School

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The Power of Mistakes: Creating a Risk-Tolerant Culture at Home and School

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Educators and parents want their kids to seek challenges and persist through difficulty-but so often, they don't. It's all too familiar: John always takes the easy way out; Angel gives up at the first sign of difficulty; Anna falls apart when she gets a disappointing grade.

Of course, struggling students are especially vulnerable to helplessness and fear of failure. But even high-performing kids fall prey to test anxiety, or avoid that one subject that fills them with dread. Why does this happen? And what can we do about it?

The sad truth is that many students feel very vulnerable in school. For lots of kids, school is above all a place where they are tested and judged-often publicly-and where they feel inadequate. Sometimes, this vulnerability extends to the home, especially if parents place a very high value on perfect performance or are intolerant of failure. It's not what we intend, but it's what they experience.

The good news is that it's within our power to change this, if we know the keys to creating a risk-tolerant home and classroom culture.

Most students dread "making a mistake"-especially a public one. Here's what one beginning 6th grader told us when we asked how he felt about doing a hard problem where he would make mistakes:

"If I were doing it in front of people? I wouldn't really want to do it, because when you make mistakes people will be, like, 'No what are you doing, you're doing it wrong,' and that tends to be embarrassing. When you ask for help, and there's kids around, they know that you're not understanding it, and then some people think that it's really easy, they're like, 'How are you not understanding it?' and it makes you feel stupid, and then you get embarrassed." (Roberlio)

Note that Roberlio wasn't objecting to the difficult problem itself-it was the risk of embarrassment and "feeling stupid" that made him want to avoid a challenge. In our work, we've interviewed dozens of students and surveyed hundreds more, and most of them acknowledge similar concerns.

Here are four things you can do to create a risk-tolerant culture, and liberate the young people (and adults) in your life to reach their potential.

1) Highlight the value of mistakes in the service of learning. If you ask them, most people will say that they've learned more from their mistakes than from their successes. And it's impossible to tackle a challenge without making some mistakes. So, celebrate mistakes in your classroom and home as great chances to learn. Explain that learning requires stretching beyond your comfort zone. As a teacher, when you introduce a new topic or assignment, tell students they should expect to find some things confusing and to make initial errors-and if they don't, that you need to raise the challenge level so they will in fact be learning. Point out the interesting varied ways people approach the same problem, and have your students discuss what each person was thinking. Ask kids to share their "best" mistake of the week with you, and what they learned from it (and do the same yourself). And bring humor into the mix. A growth mindset teacher keeps a giant pink eraser labeled "For BIG mistakes" on her desk!

2) Put kids in charge of their own learning. When we are preoccupied with obtaining a favorable evaluation by others, we become risk-averse. Rather than focusing on your evaluations, encourage your kids to assess their own progress. There are many good self-assessment tools out there for students of all ages. Among them, those that ask students to reflect on their learning process-what we call metacognitive thinking and strategies-are particularly helpful for increasing ownership of the learning experience. Finally, ask open-ended questions that prompt kids to think for themselves: not "What did you get on your test?" but "How did you prepare?" "Where did you get confused?" or "What did you learn?"

3) Give growth mindset feedback. Praise the process, not the person. Don't get too excited about a "success," especially if it comes without effort. In the moment, it feels good to be told, "Fantastic, perfect, you're a genius!" But it focuses the young person's attention on the judgment that you have made about them, rather than on what they can control, such as their attention, effort, and strategy. Right now, it's a positive judgment-but if they don't do it perfectly the next time, it will be a letdown. (This is the source of a lot of anxiety among high-achieving kids.) Make challenge-seeking and diligent effort, rather than performance, the goal.

4) Nurture a risk-tolerant peer culture. We may not find Roberlio's 6th grade classmates very intimidating, but peers are powerful agents, and you can't have a risk-tolerant culture without their cooperation. This can work the other way too: kids can tear down a classmate who seems to be striving in class (the well-known "crabs in a bucket" phenomenon). As the adult, you need to set the tone and establish clear expectations about how your students treat each other. How?

Never call out or embarrass a student publicly over anything if you can help it.

Don't over-praise students publicly-especially not for their attributes or for performance alone. Commend them instead for prosocial behavior-which can include accepting challenges, staying on task, persisting, and being resourceful, as well as volunteering, helping others, and being kind.

Encourage and model empathy. Ask students to reflect on how others may feel, and let them know that they can help create a culture that will support them by doing so for others. People tend to give back what they get!

Finally, never compare your kids with regard to their attributes or talents. (This one may be very hard!) When one of the kids in a family or classroom is "the smart one" or "the athletic one," that child may limit themselves to that pursuit--while the others may just give up trying in that domain for fear of never measuring up.

Some of these changes may take time, and at first your kids may even resist, especially if they've become dependent on easy praise or learned to be comfortable in a low-challenge mode. But if you stick with it, you'll see them start to show more initiative, persistence, and supportiveness of one another-the hallmarks of a growth mindset culture.

Tell us about your experiences in creating a risk-tolerant culture in your home or school!

Acknowledgments: Thanks to my educator-colleagues Jenn Maichin and Emily Diehl for sharing insights and practices that informed this piece!

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The Power of Mistakes: Creating a Risk-Tolerant Culture at Home and School

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Educators and parents want their kids to seek challenges and persist through difficulty-but so often, they don't. It's all too familiar: John always takes the easy way out; Angel gives up at the first sign of difficulty; Anna falls apart when she gets a disappointing grade.Of course, struggling students are especially vulnerable to helplessness and...

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Students’ View of Intelligence Can Help Grades

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Students’ View of Intelligence Can Help Grades

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A new study in the scientific journal Child Development shows that if you teach students that their intelligence can grow and increase, they do better in school.

All children develop a belief about their own intelligence, according to research psychologist Carol Dweck from Stanford University.

"Some students start thinking of their intelligence as something fixed, as carved in stone," Dweck says. "They worry about, 'Do I have enough? Don't I have enough?'"

Dweck calls this a "fixed mindset" of intelligence.

"Other children think intelligence is something you can develop your whole life," she says. "You can learn. You can stretch. You can keep mastering new things."

She calls this a "growth mindset" of intelligence.

Dweck wondered whether a child's belief about intelligence has anything to do with academic success. So, first, she looked at several hundred students going into seventh grade, and assessed which students believed their intelligence was unchangeable, and which children believed their intelligence could grow. Then she looked at their math grades over the next two years.

