CIRTL Class Meeting 10: Supporting a growth gindset (from the first day of class)

The College Classroom – Spring 2015 Supporting a Growth Mindset

(from the first day of class)

Dave Gross dgross@ biochem.umass.edu

Thursday, April 2, 2015

1:00-2:30p ET, 12:00-1:30p CT, 11:00a-12:30p MT, 10:00-11:30a PT

Peter Newbury

[email protected]

@polarisdotca

Vocabulary Check: Mindsets [1]

Entity, Helpless,

Performance-oriented,

Fixed

Mastery-oriented,

Incremental, Malleable,

Growth

Supporting a growth mindset collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

The helpless [children]

believe that intelligence is a

fixed trait: you have only a

certain amount, and that’s

that.

The mastery-oriented

children think intelligence

is malleable and can be

developed through

education and hard work.

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Fixed and Growth mindset about

Supporting a growth mindset collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 3

chemistry

teaching people with Down Syndrome

success as a grad student, postdoc, future faculty

challenging tasks

LEGO

running

writing

kids doing jigsaw puzzles

learning to use the instruments in the lab

statistics and SPSS

culinary arts

exercising

growing up in a foreign country

Diagnosing Fixed/Growth Mindset


intelligence can be

developed

intelligence

is static



intelligence can be

developed

intelligence

is static

Use the pen tool to circle the fixed behavior

reaches ever-

higher levels of

achievement

feels threatened

by the success

of others

sees effort as

fruitless or

worse

persists in the

face of setbacks



leads to a desire

to look smart

leads to a desire

to learn

embraces

challenges

avoids

challenges

gives up

easily

sees effort as the

path to mastery

ignores useful

negative

feedback

learns from

criticism

finds lessons and

inspiration in the

success of others

may plateau early,

achieve less than

full potential

has a greater

sense of free will

has a

deterministic

view of the world

Use the pen tool to circle the fixed behavior


Graphic by Nigel Holmes [2]













Give your students agency


“Human agency is the capacity for human beings to make

choices. It is normally contrasted to natural forces, which are causes

involving only unthinking deterministic processes.”

Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_(philosophy)

Students are more motivated to engage if they feel they

have some control over their learning. Let students

choose topic and/or type of essay/paper/project

design (parts of) lab experiments

other ideas?


more

expert-like


deliberate

practice

more

expert-like


growth mindset?

deliberate

practice

more

expert-like

In your opinion, which of these is true?


A) you need a growth mindset to engage in deliberate

practice [necessary]

B) if you have a growth mindset, then you’ll engage in

deliberate practice [sufficient]

C) both A and B [necessary and sufficient]

D) no connection between deliberate practice and mindset


If a growth mindset is necessary for us to engage in deliberate practice to become more expert-like in our disciplines…

…what about your students? What is their mindset towards your class and subject?


If a growth mindset is necessary for us to engage in deliberate practice to become more expert-like in our disciplines…

…what about your students? What is their mindset towards your class and subject?

Likely a mixture of fixed, growth, and no mindset (yet)

Supporting a growth mindset


Think carefully and deliberately about supporting a growth

mindset as you

write learning outcomes

design and carry out assessments

select and implement instructional strategies

teach the class…starting from the first day of classes

The first day of class

You only get one chance to make a first impression…


By the end of the first class, you want

students to have a good sense of


why the course is interesting and worthwhile

what kind of classroom environment you want

how the course will be conducted

why the particular teaching methods are being used

what the students need to do to learn the material and

succeed in the course

Also,

you respect them

your want all of them to succeed (CWSEI, [3])

The First Day of Class[3]


1. Establish motivation

1. personal relevance and interest

2. choice and control

3. sense that one can master the material

2. Personalize the learning experience

3. Establish expectations

4. Don’t go over the details

The First Day of Class[3]


1. Establish motivation

1. personal relevance and interest

2. choice and control

3. sense that one can master the material

2. Personalize the learning experience

3. Establish expectations

4. Don’t go over the details

Wait, when do you

welcome them?

When do you tell

them your name?

Why is this necessary?


You want every student to leave the first class thinking,

“This will be a good course, I’m ok being here.”

If you don’t do it, “students who are most likely to see the

subject as worth learning are those whose backgrounds, and

corresponding attitudes, are most like that of the instructor.

Those students whose backgrounds are different, which by

definition (usually) includes most members of under-

represented groups, will be less likely to understand the

appeal of the subject and consequently more inclined to put

their efforts into pursuing some other discipline.”

(CWSEI, Motivating Learning[4])

So much to do on the first day!


A) welcome students to class

B) your name

C) email policy

D) ice breaker activities

E) tell students about your research

F) introduce teaching assistants

G) learning outcomes: course level

H) learning outcomes: topic level

I) express to students they can master the material if they put in the effort

J) explain why you’re teaching the way you’re teaching, esp. if non-traditional

K) show your own interest and enthusiasm for the subject

L) email students before the first class

M) academic integrity vs. academic misconduct

…and more!

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If you don’t have time to do

everything, perhaps start with the

items in the middle that support all

three components.

