UNIT 3: TASKS TO PROMOTE GROWTH MINDSET
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Introduction
In this unit we will explore the types of tasks and activities that foster a growth mindset in students. While we expressed the importance of using feedback and embracing mistakes in the previous units, this unit will focus upon the types of activities that will assist the students in shifting their mindset from fixed to being focused upon growth.
Objectives
At the end of this unit learners will be able to:
- Create tasks that foster a growth mindset.
- Analyze tasks in order to determine if they will foster a growth mindset.
- Create tasks that allow students to make sense of their thinking in order to foster a growth mindset.
Lesson 1 - Open Ended Tasks
Mini Lecture
In this lesson, we will be looking at the creation of open-ended learning tasks to foster a growth mindset in our students. Open-ended tasks promote a growth mindset by helping the student focus on the learning process, rather than the final product (PERTS, 2015A). They provide students with opportunities to struggle and understand content more deeply. Students are able to think more about the material that they are engaging with, not whether or not they are answering questions correctly. When a task is closed and the focus is placed solely upon student performance, rather than learning and growing, the student will tend to move to a mindset that is more fixed. As tasks are opened up, and a greater emphasis is placed upon discovery, and not just correct answers, students are encouraged to learn and not just perform.(PERTS, 2015A)
As we create tasks that are open-ended the important questions to ask about them are:
- What are some different ways the problem can be approached?(PERTS, 2015A)
- How can I encourage discussion and collaboration amongst members of the class?(PERTS, 2015A)
- How can I get students interested in discussing a topic before it is taught? (PERTS, 2015A)
To Do
In this lesson, we are discussing the creation of open-ended tasks to assist students in thinking more about process instead of product to foster a growth mindset. Watch the two videos below featuring Professor Jo Boeler. The first video discusses the ways open-ended tasks assist the student to think about learning. The second discusses some features of an open-ended task. Although the focus in both of these videos the concepts behind the creation of an open-ended task can apply to any subject area. As you watch the videos think about the types of assignments that you give in your classroom. Are they closed or open-ended? Do they encourage students to think about the process instead of just the correct answer? Do they encourage discussion and collaboration and students learning from one another?
After watching the video, create, or modify, a classroom task ensuring it follows the following criteria:
- Students should need to use different methods to visualize the problem that they are being posed with.
- Students should be encouraged to collaborate and discuss the problem.
- The task should be based on a question that can be discussed prior to learning new information.
Lesson 2 - Visible Thinking
Mini Lecture
Many approaches to instruction do not require students to think; therefore, they do not result in understanding. Instead, a large focus is on task completion and various assignments, rather than on the development of understanding. In order for students to develop understanding, they must engage in thinking. In a growth mindset task, such as one created in the previous lesson, students are encouraged to make sense of problems, which enhances deeper learning (PERTS, 2015A).
Students understand through thinking and sense-making. Therefore, as educators, we must work to facilitate students' engagement with ideas and provide opportunities for student thinking to occur. However, since we can not see inside students' heads, we must work to make this thinking visible through the use of sense-making strategies. Asking a student to make sense of a problem deepens understanding of the material, helps others to see the problem from a different perspective, and encourages students to work through their gaps in knowledge (PERTS, 2015B). As we work to make thinking visible we place an emphasis upon the process of learning, as opposed to the product, shifting student mindset towards one of growth.
Students can be assisted in making sense of a problem by(PERTS, 2015B):
- Shifting the focus on making sense, not just following rules.
- Challenging students to teach their peers.
- Asking for an explanation of why an answer is right instead of another.
- Creating a culture of collaboration among the classroom community.
- Help students to discuss their misunderstanding and view mistakes as something to be valued and shared.
To Do
In this lesson, we are discussing strategies to make students think about their thinking and understanding. Watch the video below which provide a brief introduction to some thinking routines developed by Harvard's Project Zero. As you watch the videos think about how these routines meet the criteria that were discussed above to help students think.
Now that you have watched the video, review the open-ended activity that you created in the previous lesson.
How would you implement some of the strategies discussed in the open-ended task which you created?
References
PERTS. (2015A). Assign Open Tasks. Mindset Kit. https://www.mindsetkit.org/practices/rPFDKJLhzTictvnb.
PERTS. (2015B). Help students make sense of a problem: See it in action, Give Tasks That Promote Struggle And Growth. Mindset Kit. https://www.mindsetkit.org/topics/give-tasks-promote-struggle-growth/help-students-make-sense-problem-see-action.