The Portrait Indicator
Roxbury's Academic Newsletter: October 2021
Welcome to the Portrait Indicator
Growth Mindset in Mathematics
by Erika Kelly
“People are either born with a math gene or they are not. You can learn skills, but you can’t change your basic ability to learn math”. Depicted within this quote is the rising number of students who present with math anxiety; students who feel inadequate within math in comparison to their peers and, in turn, fear math. The myth of math being a gift that some students have and others do not is the most dangerous and damaging notion that pervades the U.S. education system. This myth represents itself as what Carol Dweck, a leading psychologist, would state as a fixed mindset. According to Dweck's research, a fixed mindset is one that describes an individual who would give up easily, avoid challenges, ignore useful feedback, and feel threatened by others’ success (Dweck, 2006). It is imperative that classrooms, school staff, school administrators, parents, and all stakeholders in the realm of education shift their approaches and mindsets from the fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Individuals who present as having a growth mindset often challenge themselves, face obstacles, increase their efforts, learn from criticism, and celebrate the successes of others (Dweck, 2006). According to Blackwell et al. (2007), different mindsets encompass different behaviors that have a meaningful impact on students' learning and achievement. In addressing students' mindsets, stakeholders are able to not only formulate an equitable education and experience for all, but also accelerate students’ learning trajectories to promote higher levels of achievement. Nonetheless, in working towards both equity and achievement, it is essential that we be aware of the subgroups affected most by the different mindsets:
In a study conducted by Dweck (2006), it was found that high achieving girls are impacted most by fixed mindset thinking, leading to avoidance of challenging work and high level courses.
The same study demonstrated that gender differences in schools are only found amongst fixed mindset students.
In a 2006 study, conducted by Cohen et al., researchers found that mindset interventions had a large impact on the performance of minority students more than any other student population.
As widespread lack of confidence and math trauma exist in the U.S. classrooms, and are ever increasing, we must ask ourselves, “How do we intervene in the prevalence of the fixed mindset approach that drowns the education system and begin to put forth effort to build a growth mindset in our children?”
Right versus wrong; a notion that we learned in all aspects of our lives ever since we were young. When a one year old child throws the bowl full of broccoli onto the ground in a reluctant attempt to eat it, when the toddler throws a tantrum in the middle of a store, when the young child gets into trouble at school, when the teenager skips class or practice, when the adult doesn’t meet a deadline; in all of these situations, the individual is addressed to learn right from wrong. However, how does this transfer into math class with specific focus on moving away from a fixed mindset? Simple; mistakes and struggles are the essence of learning. Let’s repeat that, mistakes and struggles are the essence of learning, especially within math. In a study conducted by Moser et al. (2007), researchers found that when a student makes mistakes in math, brain activity happens that doesn’t necessarily happen when students get work correct. With the growth mindset in mind, students that make mistakes result in a particularly significant brain growth and development. In short, educators and stakeholders should want students to make mistakes in math. When we open math tasks that encourage students the opportunity to analyze, perform attempts, and come to a solution, we promote the essence of a growth mindset. In moving away from providing short, closed tasks that students get mainly correct, we transition our mindset away from the idea that the students' role is to solely perform and demonstrate their current knowledge. Therefore, within the realm of education, focus should be on formulating tasks that encourage multiple entry points, multiple ways of seeing, and multiple pathways and strategies for solutions (Baoler, 28 Sept 2021).
Now, when we consider right from wrong, we often associate such with speed; how fast will my toddler learn right from wrong, how fast will my teenager understand that he/she cannot miss practice, and so on. In terms of promoting a growth mindset in math, we, as a collective team, must disassociate speed from success and understanding. It is unfortunate to see the rate of students within the U.S. education system that value speed, seeing that fast students are those with the most potential. Schwartz (2001) states, the hallmark of high level mathematical thinking revolves around depth, not speed. Boaler (2012) and Colinkoff et al. (2004) relates the focus of speed to the increase in students' math anxiety and to the discouragement of deep thinking. Rather than speed and students demonstrating their understanding through how quick they can solve the twenty problems on the page, the team of stakeholders should focus on less problems and more meaningful feedback for each problem and student.
“I am giving you this feedback because I believe in you.” What specifically stands out to you in this piece of feedback? In a study conducted by Yeager et al (2013), researchers found that students who received this sentence achieved at higher levels on school tests only a year later. In moving from a fixed mindset approach to a growth mindset approach, educators should focus on the power of meaningful, purposeful feedback. Conferring with a student or a group of students on problem number nine and how they came to their solution would have a larger impact on the students’ reasoning skills and depth of knowledge. Nonetheless, the power of feedback can transflow between home and school; parents/guardians and teachers are recommended to move away from feedback that focuses on the ability levels of students. It is essential to move away from the notion that students are “smart”. Rather, praise should focus on effort and perseverance, not just solely on the outcome or accomplishment. Stakeholders should encourage students to not give up after a mistake and/or on not getting things right the first time. Having a growth mindset is needed to learn math at a deep level and is essential for student success in mathematics.
References
Blackwell, L.S., Trzesniewski, K.H., & Dweck, C.S. (2007) Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement across an Adolescent Transition: a longitudinal study and an intervention, Child Development 78(1), 246-263.
Boaler, J. (2012). Times tests and the development of math anxiety. Education Week.
Boaler, J. (in press). Unlocking Children’s Math Potential: 5 Research Results to Transform Math Learning. Mathematics, Youcubed at Stanford University.
https://www.youcubed.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/teacher-article-youcubed2.pdf
Cohen, G.L., Garcie, J., Apfel, N., & Master, A. (2006). Reducing the Racial Achievement Gap: A Social-Psychological Intervention. Science, New Series, 313(5791), 1307-1310.
Dweck, C.S. (2006b) Is Math a Gift? Beliefs that Put Females at Risk, in S.J. Ceci & W. Williams (Eds) Why Aren’t More Women in Science? Top Researchers Debate the Evidence. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek & Eyer, 2004, Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn-and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less. Rodale Books.
Schwartz, L. (2001). A Mathematician Grappling with his Century.
Yeager, D.S., Pudie-Vaughns, V., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., Bruzstoski, P., Master, A., et al. (2013). Breaking the Cycle of Mistrust: Wise Interventions to Provide Critical Feedback Across the Racial Divide. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.