"We saw among those with the growth mindset steadily increasing math grades over the two years," she says. But that wasn't the case for those with the so-called "fixed mindset." They showed a decrease in their math grades.

This led Dweck and her colleague, Lisa Blackwell, from Columbia University to ask another question.

"If we gave students a growth mindset, if we taught them how to think about their intelligence, would that benefit their grades?" Dweck wondered.

So, about 100 seventh graders, all doing poorly in math, were randomly assigned to workshops on good study skills. One workshop gave lessons on how to study well. The other taught about the expanding nature of intelligence and the brain.

The students in the latter group "learned that the brain actually forms new connections every time you learn something new, and that over time, this makes you smarter."

Basically, the students were given a mini-neuroscience course on how the brain works. By the end of the semester, the group of kids who had been taught that the brain can grow smarter, had significantly better math grades than the other group.

"When they studied, they thought about those neurons forming new connections," Dweck says. "When they worked hard in school, they actually visualized how their brain was growing."

Dweck says this new mindset changed the kids' attitude toward learning and their willingness to put forth effort. Duke University psychologist, Steven Asher, agrees. Teaching children that they're in charge of their own intellectual growth motivates a child to work hard, he says.

"If you think about a child who's coping with an especially challenging task, I don't think there's anything better in the world than that child hearing from a parent or from a teacher the words, 'You'll get there.' And that, I think, is the spirit of what this is about."

Dweck's latest book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, gives parents and teachers specific ways to teach the growth mindset of intelligence to children.

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Students' View of Intelligence Can Help Grades

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A new study in the scientific journal Child Development shows that if you teach students that their intelligence can grow and increase, they do better in school. All children develop a belief about their own intelligence, according to research psychologist Carol Dweck from Stanford University.

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Develop A Growth Mindset in High School Students – Practitioner Brief

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Develop A Growth Mindset in High School Students – Practitioner Brief

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‘Growth Mindset’ Gaining Traction as School Improvement Strategy

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‘Growth Mindset’ Gaining Traction as School Improvement Strategy

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It's one thing to say all students can learn, but making them believe it-and do it-can require a 180-degree shift in students' and teachers' sense of themselves and of one another.

While expressions like the "soft bigotry of low expectations" underscore the effects of teachers' and students' mindsets on academic success, it has proved difficult to pin down whether and how it's possible to change those attitudes once established.

Nonetheless, attempts to change that dynamic, from targeted interventions to restructured schools, are gaining traction as many states overhaul their curricula to match the Common Core State Standards and incorporate student-growth measures into accountability systems.

Three decades have passed since the Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck and others first linked students' motivation to the way they perceived intelligence. Students who believe intelligence or skill can be improved by effort and experimentation-what Ms. Dweck calls a "growth mindset"-seek challenges, learn from mistakes, and keep faith in themselves in the face of failure.

By contrast, those who believe intelligence and skill are traits you are born with-a "fixed mindset"-can be discouraged by failure and reluctant to challenge themselves.

Those mindsets are self-reinforcing, and Ms. Dweck, her colleagues, and other researchers have found in dozens of studies that students with a growth mindset improve more in academics and other skills, and can even be less aggressive and more socially engaged.

"When we understand that we can build our intelligence, rather than it being fixed, we take risks; we are interested in learning from mistakes rather than focusing on how people see us and wanting to do things perfectly and quickly," said Eduardo Briceño, a co-founder and the CEO of Mindset Works, a company based on the research by Ms. Dweck and Lisa S. Blackwell, the program's co-founders.

'Brainology' Approach

Mindset Works, based in San Carlos, Calif., won a small-business-innovation grant from the federal Institute of Education Sciences to scale up its "Brainology" curriculum, which provides six to 12 hours of online and in-person instruction and activities over five to 12 weeks.

The software targets grades 5-9, though the program as a whole can be implemented schoolwide. Lessons include brain development and learning, fixed-vs.-growth mindsets, and different strategies students can use when they hit difficulty in a particular subject or problem.

The program is being used in about 600 schools nationwide, and the District of Columbia school system is rolling it out this fall in middle school advisory classes.

-Jennifer Zdon for Education Week

It's also been integrated into Scholastic Inc.'s Math 180 curriculum this fall, so that students in grades 6-12 begin math instruction with two weeks of lessons explaining mindsets and neuroplasticity-the concept that the brain changes with experience-followed by periodic refreshers during the year, according to Tyler Reed, the corporate-communications director for the New York City-based publisher.

"The thing is, kids don't mind failing," said David Dockterman, Scholastic's chief architect of learning sciences and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. "When kids play video games, they fail 80 percent of the time. They look at failure there as an opportunity to learn."

However, students can find school mistakes humiliating, he said.

"How you set it up for kids matters; they hear you. There's a lot of implicit meaning for kids," Mr. Dockterman told 600 middle and high school math teachers at a professional-development seminar in the Baltimore County, Md., school district last month.

For example, a teacher setting out a problem from a new unit might say, "Let's start with an easy one," which can discourage students who struggle or get the problem wrong; but a teacher might set students more at ease by introducing the same problem with, "This might take a few tries."

Focus in New Orleans

At the SciAcademy Charter School here in New Orleans, Anthony McElligott's sophomore chemistry class is learning to pose hypotheses about the dispersion patterns of two drops of identical ink in two identical beakers of water. Strolling around the class, the teacher points to one furiously scribbling student: "Chris' paper has 'because,' which shows he's supporting his answers with evidence. If you think you are done, add more evidence, give an example."

After demonstrating the experiment, Mr. McElligott finds about half the class correctly predicted the ink would have different dispersion patterns even though the water and beakers were the same and the ink was dropped in the center of each beaker. When those who answered incorrectly mutter in frustration, he smiles: "We're going to see in this class really great scientists who were wrong again and again."

-Jennifer Zdon for Education Week

The three-school Collegiate Academies charter network, of which SciAcademy was the first, sees cultivating growth mindsets as its first and most important mission. Founder Ben A. Marcovitz launched SciAcademy six years ago as one of the first charter high schools to open after Hurricane Katrina.

SciAcademy, the neighboring George Washington Carver Collegiate Academy, and George Washington Carver Preparatory Academy high schools, hire teachers based on multiple classroom observations, not just interviews.

Typically, Mr. Marcovitz estimates, 60 percent of interviewees don't stick around for the classroom observations, in which they teach a lesson, receive feedback, and teach again a few weeks later.

