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I really like the idea of a "favorite mistake." When a student makes a conceptual mistake, I could share it (anonymously) with the class. We could have a class discussion about where the mistake comes from (what ideas it is connected to that made it come up at all) and then why it is a mistake (where is the break down in logic or function that makes this conceptual understanding flawed?). I need to remember and remind the students that mistakes are good because they are in a position for their brain to grow, make new connections, and get smarter! Also, other students may be making that same mistake, so it will help all of them learn. Another way to show the value of mistakes is to not take points away for mistakes during the learning process.

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The overwhelming majority of students want to shut down when a task is challenging. They look at struggling as a lack of intelligence on their part. One of the things I am constantly telling my students is that the best things in life come with hard work. Raising a child is very difficult work, but extremely rewarding etc. We need to tell students the stories of people like Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, etc. so that they can see that people are not born "smart." Intelligence is more about perseverance than natural born intellect.

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Like Gina, I too like the "Favorite Mistake" because our brains are working/developing when we're struggling. This year I want to focus on the power of making mistakes. To do this, I've requested (and received) a document camera so that students can show the actual work they did on a problem...mistakes and all. Often times when I ask them to write their solutions on the board and explain what they did, they share the cleaned-up version-mistake and struggle free. If I am able to engage students to share their thought processes (what they were thinking when they were going wrong, how/why the realized that method wasn't right, and then how they revised their plan), I think it will promote deeper thinking for a larger proportion of my students.

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Like Gina, I too like the "Favorite Mistake" because our brains are working/developing when we're struggling. This year I want to focus on the power of making mistakes. To do this, I've requested (and received) a document camera so that students can show the actual work they did on a problem...mistakes and all. Often times when I ask them to write their solutions on the board and explain what they did, they share the cleaned-up version-mistake and struggle free. If I am able to engage students to share their thought processes (what they were thinking when they were going wrong, how/why the realized that method wasn't right, and then how they revised their plan), I think it will promote deeper thinking for a larger proportion of my students.

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I like the idea of a favorite mistake. I've not done that, but I can add it in to my class. I have always rewarded mistakes and have encouraged kids to talk through their mistakes. I also like to encourage kids to explain what they are doing to someone else and they suddenly see their mistake as they try to explain t and learn rom it.

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"Favorite Mistake" is probably one of my favorite ways to bring everyone in the class together. On one of my tests, 80% of students had the same mistake and when we went over the problem together in class and has a discussion about what they had done wrong, the
Ah! Ha! moment happened. Had we not taken time to go over the problem and discuss what had been the common mistake, we would not have had that growth. As a teacher, I hope to continue this more and more.

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YES!!! (I agree.) By the time I get students, so many of them think "I'm not good at math," and so they refuse to try. They hear and see in assessments that they are no good and they don't get the concept that they could actually grow their brains.

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I agree. Students come to school as kindergarten students and are already saying, "this is too hard" before they even attempt a problem--it has become the easy way out.  They don't want to make mistakes. Sharing information about how our brains work and grow, and solving problems together will help increase their growth mindset.  It is also good for them to be able to verbally communicate what they are thinking and why. The growth mindset will be beneficial in all areas of their life, not just mathematics.

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This varies by student in my classroom. Some have really gravitated toward the ideas of growth mindset and truly are not afraid to make a mistake. Others I really have to work with. I am thinking of a few girls in my class that like to check in with me several times throughout a project to make sure that they're doing it correctly. I really have to work with them to see understand that we're just practicing and making mistakes isn't something that they should be afraid to do.

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After reading this chapter, I did a circle with my 5th graders and we talked about making mistakes vs easy tasks in school. Many said they feel dumb and embarrassed when they get something wrong or mess up. Many also said they would always want an easy task just to say they got it right, even if it did not challenge them. I was disappointed in that but not surprised. One activity I did to encourage my students to keep trying was the crumpled brain activity mentioned on page 15. I even hung all their brains in the room as reminders to what is happening with their brain when a mistake is made. I have started to notice a change in how my students view mistakes because of that activity but it will always be a work in progress!

