A message from your MCTM VP for Elementary
How could promoting “Growth Mindset” be a negative thing? Google the topic and you get a plethora of links, ranging from what it is, to how to foster it to why it’s important. In my district, we’ve been talking about it for a while. Many schools have ongoing book studies around “growth vs fixed mindset” and how this topic relates to mathematics. Countless posters have been hung in classrooms, encouraging students to not give up. What’s the problem?
Sara VanDerWerf spoke to our secondary teachers during workshop week and brought up a provocative idea. When we send the message: If you keep trying and don’t give up, you will achieve your goals, we may be doing more harm than good. Sara provided a counterpoint: What is the message a student internalizes when he puts a lot of effort into learning a skill/concept and it still doesn’t make sense? The responsibility for failure is on him?
Perhaps there are other ways to promote growth mindset in the math classroom.
We have a responsibility to provide more opportunities to participate in engaging mathematics, to value the use of manipulatives and other tools to model thinking. And we know from research and experience that authentic relationships are important for building trust. Once trust is built, the message can be established that hard work and perseverance pay off and TOGETHER we are going to make it happen.
Margaret Williams
MCTM VP Elementary
While “growth mindset” certainly encourages motivation towards achieving and becoming more proficient, it certainly doesn.t guarantee it! Many students are undersold in what they can accomplish with themselves so i think a growth mindset for self achievement, “betterment” and esteem can enhance performance, but that only goes so far!! Not passing high stakes and performance tests over and over against a standard can be demotivating in spite of great gains….There are many lurking variable inputs in one’s accomplishments unaccounted for besides repeating the old mantra ” Every student can learn…every student can learn…” while certainly true!! To what degree of proficency??? Hard work and grit may go along way…but so do different multiple intelligences!!