"But the 40 percent who do have already made a commitment to growth," he said. "[The hiring process] allows us to weed out people evincing growth mindset who haven't internalized it."

That's common, Mr. Briceño of Mindset Works said. In professional-development sessions, he has found about a third of teachers have heard the terms "fixed" and "growth" mindsets, "but might not know exactly what it is."

Teachers often confuse "teaching a growth mindset and exhorting kids to try hard," Ms. Dweck said. "You can't just tell a child to try hard without giving them strategies and supporting their efforts."

As part of an ongoing series of studies of growth-mindset teaching practices, Ms. Dweck and other researchers tracked more than 250,000 students learning fractions via the online Khan Academy program. Minor changes to student feedback-such as providing improvement-related praise vs. general encouragement-improved student persistence and math achievement, they found.

Praising students' strategies, focus, effort, persistence, and improvement "takes the spotlight off fixed ability and puts it on the process of learning," Ms. Dweck said.

At SciAcademy, the approach means students' learning problems are discussed privately, after class, while improvements are always called out in public, and in detail-even for a student moving from a 62 percent on the last test to a 65 percent on the next.

"Students of the week" are not only recognized during Friday gatherings, but also are asked to describe the steps they used to reach the goal.

It's important for teachers to go into detail when citing a student's correct answer, Mr. Dockterman said.

"If you talk about what the kid did [to get the right answer], other students can model it," he said. "If you just say, 'You're so smart,' they can't learn anything from that."

SciAcademy went so far as to ban the word "smart" on campus.

"That sounds like it has a weird 1984 connotation but it's really important," said Spencer Sherman, the 12th grade dean and environmental science teacher. "You get in the habit of saying 'smart,' and you find yourself saying it to kids, and you give kids the expectation that [intelligence] is fixed. We'll call each other out on it, because adult culture very quickly becomes scholar culture."

'Designed to Fail'

It can be particularly challenging to focus on effort with students who do excel easily. While teachers often notice struggling students who think they are "no good" in a subject, it's easier for high-achieving students to slip under the radar, Mr. Dockterman said.

"You think you are good at math and so it comes easy for you, but you stick to the things that are easy, and if you get to something hard, you shut down," he added.

SciAcademy found that out the hard way.

The school initially enrolled students in Advanced Placement classes on the basis of their having received top grades in similar subjects, Mr. Sherman explained. Many previously high-achieving students who "hit the wall" in the harder classes grew demoralized and reluctant to tackle other challenging work.

In response, the school opened Advanced Placement to anyone, but pitched the courses differently-"This will be the hardest class, with the most homework, but you'll learn more," Mr. Sherman said-and required an entry essay based on text difficult for even advanced students."It is a task you're designed to fail, because we want students to figure out how to respond to that," he said. "We're trying to weed out for fixed mindset. Now the students in AP don't think they got there by being smarter than everyone else, but because they worked really hard for it."

Collegiate Academies staff see a growth mindset as a necessity for their campuses, which are made up of interlocking trailers, and located in a post-Katrina neighborhood still dotted with abandoned houses and shopping centers.

"We have to believe that a student who comes to us reading at a 2nd grade level can go to college in four years," said Margo Bouchie, Collegiate Academies' chief academic officer. "You can't come to work everyday if you don't believe that, and we have to be very honest with the scholars about where they are."

School leaders acknowledge there can be a fine line between realistic and pie-in-the-sky growth. But SciAcademy students like junior Eugene Thomas provide some support for optimism: He entered high school reading on a 5th grade level, and moved up to a 10th grade level by the end of the year.

Mr. Thomas said teachers noticed every time he read slightly better and pushed him harder, urging him to read 30 minutes every day on his own time. "It's not really difficult; you just have to work hard," he said.

Quiz: What's Your Mindset
In some schools, a "growth mindset," or the idea that people can improve by seeking challenges and learning from mistakes, has reformed how teachers approach their instruction. How do you approach learning? Are certain skills naturally born to students, or can they really improve by effort alone? Using questions from Mindset Works, we've put together an exercise (not a test!) for you to try out.

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'Growth Mindset' Gaining Traction as School Improvement Strategy

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It's one thing to say all students can learn, but making them believe it-and do it-can require a 180-degree shift in students' and teachers' sense of themselves and of one another. While expressions like the "soft bigotry of low expectations" underscore the effects of teachers' and students' mindsets on academic success, it has proved difficult to pin down whether and how it's possible to change those attitudes once established.

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The Atlantic’s “How Praise Became a Consolation Prize”

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The Atlantic’s “How Praise Became a Consolation Prize”

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Helping children confront challenges requires a more nuanced understanding of the "growth mindset."

As a young researcher, Carol Dweck was fascinated by how some children faced challenges and failures with aplomb while others shrunk back. Dweck, now a psychologist at Stanford University, eventually identified two core mindsets, or beliefs, about one's own traits that shape how people approach challenges: "fixed mindset," the belief that one's abilities were carved in stone and predetermined at birth, and "growth mindset," the belief that one's skills and qualities could be cultivated through effort and perseverance. Her findings brought the concepts of fixed and growth mindsets to the fore for educators and parents, inspiring the implementation of her ideas among teachers-and even companies -across the country.

But Dweck recently noticed a trend: a widespread embrace of what she refers to as "false growth mindset"-a misunderstanding of the idea's core message. Growth mindset's popularity was leading some educators to believe that it was simpler than it was, that it was only about putting forth effort or that a teacher could foster growth mindset merely by telling kids to try hard. A teacher might applaud a child for making an effort on a science test even if he'd failed it, for instance, believing that doing so would promote growth mindset in that student regardless of the outcome. But such empty praise can exacerbate some of the very problems that growth mindset is intended to counter. A new edition of Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, updated to address false growth mindset, comes out at the end of this month. I recently spoke with Dweck about how she wants her ideas to be applied. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Christine Gross-Loh: Could you tell me about the development of the idea of growth mindset? What was it intended to correct? What were you seeing that you felt growth mindset would help improve?

Carol Dweck: I've always been interested, since graduate school, in why some children wilt and shrink back from challenges and give up in the face of obstacles, while others avidly seek challenges and become even more invested in the face of obstacles. So this has been my primary question for over 40 years. At some point, my graduate students and I realized that a student's mindset was at the foundation of whether [he or she] loved challenges and persisted in the face of failure.

