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Are you OK with failure?
How easily do you give up? Will you get up and try again? Your answers to these questions reflect whether you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. |
At some point this semester you may “hit a wall”.
You’re struggling. Stuck. Confused. Frustrated.
If you quit, you have a Fixed Mindset. This is a recipe for failure.
If you don't quit, and you try one more time, maybe even over and over again, you have a Growth Mindset. This is a recipe for success.
How can you have a Growth Mindset? It's simple as believing that you CAN change, you CAN learn and CAN grow.
What does it look like to have a Growth Mindset? In other words, what can you do when you struggle?
As a mathematician, I like to generalize things and not make exhaustive lists.
To that end, the best answer to "What does it look like to have a Growth Mindset? " is this:
As your teacher/tutor I believe that struggle is an important and normal part of learning.
I ask that you NOT quit. Try again. Don’t worry, I won’t let you stay stuck.
As your teacher I want your struggle to be productive. I want to help you learn math of course. But I really want to help you learn how to learn.
How will I do that?
You’re struggling. Stuck. Confused. Frustrated.
If you quit, you have a Fixed Mindset. This is a recipe for failure.
If you don't quit, and you try one more time, maybe even over and over again, you have a Growth Mindset. This is a recipe for success.
How can you have a Growth Mindset? It's simple as believing that you CAN change, you CAN learn and CAN grow.
What does it look like to have a Growth Mindset? In other words, what can you do when you struggle?
- X-ing out work that wasn't right and trying again (try not to erase)
- Reviewing your first attempt for what looks right and what part you weren't 100% clear on
- X-ing out part of your work that wasn't right and trying again
- Circling part of your work that you think is not right, to look at again later
- Trying a different method to solve the problem
- Asking yourself, what part of this do I actually get? and what part am I confused on?
- Asking a specific question, and then with feedback received, trying again
- Reading your notes, and trying again
- Re-reading your notes, and trying again
- Highlighting your note, and trying again
- Re-working a problem done in class on your own, looking at the work when/if you get stuck
- Watching a video that goes through a similar problem, then trying again
- Getting after school tutoring, then trying again
- Accepting that there will be struggle, which means you will be trying problems more than once
- Not making excuses for yourself
- Never giving up when you struggle
- TRYING
- TRYING AGAIN
As a mathematician, I like to generalize things and not make exhaustive lists.
To that end, the best answer to "What does it look like to have a Growth Mindset? " is this:
- NEVER GIVING UP, NEVER QUITTING
- DOING SOMETHING, ANYTHING THAT GIVES YOU A LITTLE MORE KNOWLEDGE, AND THEN
- TRYING AGAIN
As your teacher/tutor I believe that struggle is an important and normal part of learning.
I ask that you NOT quit. Try again. Don’t worry, I won’t let you stay stuck.
As your teacher I want your struggle to be productive. I want to help you learn math of course. But I really want to help you learn how to learn.
How will I do that?
- I will call on all students to respond to questions. You don't have to know the answer. It's OK if you don't. Say what you know.
- I will model how to “get curious” after a student answers incorrectly
- I won’t praise students for being smart, but …
- I will praise students for sticking with it and figuring out creative solutions
- I will give you feedback but not always give you the answer
- I will give informative feedback as much as possible, not just x’s and checks
- I won’t always call on the student who knows the right answer
- I will expect you to review your notes
- I will ask you questions in response to your questions
- I will expect you to talk to your classmates, helping them when you understand something and asking them questions when you don’t
- I will celebrate your successes – not only good grades, but improvement as well
- I will encourage a growth mindset
It is OK to make a mistake. Mistakes are encouraged.
Why?
Because MISTAKES are:
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Why?
Because MISTAKES are:
- EXPECTED
- RESPECTED
- INSPECTED
- CORRECTED
MAKE IT HAPPEN
- Make an Effort
- Make No Excuses
- Make Mistakes
- Make it Happen