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So many of students in math have low "math"-esteem. Many of them do not believe in themselves or their abilities in math. When you get students who have confidence in their math abilities they are able to work a problem and understand they may not get it right away. These students are able to use failure as a tool to help them succeed!

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I agree completely. This is the first year that I am doing number talks and I still have a lot of growing to do which is why I took this class but I will say that in the beginning of the year the kids were reluctant to share their math thinking unless they were the kids who it came easy for.  Over many months we are having break through - solid conversations that EVERYONE is now participating in.  We talk about how there are a lot of different approaches and strategies and we focus on that more than the answer- this has changed the mindset in my class to a more strategy based mindset (but it took a long time to get here).  As I develop strategies to encourage this mindset as a teacher I hope it won't take till January to get there next year.

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I agree that a growth mindset in mathematics is an intervention. It's something that teachers need to be intentional about developing in their students. The more effort that is put into growth mindsets, the bigger results you'll see. However, I also feel that it's not something that can be taught and then dropped when the students "get it" - it's something that needs to be woven into everything we teach, and students will need to be reminded of the principles continuously.

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I tell parents and students how important it is that when students solve problems incorrectly that they are able to work back through their work to see if they can find their mistake.  And if they can't find their mistake, to ask questions. So, it was so interesting when I read that when mistakes are made our brains are more active!! What a great fact to share with our students to foster growth mindset.  In the past, I have solved  problems incorrectly, to see if students can "catch" my mistake. This is similar to the "favorite mistake" strategy. Being able to show students that there are common mistakes, and there is validity in their mistake. Just because there is a mistake doesn't mean that a student doesn't understand. I'm interested to hear what others are doing to foster the value of making mistakes in their classroom - specifically when it comes to homework and grading.

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I love when a student makes a mistake in the class and we use it as a classroom "helpline". I ask the student if we can use his/her work together as a class. They usually want to be my helper and put their work on the board. Together we are math detectives and find where we could try something different to reach the correct answer. There are usually a few different "roads" to the "destination", which the kids love. It is also a way for me to challenge my high flyers to think of multiple strategies to a problem they solved quickly. It also helps with discussion and math vocabulary. Sometimes talking about math can be challenging for even your highest achiever. These are great teaching moments that everyone makes mistakes and together as a class we will succeed!

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I like to start the school year off with some inspirational videos about math that I found on the youcubed website. There is a week of mathematical mindset videos and discussions that really show students the importance of their beliefs about math and how that correlates to their performance. As a special education teacher, I have had several students who come to me with a fixed mindset and tell me they're just not good at math. My goal is to alter their thinking and try to rebuild their attitude and mindset. When a student does make a mistake I like to praise them for their attempt and remind them that a synapse just fired in their brain and that's a very good thing. It's important that students understand that it's okay to make mistakes in math and I try to encourage that in my class in many different ways.

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Yes, I agree. I also feel that as a young student I was of the mindset that I was "not a math person". I try to work with the students in my classroom that I can identify with the same mindset and teach them they are smart and will learn math. I love the additional information that making mistakes helps you become even smarter.

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Yes I agree that a majority of my students can benefit from a growth mindset intervention. The belief that challenges & mistakes help you to grow & strengthen your brain helps all of my learners grow. Students who often struggle tend to participate less & verbally share that they can't do something- which perpetuates a fixed mindset and lesson's their opportunities to take chances & learn new concepts. My students who rarely struggle often have feelings of upset or get defensive or argumentative when faced with a challenge- shifting their opportunity for growth into a blame-fest as to why they didn't know an answer instead of embracing the challenge. This is why I have started having Mindset Monday classes where we actively learn what it means to have a growth mindset & it's importance to learning.

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I have 1 accelerated math group. These students struggle and some times cry when they make mistakes. They need to be perfect or everything to this point has been 'easy' because they are 'good' at math. I've had to do a lot of conversations about learning/growth and making mistakes. Second trimester has been going smoother now that they understand making mistakes doesn't make them bad at it.