When students had more of a fixed mindset-the idea that abilities are carved in stone, that you have a certain amount and that's that-they saw challenges as risky. They could fail, and their basic abilities would be called into question. When they hit obstacles, setbacks, or criticism, this was just more proof that they didn't have the abilities that they cherished.

In contrast, when students had more of a growth mindset, they held the view that talents and abilities could be developed and that challenges were the way to do it. Learning something new, something hard, sticking to things-that's how you get smarter. Setbacks and feedback weren't about your abilities, they were information you could use to help yourself learn. With a growth mindset, kids don't necessarily think that there's no such thing as talent or that everyone is the same, but they believe everyone can develop their abilities through hard work, strategies, and lots of help and mentoring from others.

Gross-Loh: When I first interviewed you about growth mindset a few years ago, I remember that it was a relatively unknown idea. But growth mindset is now so popular that I'll hear people who aren't steeped in educational theory say, "Praise the effort, not the child (or the outcome)." Why do you think this idea struck such a chord, and how did you find out there were people misunderstanding it?
"Nobody has a growth mindset in everything all the time."
Dweck: Many educators were dissatisfied with drilling for high-stakes tests. They understood that student motivation had been a neglected area, especially of late. So many educators, as well as many parents, were excited to implement something that might reenergize kids to focus on learning again, not just memorization and test taking, but on deeper, more joyful learning.

But a colleague of mine, Susan Mackie, was doing workshops with educators in Australia and observed that many of them were saying they got growth mindset and were running with it, but did not understand it deeply. She told me, "I'm seeing a lot of false growth mindset." I just did not get it initially-growth mindset is a very straightforward concept, and besides, why would people settle for a false growth mindset if they could have a real one? But I started keeping a list of all the ways people were misunderstanding growth mindset. When the list got long enough, I started speaking and writing about it.

Gross-Loh: Could you elaborate on false growth mindset?

Dweck: False growth mindset is saying you have growth mindset when you don't really have it or you don't really understand [what it is]. It's also false in the sense that nobody has a growth mindset in everything all the time. Everyone is a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets. You could have a predominant growth mindset in an area but there can still be things that trigger you into a fixed mindset trait. Something really challenging and outside your comfort zone can trigger it, or, if you encounter someone who is much better than you at something you pride yourself on, you can think "Oh, that person has ability, not me." So I think we all, students and adults, have to look for our fixed-mindset triggers and understand when we are falling into that mindset.

I think a lot of what happened [with false growth mindset among educators] is that instead of taking this long and difficult journey, where you work on understanding your triggers, working with them, and over time being able to stay in a growth mindset more and more, many educators just said, "Oh yeah, I have a growth mindset" because either they know it's the right mindset to have or they understood it in a way that made it seem easy.

Gross-Loh: Why do you think these misunderstandings occurred?

Dweck: Many people understood growth mindset deeply and implemented it in a very sophisticated and effective way. However, there were many others who understood it in a way that wasn't quite accurate, or distilled it down to something that wasn't quite effective, or assimilated it into something they already knew.

Often when we see kids who aren't learning well, we might feel frustrated or defensive, thinking it reflects on us as educators. It's often tempting to not feel it is our fault. So we might say the child has a fixed mindset, without understanding instead that, as educators, it is our responsibility to create a context in which a growth mindset can flourish.

Gross-Loh: So it seems that the danger is that some teachers think they have growth mindset and believe it will transfer to their students, even though they themselves don't really understand it. How about this: Are there educators who do understand the idea that abilities can be developed but don't understand how to pass it on to students? Are there certain children who are more vulnerable to this sort of misunderstanding of growth mindset?

Dweck: Yes, another misunderstanding [of growth mindset] that might apply to lower-achieving children is the oversimplification of growth mindset into just [being about] effort. Teachers were just praising effort that was not effective, saying "Wow, you tried really hard!" But students know that if they didn't make progress and you're praising them, it's a consolation prize. They also know you think they can't do any better. So this kind of growth-mindset idea was misappropriated to try to make kids feel good when they were not achieving.

The mindset ideas were developed as a counter to the self-esteem movement of blanketing everyone with praise, whether deserved or not. To find out that teachers were using it in the same way was of great concern to me. The whole idea of growth-mindset praise is to focus on the learning process. When you focus on effort, [you have to] show how effort created learning progress or success.

Gross-Loh: What should people do to avoid falling into this trap?

Dweck: A lot of parents or teachers say praise the effort, not the outcome. I say [that's] wrong: Praise the effort that led to the outcome or learning progress; tie the praise to it. It's not just effort, but strategy ... so support the student in finding another strategy. Effective teachers who actually have classrooms full of children with a growth mindset are always supporting children's learning strategies and showing how strategies created that success.

Students need to know that if they're stuck, they don't need just effort. You don't want them redoubling their efforts with the same ineffective strategies. You want them to know when to ask for help and when to use resources that are available.

All of this is part of the process that needs to be taught and tied to learning.
"Focus on the learning process and show how hard work, good strategies, and good use of resources lead to better learning."
Gross-Loh: Is there a right way to praise kids and encourage them to do well?

Dweck: Many parents and teachers who themselves have growth mindset aren't passing it on because they are trying to protect the child's confidence, focus on the child's ability, and kind of boost the child's view or protect the child from a failure. They're conveying anxiety about ability.

But we have a new line of research (with my former graduate student, Kyla Haimovitz) showing that the way a parent reacts to a child's failure conveys a mindset to a child regardless of the parent's mindset. If parents react to their child's failures as though there is something negative, if they rush in, are anxious, reassure the child, "Oh not everyone can be good at math, don't worry, you're good at other things," the child gets it that no, this is important, and it's fixed. That child is developing a fixed mindset, even if the parent has a growth mindset.

But if the parent reacts to a child's failure as though it's something that enhances learning, asking, "Okay, what is this teaching us? Where should we go next? Should we talk to the teacher about how we can learn this better?" that child comes to understand that abilities can be developed.

So, with praise, focus on "process praise"-focus on the learning process and show how hard work, good strategies, and good use of resources lead to better learning. Be matter-of-fact, with not too strong or too passive a reaction.

