Mathematics and the Growth Mindset

Every few years, new "buzzwords" enter the field of education and threaten to overtake the nomenclature. Sometimes, things go a little bit overboard; these terms are so overused and abused that they become laughable. Before we know it, Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman are cracking jokes and using our educational terminology in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner. I admit that I crack up right along with them. (Hey! I'm only human, right?)

That having been said, there is a term in education that has hit the scene relatively recently at which I will NEVER laugh. The expression? "Growth Mindset."

What is a "growth mindset" in terms of education and, in particular, in terms of mathematics? I could spend hours giving you my perspective, but wouldn't you rather hear from noted Stanford University psychology professor and author, Carol S. Dweck? I thought so.

Dr. Dweck has dedicated her entire professional life and career to researching achievement and success and to translating these into motivation and productivity. She dares challenge the status quo of teaching, coaching, and parenting, taking an in-depth look at the impact of praise, the philosophy of talent, and the general approach we take to shaping our next generation. Dr. Dweck illuminates the ways in which our "fixed mindsets" unintentionally (but VERY successfully) undermine, subvert, and limit the ones we love the most.

In 2008, Dr. Dweck published a ground-breaking paper entitled, "Mindsets and Math/Science Achievement." The crux of the paper is that:

          There is a growing body of evidence that students’ mindsets play a key role in their math and science             achievement. Students who believe that intelligence or math and science ability is simply a fixed trait               (a fixed mindset) are at a significant disadvantage compared to students who believe that their abilities           can be developed (a growth mindset). Moreover, research is showing that these mindsets can play                 an important role in the relative underachievement of women and minorities in math and science.

She goes on to provide compelling proof of the following:

a) mindsets can predict math/science achievement over time;
b) mindsets can contribute to math/science achievement discrepancies for women and minorities;
c) interventions that change mindsets can boost achievement and reduce achievement discrepancies; and
d) educators play a key role in shaping students’ mindsets.

Even my personal hero and favorite non-fiction author, Malcolm Gladwell, is getting in on the action. Take a look at his article for the New Yorker, "The Talent Myth," in which Gladwell calls out smart people for being overrated.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/07/22/020722fa_fact?currentPage=all

If you'd like to read Dr. Dweck's research for yourself, it can be found here:

http://growthmindsetmath.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/dweck-mindsets-and-math-achievement-2008.pdf

Are you curious about your own mindset? Take an online quiz! C'mon! It might be FUN!

http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php

We here at Brassfield are committed to the ideal that our students do NOT have fixed abilities. We are committed to facilitating the discovery on the part of our children that the world is their proverbial oyster and that all things are possible through hard work and commitment.