{"id":1493,"date":"2015-11-02T23:21:15","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T04:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/?p=1493"},"modified":"2015-11-02T23:21:15","modified_gmt":"2015-11-03T04:21:15","slug":"ive-got-my-mindset-on-you-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/2015\/11\/02\/ive-got-my-mindset-on-you-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"I&#8217;ve got my mindset on you, growth."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Last week Sara brought up growth mindset as an important part of talking to students dealing math anxiety and insecurity. When I first heard the phrase a few months ago, I thought it was maybe some hokey visualization mantra for aspiring CEOSs. However, I am now convinced that growth mindset is not hokey at all\u2014it is a non-trivial concept that can really affect our students\u2019 chances of success in mathematics, especially students from underrepresented groups. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainpickings.org\/2014\/01\/29\/carol-dweck-mindset\/\">The idea is simply this: our mathematical abilities, and more generally other qualities like intelligence or character, are not fixed but may instead be developed through effort.<\/a> If we believe this, we will be more successful at math (and other things) than if we don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Carol Dweck: The power of believing that you can improve\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.ted.com\/talks\/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve\" sandbox=\"allow-popups allow-scripts allow-same-origin\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Carol Dweck is a former Stanford researcher who has done a lot of work in this area. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.growthmindsetmaths.com\/uploads\/2\/3\/7\/7\/23776169\/mindset_and_math_science_achievement_-_nov_2013.pdf\">Dweck\u2019s research shows that a person\u2019s mindset can have a huge impact on their success, particularly in mathematics. <\/a>She and her collaborators found that a growth or fixed mindset was a predictor of math grades for 7<sup>th<\/sup> graders, and that achievement was greater if students were taught that their abilities are not fixed and could be increased with hard work. There are important social justice implications for this research. Women and other underrepresented groups in math and science may have the mindset that their abilities in math are inherently lower because of gender or other predetermined factors. Researchers have now shown that even that idea can undermine the performance of these individuals and make them less likely to succeed in math. \u00a0Those of us who care about diversity and equal opportunity in math, <a href=\"http:\/\/womeninastronomy.blogspot.com\/2014\/01\/why-so-few-growth-mindset.html\">science,<\/a> e<a href=\"http:\/\/www.diversifyingecon.org\/index.php\/Biology_is_not_destiny\">conomics<\/a>,\u00a0and all other areas need to pay attention to these studies.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/well.blogs.nytimes.com\/2015\/08\/24\/square-root-of-kids-math-anxiety-their-parents-help\/?_r=0\">Recent research shows that math anxiety is contagious<\/a>; in particular that it can be passed from parents to children, not genetically but when anxious parents help their children with homework. The fact that math anxiety is learned is incredibly hopeful news, because it means there are ways to break this cycle and release people from math anxiety. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/news.sciencemag.org\/brain-behavior\/2015\/10\/bedtime-problems-boost-kids-math-performance\">A\u00a0recent study\u00a0about bedtime math<\/a> makes me excited that there are tools for parents to engage with their children about math in a positive, anxiety-free way, that actually help kids do better at math. Growth mindset, the theory goes, is another part of the equation. \u00a0This mindset reduces anxiety because making mistakes does not reflect upon your underlying fixed qualities as a person\u2014it is just part of the learning process.<\/p>\n<p>I learned about growth mindset this fall, talking with a colleague, and then in a little more depth at a great workshop I attended on Math Circles. Once again, I\u2019m a bit late to the party\u2014growth mindset has been in the news for several years. In any case, after coming into contact with these studies, I felt an actual responsibility to present the idea to my students. If I hadn\u2019t heard anything about the implications of growth mindset, I certainly couldn\u2019t expect that they had. And if just being told that abilities were not fixed could help them succeed, how could I not tell them that? Plus I am selfish\u2014I want to teach students who feel that they can take responsibility for their own learning, and are less afraid of making mistakes! Who are less defensive and like to be challenged. Yes! Sign me up.<\/p>\n<p>The day that I returned from the Math Circles conference, I had a talk with both of my classes about the question of fixed versus plastic intelligence and mathematical abilities. I asked them to vote on whether intelligence was fixed or could be changed through effort. Most thought it was fixed. Then I asked them the same question about mathematical ability. Even more of them thought that mathematical ability was fixed.