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From the first day of school, I talk about making mistakes, taking risks in math, and everyone in the class is good at math. I tell my students if they knew everything I would be out of a job. ;) . To make students feel less afraid to ask a question in a group, I use 'call a life line'. If I call on a student, s/he can pick anyone in the room to help with the answer if they are unsure or just want confirmation on their thought process. After a while, most students just give me an answer and take a risk of being wrong.

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If I notice a student making a mistake, I usually tell s/he that I am so glad they made that mistake so I can use it as a re-teaching moment for the class. I tell the student it is not to embarass, but more learning for everyone. I will pull students back to whole group time to praise the mistake and have everyone strategize together on fixing the mistake.

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I definitely agree with encouraging growth mindset! I took a course 2 summers ago and have implemented a growth mindset activity section in their interactive journals. There are so many students that don't believe they are good at math. I also have students that are devastated if they make a mistake. I think it is slowly helping them change their thinking about math.

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The vast majority of my students would just as soon avoid problems that they assume are challenging. Many seemingly think word problems are inherently difficult and avoid doing them. I've found it to be most beneficial to give more challenging problems to a group of students. There's strength in numbers. Students feel better about their mistakes if they made them with a group. They also seem to be more willing to talk about the mistake when they aren't on an island by themselves. Pointing out that our brain grows from mistakes and promoting a growth mindset in class is very helpful in encouraging students to persevere.

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I agree that a growth mindset in mathematics is an intervention.  Students come into my class and have already shut down before they even start.  They are told from an early age by their parents, siblings, and friends that math is too hard.  They fear making mistakes and/or don't want to look foolish in front of their peers.

In my classroom, we talk about growth mindset and how mistakes will help us grow.  We discuss that if you don't start that we don't have starting point to work from.  It is also important for students to see myself make mistakes.  We are not perfect.

It is also important to acknowledge student growth and celebrate with them.  It is important for students to reflect on their success from making mistakes.  It builds confidence.

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I definitely agree. The dynamics of a math class would be totally different if all students had a growth mindset. So often kids come to us with the belief that math is too hard for them. We can change their attitude by teaching them that mistakes are ok, that we don't expect them to know everything right away, and that what's important is for them to keep working hard. We can help them start to feel successful!

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I like the idea of making mistakes makes you brain grow.  I think my 2nd graders will be excited to hear that mistakes grow the brain not getting the problem correct the first time.

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I like the idea of making mistakes makes you brain grow.  I think my 2nd graders will be excited to hear that mistakes grow the brain not getting the problem correct the first time.

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I try to foster a healthy confident classroom where students feel comfortable to try new things. Some are more comfortable in small settings where others like large groups.

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I try to foster a healthy confident classroom where students feel comfortable to try new things. Some are more comfortable in small settings where others like large groups.

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Many of my high achievers initially do not like the idea of being challenged, because they are so used to everything coming easily to them. Through learning about Growth Mindset and how the brain actually works, they begin to change their mindset and view difficult activites differently.

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I completely agree with the idea of introducing growth mindsets in math to be an intervention! With math more than any other subject (in my opinion), your ability to do well at one level, depends directly on your mastery of any previous levels. Math skills build on themselves as you progress, so if a student has a gap somewhere, or multiple gaps, it is going to be very difficult for them to succeed at a higher level.
This is where I feel growth mindset can really speak to those students who are struggling and encourage them to tackle filling in any of those previous gaps. I have considered in the past incorporating an idea I had found on Khan Academy to do just that. Whether I would use Khan Academy material, or maybe IXLs (since they are tailored to our state standards), the idea would be for every student to begin the year with a side project of working their way up from kindergarten to their current grade level, showing mastery at each grade level before advancing to the next. Maybe students focus on one grade level per month, like kindergarten in September, 1st grade in October, and so on. For some it might seem way too easy, but somewhere along the way, the hope is that we find and fill any gaps each and every student has. If we can do this, all students could feel successful and confident in math class.

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From the very first day of school I like to share how and when I make mistakes and demonstrate what I've learned after making them. The most valuable experience for my students comes when I have a student willing to put themselves out there enough for us to learn and grow (and cheer) right with someone that is willing to demonstrate their new learning to the class. This works so well when they are at the point of just beginning to grasp a new concept.