You can see evidence of fixed mindset as young as 3.5 or 4 years old; that's when mindsets can start becoming evident, where some kids are very upset when they make a mistake or get criticized and fall into a helpless place. That's when children become able to evaluate themselves. We collaborated ... with researchers from the University of Chicago who had a longitudinal project with videotape of mother-child interactions. What we found was the more praise was process-oriented-not a ton, just where the greater proportion of the praise was process praise [versus outcome praise]-the more those children had a growth mindset and a high desire for challenge five years later, when they were in second grade.

Gross-Loh: That's very helpful to know for parents of young children. But what about older kids who might feel discouraged and worn-down after years of feeling that they weren't smart enough or a fear that they would never be able to be successful? Is it ever too late to foster a growth mindset in students?

Dweck: No-we've developed a number of online workshops addressed at adolescents and shown that when we teach [those] students a growth mindset, many of them regain their motivation to learn and achieve higher grades, especially students who have been struggling or students who have been laboring under a negative stereotype about [their own] abilities.

Research conducted last year by my former graduate student, David Yeager [now a professor at the University of Texas], on 18,000 students entering ninth grade, shows us that students who took growth-mindset workshops are seeking more challenges.

You can't tell adolescents, "We're adults, we have the answer, and we're going to tell you what it is." So we said, "We're scientists from Stanford University and the University of Texas, and we need your help. We're experts on the brain and how students learn, but you're the experts on being a freshman in high school and we'd like your input for a program we're developing for future freshmen."

We then taught them about how the teenage brain is especially open to learning. We talked about how it's a time of great plasticity, a time they need to take advantage of, and that they can grow their brains through taking on hard tasks in school and sticking to them. We had the students write a letter to a struggling freshman, counseling that person in terms of the growth-mindset principle, which is often very persuasive. We had testimonials from some public figures, talking about how a growth mindset got them to where they were.

Finally we talked about why someone would want a growth mindset. We realized that some kids would be overjoyed to hear you can develop your intellectual abilities, but others might not think it was the most exciting thing. So we then had a whole section on why you might want to develop your mind. Teenagers are really excited about the idea that they can do something to make the world a better place. So we asked them what they want to make their contribution to in the future-family, community, or societal problems-and then talked about how having a strong mind could help them make their future contribution.

We're excited about this because we know the world of the future is going to be about taking on ill-defined, hard jobs that keep changing. It's going to favor people who relish those challenges and know how to fix them. We are committed to creating a nation of learners.

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development of the idea of growth mindset

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Don't Let Praise Become a Consolation Prize

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Helping children confront challenges requires a more nuanced understanding of the "growth mindset," says the psychologist Carol Dweck.

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Growth Mindset Read-Aloud Books & Teacher Readings

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Growth Mindset Read-Aloud Books & Teacher Readings

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Mindsets for the 21st Century and Beyond

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Mindsets for the 21st Century and Beyond

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Editor's note: In the "Becoming Brilliant" blog series, experts explore the six competencies that reflect how children learn and grow as laid out by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff in their new book "Becoming Brilliant."

The world is morphing into a place that no one can foresee. How can we prepare students to live and work in that place?

Not long ago, people could learn job skills and use them indefinitely, but now jobs and skill sets are becoming obsolete at an alarming rate. This means that students, and later adults, need to expect and thrive on challenges and know how to turn failures into stepping stones to a brighter future.

When I was a beginning researcher I wanted to see how children coped with setbacks, so I gave 5th graders simple problems followed by hard problems-ones they couldn't solve. Some hated the hard ones, some tolerated them, but, to my surprise, some relished them. One unforgettable child rubbed his hands together, smacked his lips, and declared, "I love a challenge!" Another said, "I was hoping this would be informative." They didn't think they were failing, they thought they were learning. Although this was years ago, they were already 21st century kids.

I knew then that I had to figure out their secret and, if possible, bottle it. With help from my graduate students, figure it out we did. And we are learning how to bottle it too.

So, what was their secret?

Our research has shown that these children tend to have a "growth mindset." They believe that their basic abilities, even their intelligence, can be developed through learning. That's why they love challenges and remain confident through setbacks. Their more vulnerable counterparts, however, have more of a "fixed mindset." They believe their basic abilities are just fixed-set in stone. So their key goal is to look and feel smart (and never dumb). To accomplish this they often seek easy over hard tasks. And when they do encounter setbacks, they tend to feel inept and lose confidence. Research shows that even exerting effort can make them feel unintelligent. If you're really good at something, they believe, you shouldn't have to work at it.

These mindsets make a difference. In one study we tracked hundreds of students across the difficult transition to seventh grade, akin to entering a new world with harder work, higher standards, and a whole new structure. Those who entered with more of a growth mindset (the belief that they could develop their intelligence) fared better. Their math grades quickly jumped ahead of those of students with a fixed mindset and the gap became wider and wider over the next two years. This was true even though the two groups entered with equivalent past achievement test scores.

Recently, we were able to study all the 10th-graders in the country of Chile. We found that at every socioeconomic level students with a growth mindset were outperforming their peers with a fixed mindset. What was most striking was that when the poorest students held growth mindsets they were performing at the level of far richer students with fixed mindsets.

What's exciting is that we have been able to teach a growth mindset to students through carefully designed workshops. In these workshops, students learn that their brain can grow new, stronger connections when they take on hard learning tasks and stick to them. They learn to avoid categorical smart-dumb thinking and instead focus on their own improvement over time. They hear from other students who have benefitted from learning a growth mindset. And they learn how to apply growth mindset thinking to their schoolwork. In these workshops students also do exercises, such as mentoring a struggling peer using what they learned about the growth mindset. Such workshops have been delivered both in person and online and have typically led to an increase in students' motivation and achievement, particularly among students who are encountering challenges-such as difficult courses, school transitions, or negative stereotypes.

We have also studied how teachers and parents can foster a growth mindset in children. Sadly, many do not-even many of those who hold a growth mindset themselves! This is because adults, in their eagerness to motivate children and build their confidence, can tend to do things that foster a fixed mindset.

Here is what we've found:

Praising children's intelligence conveys that intelligence is fixed and promotes a fixed mindset and its vulnerabilities. Praising the children's learning process-their strategies, hard work, and focus-and linking it to their progress conveys a growth mindset.

Reacting to children's failures with anxiety, false reassurances, or comfort for their lesser ability ("Don't worry, not everyone can be good at math") can foster a fixed mindset. Reacting with compassionate questions and plans for future learning conveys a growth mindset.

