Growth Mindset and Reinforcing Effort

EDU 6526 Week 3 Reflection

Chapter 2 of the Classroom Instruction that Works explores some of the best practices and the fine line that teachers walk to reinforce effort of their students and bestow praise upon them. Dean et al. write, “reinforcing effort is a process that involves explicitly teaching students about the relationship between effort and achievement and acknowledging students’ efforts when they work hard to achieve” (21).

Some of these key insights shed light on the importance of the language teachers (AND PARENTS!) use and when and how to use it. Also, the frequency, substance, setting and tone of praise are all variables that determine how a student hears it (i.e. how they internalize it) and actually what behaviors the praise acknowledges. Excessive or repeated praise, especially for basic tasks has diminishing marginal return and students begin to tune it out. Additionally, perceived insincerity – as in the case where a teacher’s non-verbal communication does not match the praise – can have the reverse effect.

One of the most conceptually compelling arguments for teachers focusing on praise of effort, what Dean et al. call mastery-goal orientation, is that such a focus empowers and “encourages students to attribute their performance to causes they can control” (22). This is paramount for all types of learners. The consistently high performer whose aptitude and ability we (societally) often glibly refer to as “the smart kid” needs to have their hard work acknowledge and also have the efficacy of each of their specific strategies evaluated. Similarly, the student who is struggling and “slow” needs to also be reminded that their aptitude is not a fixed or static deficiency by contrast to his “smarter” peers. This kind of comparative praise that can be frequently seen/heard in American public schools is a best inaccurate and at worst psychologically diminishing about each type of student’s potential for growth, challenge and persistence.

These principles parallel the important work of growth-mindset. Growth mindset is a concept that emerged from the psychologist Carol Dweck who found that language used around the discussion of achievement and intelligence can greatly impact the motivation and self-efficacy of young people. The best example is our culture’s proclivity to use the phrase “you’re so smart” as praise for anyone who is successful. Dweck argues, and I agree, that this promotes a static understanding of intelligence and capabilities. That is, a person is either smart or they ain’t. If a student doesn’t believe they have the capacity to change their abilities or aptitude, then why would they realistically try anything new, persevere through difficulty or give any real effort at all? I believe that much of the cultural and social ennui that America is experiencing today is the catastrophic result of a static-growth mindset and has entrenched people into an intellectual caste of which most never break free from. This pernicious force is connected and reinforced by also by stereotype threat.

It is our responsibility, as teachers, as we heed the evidence and strategies of Dean et al. to promote students’ connections and self-evaluation of effort and achievement, that we enforce student commitment with language that reminds them firstly that their brains are not done growing and that their intelligence or capabilities are NOT fixed. And more importantly, a student’s achievement is not determined by their initial aptitude at something. We place so much value on our “bright students” those who are making quick connections or are simply those who are the strongest auditory learners – in the case of a students in lecture or discussion who seem to “get it” the fastest.

Students need to be active participants and OWNERS of their OWN learning. Student should get the opportunities in ALL classes, at all ages, to track their effort in relation to their achievement. Teachers must spend more intentional time with students working on linking their understanding of what it means to put for effort with concrete strategies. The teachers who gave rubrics for “effort in test preparation” offered great meta-cognitive learning opportunities. In the “4 Excellent” category students could see three specific strategies for test preparation 1) reread the text and compare it to notes from class; 2) seek help from other students; and 3) create study groups to practice the materials in different modes. These are not strategies that are known innately. Just like the CCSS ELA standards have made us all “literacy” teachers so too should the CCSS College and Career Readiness standards make all teachers focus on study strategies and self-reflection of effort and persistence.

We can help to shape the values and mindset of the next generation of our society. By qualitatively evaluating effort and adopting the language of growth-mindset teachers promote contemplation, patience, persistence, reflection and most importantly that a student should struggle, should be confused, should troubleshoot and is capable in all of these ways throughout their entire life!