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A) welcome students to class

B) your name

C) email policy

D) ice breaker activities

E) tell students about your research

F) introduce teaching assistants

G) learning outcomes: course level

H) learning outcomes: topic level

I) express to students they can master the material if they put in the effort

J) explain why you’re teaching the way you’re teaching, esp. if non-traditional

K) show your own interest and enthusiasm for the subject

L) email students before the first class

M) academic integrity vs. academic misconduct

What’s your name?


How do you want your students to address you?

A) Dr. Smith

B) Mr. / Ms. /Mrs. Smith

C) Professor Smith

D) Michael / Elizabeth (first name)

E) Mike / Beth (familiar, nickname)

Think-Pair-Share


What’s the difference between academic misconduct

and academic integrity?

Course details: don’t


Don’t go into details during first class:

give links to more details on

course syllabus

detailed schedule

detailed learning outcomes

academic misconduct integrity

deadlines

rules/policies (eg, late assignments, missed exams…)

Could give an assignment involving reading these.

First class do’s and don'ts


Do Don’t


Check out classroom

before the first class

clicker hardware?

podium computer?

lapel mic (“lav”)? Try it.

presentation remote

works from back of

room?

assume you’ll be able to figure it out at the time.

let a technical problem ruin your only chance to make a first impression.

35


Start the class on time.

(establish expectations)

arrive late (what expectation does that establish?)

have “intimate” conversation with students in the front rows while you wait for others to wander in. This doesn’t “personalize” the class.

36

Do Don’t

Do Don’t


Tell students you think they

can all succeed if they put

in the effort.

Fine to say the course is

challenging as long as you

also express it is

interesting/worthwhile

do-able with appropriate

effort

Say threatening things like

telling them you expect

some to fail

telling them that students

don’t usually like the

course

telling tell them that

students find the course

extremely difficult

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Do Don’t


Give them an authentic

experience of what the

class will be like.

If you’re going to use

peer instruction, do it

even if some don’t have

clickers yet.

email pre-reading

assignment 2 days before

the first class

Use teaching practices that

are inconsistent with how

you’ll teach the rest of the

time:

don’t use clickers if

you’re not (really) going

to use clickers

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Do Don’t


Involve students during

class

Talk the entire class time

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Do Don’t


Address academic conduct

in context throughout the

course:

talk about plagiarism

when you give out a

writing assignment, not

now

Emphasize rules and

penalties on the first day:

sends a message of

distrust

they’re not listening

anyway

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Do Don’t


End class on time with a

slide containing info:

your name

office hours

contact info

course website

homework

important thing

End class early

(establish expectations)

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Do Don’t


Repeat vital info at the

beginning of the 2nd class

your name

contact info

course website

Assume everyone was there

in the 1st class.

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Do Don’t


Reinforce all of these

messages (motivation,

personalized learning,

expectations,…)

periodically throughout the

course, at the appropriate

times.

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Microteaching Presentations

See blog for details

collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu/2015/03/cirtl-microteaching-assignment/

Presentations in groups of 4 or less on Tuesday, April 7 and

Friday, April 10. Visit blog’s Private page to select a time.


Post-class surveys

Watch for email for requests to complete 2 post-class surveys:

one from CIRTL Central – a standard course evaluation used for

all CIRTL courses

one from Peter – specifically about The College Classroom


Mindset for your students


You

must foster

a growth mindset

in your students.

Department-wide email from a faculty

member in Department of


"Our discussions on undergraduate education seem to focus mostly on where we want students to be and how to teach to get them there. In my view, this ignores an important dimension, namely the raw intellectual quality of a student and the fact that this varies hugely across our student body. This creates intrinsic limitations.

“Our discussions seem to assume that we can, in principle, teach all students all things, if we have the right methods. In my view, every student has an inherent intellectual range, and the best we can do is push them to the top of this range. This range varies enormously from student to student. Some students will never understand the difference between a _____________ and a ____________ and there isn't anything to do about it.

“If the goal of education is to enable each student to realize their potential, we need to appreciate the vast differences in these potentials."

Mindset for your students


You must have a

growth mindset about your

students’ ability to learn.

You

must foster

a growth mindset

in your students.

and you

Thank-you…


for your enthusiasm for teaching and learning

for your commitment to this class

for generously sharing your expertise

References


1. Dweck, C.S. (2007). The Secret to Raising Smart Kids. Scientific

American, 18, 6, 36-43.

2. Nigel Holmes http://nigelholmes.com/home.htm

3. Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (2009). First Day of

Class – Recommendations for Instructors. Available under Instructor

Guidance Resources at cwsei.ubc.ca

4. Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (2013). Motivating

Learning. Available under Instructor Guidance Resources at

cwsei.ubc.ca

Do Don’t


Have a growth mindset:

You must believe all of

your students are capable

of learning your course’s

content.

If you don’t, you may

inadvertently deny your

students learning

opportunities.

Have a fixed mindset

about your students’

abilities, including

your job is to find

5% who will be like

you

your job is to filter

out students from

advancing to the

next course

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