Research shows that how math teachers react to their students when the students are stuck is critical. Teachers can help students develop growth mindsets by sitting with them, trying to understand their thinking, and then collaborating with them on how to move forward and what to try next.

But how can teachers themselves develop more of a growth mindset?

In some quarters, a growth mindset became a "requirement." This led many educators to claim a growth mindset without really understanding what it is or how to develop it. We have suggested that educators understand, first, that a growth mindset is the belief that everyone can develop their abilities. It is not simply about being open-minded or flexible. Second, they must understand that all people have both mindsets and that many situations, such as struggles or setbacks, can trigger a fixed mindset. Finally, they must learn how their own fixed mindset is triggered so that they can work to stay in a growth mindset more often.

As we prepare students to thrive in the new world, we can influence whether they see that world as overwhelming and threatening or whether they greet it with the confident words "I love a challenge." The latter are the ones who can make the world, whatever it's like, a better place.

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Mindsets for the 21st century and beyond

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Not long ago, people could learn job skills and use them indefinitely, but now jobs and skill sets are becoming obsolete at an alarming rate. Carol Dweck shares her latest research on preparing students for living and working in the 21st century and beyond.

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Teach students about the importance of trying new and challenging things here.

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Objectives: Students will learn how to grow their brain.

Connection: Watching our caterpillars grow from egg to butterfly and then having to learn how to fly through lots of practice.

I asked my students to name things we had to learn as babies (walk, eat, talk, etc). I then asked students to discuss, with their table, things we couldn't do before but can do now. Once they had enough talking time I asked for volunteers to share what their table discussed (write names, run, ride skateboard, give self bath/shower, climb stairs, sharing etc).

Next in my lesson I displayed a power point presentation from teachers pay teachers called "Teaching a Growth Mindset."

This interactive power point helped explain ways we can grow our brain with different activities and lots of questions to check our understanding of the topic.

To wrap up my lesson, I read the book "Little One Step" by Simon James. This story is about 3 lost ducklings trying to make their way back to their mom. The littlest one is having a hard time walking and feels like giving up until he gets advice from his older siblings to take it one step at a time. Throughout the book he stops and thinks about giving up but he keeps reminding himself to take one little step and eventually makes it all the way back to the pond to his mom.

I explained before reading the book that the main character of the story is having trouble with something and we are going to find out if he is going to quit because its too hard or if he is going to keep trying. After reading the story I asked if the duckling grew his brain and how. My students were really engaged during this story and we related the story to something in their lives that they had trouble with and who helped them or gave them advice on how to do it.

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Mindset Kit - Growth Mindset (Kindergarten)

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Objectives: Students will learn how to grow their brain. Connection: Watching our caterpillars grow from egg to butterfly and then having to learn how to fly through lots of practice. I asked my students to name things we had to learn as babies (walk, eat, talk, etc).

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Assign mindset-related writing prompts here. Students’ journal entries can help you and them see whether and how their mindsets shift over time.

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Mindset Kit - Mindset Assessments (Journal Writing) in 2nd Grade

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Weekly writing prompts to get students thinking about a growth mindset & for the teacher to be able to monitor growth of each student’s mindset.

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Explore a video series with accompanying activities about learning to have a growth mindset by visiting The Mojo Show’s Growth Mindset website.

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ClassDojo and Stanford's PERTS Research Center teamed up to create the the first season of The Mojo Show. The five-episode video series (along with a few incredible activities) highlight the power of having a growth mindset, and how any student can learn this skill!

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ClassDojo and Stanford's PERTS Research Center teamed up to create the the first season of The Mojo Show. The five-episode video series (along with a few incredible activities) highlight the power of having a growth mindset, and how any student can learn this skill!

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Explore difference between a growth and a fixed mindset using The Day The Crayons Quit for a guided discussion here.

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Discuss an article about brain research with your students. The article can be found here. Have students write a letter giving advice to a friend based on what they learned from the article.

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Help students develop a growth mindset by learning about the neuroscience.  Watch this 2-minute video together to guide your discussion.

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One way to help your students develop a growth mindset is to explain that the brain can get stronger and smarter. Research shows that student actually do better in school when they learn this.

For example, you can explain that the cells in the brain called neurons are each connected to thousands of other neurons. The strength, number, and location of those neurons affect how the brain works. Amazingly, these connections change all the time as a result of our experiences. Certain experiences cause new connections to form or strengthen, making the brain smarter by literally rewiring it.

Here's a synopsis of two studies that show the brain changing in action. In one study, researchers studied rats. They found that what the rates did day to day affected the connections in their brains. Some rats were put in empty cages with nothing to do besides eat and sleep. Other rats were put in more stimulating, challenging cages with puzzles and other rats to interact with.

At the end of the experiment, they examined the brains of each group of rats. The rats who were put in the challenging environment with mazes and other rats had much denser, more interconnected brains, and the brains actually weighed more. Most important, they were smarter, too. They were better at solving problems and learning new things.

A study on London tax drivers provides additional evidence that working hard on something challenging can cause anatomical changes in the brain. Anyone who wants to be a taxi driver in London has to take a very challenging exam known to Londoners as The Knowledge. They often spend years studying for the exam and familiarizing themselves with the streets of London.

Scientists hypothesize that since they give their brains such a workout, the part of the brain responsible for spatial memory, the hippocampus might be larger in taxi drivers compared to other Londoners. That's exactly what they found. On top of that, the longer the person had been a taxi driver, the bigger the hippocampus was.

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Mindset Kit - Explain the neuroscience, Teaching a Growth Mindset

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One way to help your students develop a growth mindset is to explain that the brain can get stronger and smarter. Research shows that student actually do better in school when they learn this. For example, you can explain that the cells in the brain called neurons are each connected to thousands of other neurons.

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Study a novel about learning from loss and overcoming adversity. See this list for sample books.

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Young Adult Novels That Teach a Growth Mindset

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Use these novels to teach learning from loss and overcoming adversity to your middle schoolers and high school freshmen.

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Explore a growth mindset lesson plan developed by Khan Academy & PERTS here.

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Emphasize process and perseverance by posting students’ work in progress, instead of only finished products, so that students can see how work evolves with effort and feedback.

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Nurture a culture that tolerates risk and mistakes by portraying challenges as fun and exciting, while portraying easy tasks as boring and less useful for the brain. When students initially struggle or make mistakes, use it as an opportunity to learn how to try different strategies if the first ones don't work—how to step back and think about what to try next, like a detective solving a mystery.

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Embrace mistakes as part of the learning process. 

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Embrace mistakes as part of the learning process. 

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Communicate your growth mindset goals by writing your students a letter about how mistakes are opportunities to learn.” See this example of a teacher’s welcome back letter.

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Communicate high learning expectations in your classroom by using phrases from Mindset Work’s helpful Growth Mindset Framing Tool.

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Use targeted language that focuses attention on students’ strategies and efforts, rather than results. Doing so conveys the belief that consistent effort leads to desirable results and encourages students to persist and pursue greater challenges. For example, “You got a great score! You must have worked hard to figure out those problems,” or, “Tell me about the different strategies you used to get to that answer.” Refer to this Growth Mindset Feedback Tool for helpful language frames to encourage students along the way.

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Normalize struggle as part of the learning process and emphasize reflection by modeling and guiding student learning through a think-aloud.  Watch this video for ideas on targeted strategies.

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Math.Practice.MP1

Common core State Standards

Math: Math

Practice: Mathematical Practice Standards

MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Mathematically proficient students start by explaining to themselves the meaning of a problem and looking for entry points to its solution. They analyze givens, constraints, relationships, and goals. They make conjectures about the form and meaning of the solution and plan a solution pathway rather than simply jumping into a solution attempt. They consider analogous problems, and try special cases and simpler forms of the original problem in order to gain insight into its solution. They monitor and evaluate their progress and change course if necessary. Older students might, depending on the context of the problem, transform algebraic expressions or change the viewing window on their graphing calculator to get the information they need. Mathematically proficient students can explain correspondences between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs or draw diagrams of important features and relationships, graph data, and search for regularity or trends. Younger students might rely on using concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize and solve a problem. Mathematically proficient students check their answers to problems using a different method, and they continually ask themselves, \"Does this make sense?\" They can understand the approaches of others to solving complex problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Math.Practice.MP3

Common core State Standards

Math: Math

Practice: Mathematical Practice Standards

MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

Mathematically proficient students understand and use stated assumptions, definitions, and previously established results in constructing arguments. They make conjectures and build a logical progression of statements to explore the truth of their conjectures. They are able to analyze situations by breaking them into cases, and can recognize and use counterexamples. They justify their conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to the arguments of others. They reason inductively about data, making plausible arguments that take into account the context from which the data arose. Mathematically proficient students are also able to compare the effectiveness of two plausible arguments, distinguish correct logic or reasoning from that which is flawed, and--if there is a flaw in an argument--explain what it is. Elementary students can construct arguments using concrete referents such as objects, drawings, diagrams, and actions. Such arguments can make sense and be correct, even though they are not generalized or made formal until later grades. Later, students learn to determine domains to which an argument applies. Students at all grades can listen or read the arguments of others, decide whether they make sense, and ask useful questions to clarify or improve the arguments.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Math.2.NBT.B.7

Common core State Standards

Math: Math

2: Grade 2

NBT: Number & Operations in Base Ten

B: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract

7:
Add and subtract within 1000, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method. Understand that in adding or subtracting three-digit numbers, one adds or subtracts hundreds and hundreds, tens and tens, ones and ones; and sometimes it is necessary to compose or decompose tens or hundreds.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. How does Ms. Montoy-Wilson help her students become excited about challenges?

2. Why is it important for students to articulate their thinking about challenging work?

3. How does Ms. Montoy-Wilson ensure that her students are struggling productively?

Teachers

English Language Arts Math Science Social Studies Arts / 1 / Teacher

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Encouraging Students to Persist Through Challenges

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Students in Maricela Montoy-Wilson's second grade class persist through challenging math work. Students work on three-digit story problems, using resources and strategies to come to a solution. Maricela Montoy-Wilson discusses the ways in which she helps students to persevere to make sense of the problems.

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When students initially struggle or make mistakes, use that as an opportunity to teach students how to try different strategies if the first ones don't work.  Invite them to step back and think about what to try next. For example, “You tried to rework this sentence, but you still need more colorful detail to bring your story to life. Can you find a book that might give you ideas? Think of a book that helps you paint a picture in your mind.”

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Use wise critiques when providing feedback to your students, pre-empting each feedback statement with the following: “I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them.”

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African-American students tend to receive lower grades, partly because they distrust school and their teachers. When teachers tell African-American students, "I have high standards, and I know you can meet them," they build their students' trust and help them excel...

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Work with students to assess their perceived level of learning and effective effort by using this Effective Effort Rubric as their guide. Have students rate themselves first. Then, have a discussion about how you both rated the student’s effort. Establish working goals about how the student can improve.

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Celtics' Brad Stevens Discusses a Growth Mindset

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Celtics' Brad Stevens Discusses a Growth Mindset

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"In a growth mindset, you are focused every day by your growth, not deterred by challenges and not overwhelmed by accomplishments--you're just moving on to the next day." -Brad Stevens

Boston Celtics Coach Brad Stevens is no stranger to success. In 2013, Stevens was named Boston Celtics' head basketball coach, leading one of the most storied franchises in American professional sports. Stevens is an avid proponent of using a growth mindset while coaching his players. About the time Stevens began coaching at Butler University (2007-13), he was given Mindset as a gift. Ever since his initial reading, Stevens says Dr. Carol Dweck's work has influenced him as a coach, a father, and a person. He says, "Regardless of what happens today, [that] should not affect how you approach tomorrow."

As a parent, he explains, "We all want to talk about. 'Wow, that was a great A on your paper...I really want my kids (and I don't know that they are, I hope they become this...) to not be afraid of mistakes. Not only willing to make one and grow from it, but also excited by the next challenge that is brought to them."

During his tenure at Butler, his Bulldogs competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four in two consecutive years - a first for the university. Stevens also broke the NCAA record for most wins by a coach in his first three seasons by winning 89 games while losing just 15.

The Celtics have been champions 18 times, the most in National Basketball Association history. Stevens has taken the team from 12th to 7th to 5th place Eastern Conference finishes in his first three years as Celtics coach. Despite having just one All-Star, Stevens' teams have been competitive and earned playoff berths the last two seasons.

In this interview with Mindset Works, Stevens talks about how a growth mindset influenced his life as he embarked on his third year of coaching the Celtics.

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Celtics' Brad Stevens Discusses a Growth Mindset

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In a growth mindset, you are focused every day by your growth, not deterred by challenges and not overwhelmed by accomplishments--you're just moving on to the next day. -Brad StevensBoston Celtics Coach Brad Stevens is no stranger to success. In 2013, Stevens was named Boston Celtics' head basketball coach, leading one of the most storied franchise...

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How Growth Mindset Can Change Your Math Performance

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How Growth Mindset Can Change Your Math Performance

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There's a scene in the 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver," where high school math teacher Jaime Escalante (played by Edward James Olmos) argues with the head of the school's math program about the students' ability to do math.

"You can't teach logarithms to illiterates," says math head Raquel Ortega, played by Virginia Paris. "Look, these kids come to us with barely a seventh grade education. There isn't a teacher in this room that isn't doing everything he possibly can."

Escalante pauses, then responds with: "Students respond to the level of expectations in here."
'Fixed' Vs. 'Growth' Mindset
Twenty-nine years after "Stand and Deliver," a growing number of teachers are excited by the idea that even the most challenging kids can do well at math. And this time, their efforts are backed by brain science.

"A lot of teachers have wanted to believe that students could achieve, but have been held back by ideas that have been around for so long, that some kids are smart and some kids aren't," says Stanford University math professor and author Jo Boaler. "And when they get the new brain science that shows anybody can be as smart as they want, that's really liberating for them, I think."

Boaler and fellow Stanford professor Carol Dweck have both done research that shows a student's mindset around math is a major determining factor of whether or not they will excel in the subject.

"Kids with a growth mindset do better, persist longer, and are more successful," Boaler says. "[But] they don't get it through just telling them to have a growth mindset, you have to teach in those ways."

After studying the behavior of thousands of children, Dweck coined the terms "fixed" and "growth" mindsets. Essentially, in a fixed mindset, students believe qualities, like intelligence or talent, are fixed traits. Students spend time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also tend to believe that talent alone creates success, without effort.

In a growth mindset, students believe their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Boaler believes this creates a love of learning and sets students up to learn from mistakes, instead of feeling crushed by them. But Boaler says a student's mindset can only go so far. Many of the traditional ways teachers teach math go against the brain's ability to learn and retain math concepts.
Tonya Mosley and teacher Jonathan Norwood spoke on Facebook Live about how play can turn into mathematical learning:
"For instance, our working memory shuts down when we're stressed," Boaler says. "And timed math tests? Well, they stress kids out."

It's an idea that resonates with Jonathan Norwood, a first grade teacher at Lawrence Elementary in Brookline.

"There's very little resources devoted to early mathematical thinking," Norwood says. "And that runs counter to the research. It runs counter to what Fortune 500 companies want in their new employees, and we have to change that mindset."

Norwood's classroom looks more like a children's science museum than a typical class, with lots of objects like puzzles and textiles to touch, count, add and subtract. Norwood finds that when it comes to cultivating a growth math mindset, the parents are often the toughest to convince.

"Their kids are watching them, very carefully," Norwood says. "How often do you hear people say, 'I'm not good at math'? How often do you hear people say, 'I'm not very good at reading'? Not so much. So that's a simple yet significant example. So we have to change teachers' language, we have to change parents' language."
'My Goal Is To Build Their Confidence'

But for some teachers, this process of teaching also requires a shift in mindset.

Fifth grade Boston Collegiate Charter School teacher Bridget Adam says it takes hard work to cultivate a growth mindset because it involves changing the way teachers teach. "There are definitely days when I say to myself, 'Um, I don't know, I think I'm just going to go to where I'm comfortable.' "

To combat this tendency, Adam says she is deliberate about her approach. In front of her students, she acts as more of a facilitator or moderator than traditional teacher.

"I tell parents at the beginning of the school year that, like, my goal is not to have all 'A' students; my goal is to build their confidence," she says.

Adam believes not only do our brains grow when we make mistakes, but discussing math problems and failures out loud with one another can actually help students understand the material better.

"I think it's always better for kids to learn from each other and then the kids who got to help is solidifying the understanding even more," she says.

Adam's class could easily spend an entire hour talking through one math problem. But one of the downfalls of this newer way of teaching is that there isn't always time for it. Educators are required to cover lots of topics each year.

"It's a hard balance with Common Core and these rigorous, rigorous standards," Adam says, "but then I don't want them to feel discouraged because things are so hard. I want them to think about the progress they're making. It's a hard balance."

And then there is another, sometimes-even-more-challenging issue.

By the time students get to high school it gets even harder to change their mindsets. They often bring with them bad experiences from elementary and middle school.

"When I first started teaching Algebra 1, I got this weird perception from my students," says Kaitlyn Aspell, a ninth grade math teacher at Canton High School. "They kept saying to me, 'Oh I'm bad at math,' like, 'You should know I'm bad at math,' and it was shocking to me because it never occurred to me that I was bad at math."

Aspell believes this mindset is often because the students don't do well on math tests. Which is why the first week of school, Aspell keeps things low key by playing this game called "inspirational math," which she learned from Stanford's Boaler. The game involves playing around with numbers, making up their own math problems, and testing each other.

"We're trying to break down the idea that there are good and bad ways to do math and change it to, everybody here is capable of doing math and the fact that we're just playing with it, we're all doing math well," Aspell says.

Aspell doesn't believe teaching a growth math mindset offers some sort of magical fix. But some of her students who've entered her class hating math actually leave telling her they enjoyed it. And that is the first step in dispelling the notion of the "bad math student."

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Changing Your Math 'Mindset' Can Boost Your Math Performance

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There's a scene in the 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver," where high school math teacher Jaime Escalante (played by Edward James Olmos) argues with the head of the school's math program about the students' ability to do math. "You can't teach logarithms to illiterates," says math head Raquel Ortega, played by Virginia Paris.

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An online program delivered in two 30-minute sessions. Includes survey questions, short reading passages, and brief reflection exercises.

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A free, evidence-based program designed to increase students’ engagement, motivation, and ultimately success by laying the foundation for a growth mindset.

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Landmark's Teacher Strategies - Guide on Growth Mindset

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Landmark's Teacher Strategies - Guide on Growth Mindset

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from Lindsay Unified School District

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Growth Mindset Strategies | Lindsay Unified School District

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The Growth Mindset Experiment | Lindsay Unified School District

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The Growth Mindset Experiment | Lindsay Unified School District

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWwrMBnCSNQ

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The Growth Mindset Experiment | Lindsay Unified School District