<\/p>\n<p>This disparity was weird\u00a0to me: how can math ability be fixed if intelligence is not? \u00a0But nobody reading this blog will be surprised to hear about people\u00a0putting mathematics in a special, frightening, alien category. \u00a0How this math fear began I have no idea. It could be related to our culture\u2019s entwining of mathematics and genius, and then to our weird ideas about genius. \u00a0That\u00a0is a whole different blog post, though.<\/p>\n<p>After the vote, I talked to my students about the abilities of our brains to form new connections and the implications of growth mindset. I posted links to Dr. Dweck\u2019s TED talk and two written pieces on the class website. The students were engaged in the discussion, asking me many questions I couldn\u2019t answer. My current students are mostly Biology majors (I teach two sections of Biocalculus), so they were really interested in how the studies were designed, and different types of intelligence. Despite my lack of full knowledge on the subject, I had the sense that attitudes shifted that day. A student sent me an email that night thanking me. Later, when we talked about it in my office, she said nobody had ever discussed with her with the possibility that intelligence or mathematical ability could be changed. She was struggling, but this gave her the sense that if she worked hard, she would get it. Damn. Exactly what Dr. Dweck claimed! Awesome.<\/p>\n<p>I am thoroughly convinced that a growth mindset is helpful to students. What else can I be doing to foster this attitude in my classroom? Is talking about it once enough? What parts of my teaching are already in line with this philosophy, and what should I be on the look out for? One important aspect of encouraging growth mindset seems to be praising effort instead of intelligence. This is something I\u2019m really trying to keep in mind this semester. Of course, I always encouraged students who asked questions in class, whatever they asked, but now I make a point that this is part of the hard work of learning. Another great idea from Maricela Montoy-Wilson is to <a href=\"http:\/\/ww2.kqed.org\/mindshift\/2015\/08\/24\/growth-mindset-how-to-normalize-mistake-making-and-struggle-in-class\/\">&#8220;normalize the struggle&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0 Make it clear that struggling is not failure&#8211;it&#8217;s the right way to learn. \u00a0This semester I have made a special effort to\u00a0discuss what a credit hour means and how much time they should\u00a0expect to put in to the class to succeed. \u00a0I also\u00a0point out that they shouldn\u2019t be discouraged if they can\u2019t breeze through the homework\u2014that work is really how they are learning. You\u2019re supposed to struggle, it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re dumb or doing something wrong. Struggle is learning.<\/p>\n<p>Another recommendation I read for bringing growth mindset into the classroom was to explicitly welcome mistakes, and to share your own mistakes and experiences with developing your abilities through effort. \u00a0Mistakes, got that covered. \u00a0I will also tell my students about my lengthy and ongoing battle to learn to play\u00a0the accordion. \u00a0I had what might be called &#8220;music anxiety&#8221; for many\u00a0years: although I really love music, for a long time I thought that I was inherently unable to play an instrument or sing. Like, I would panic if I was pressured to sing along with something or do anything remotely musical in public. About 5 years ago I decided that fear was major dead weight in my life and I resolved to learn to play at least a little, no matter how long it took. I got an accordion and took some lessons and it was really slow going at first, but now I can play some songs pretty well. I even sing along. I love it! Now I can\u2019t believe I waited until I was 30? Why don\u2019t we really talk about this earlier in life?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1494\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/files\/2015\/11\/accordion-photo.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1494\" class=\"wp-image-1494\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/files\/2015\/11\/accordion-photo.jpg?resize=400%2C300\" alt=\"This photo illustrates growth mindset overcoming serious music anxiety.  It also illustrates three mathematicians (Amy Ksir, me, and Renzo Cavalieri) playing Christmas Carols on accordions in public.  I know, you wish you were there, or that I at least had sound for you...\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/files\/2015\/11\/accordion-photo.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/files\/2015\/11\/accordion-photo.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/files\/2015\/11\/accordion-photo.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/files\/2015\/11\/accordion-photo.jpg?w=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1494\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This photo illustrates growth mindset overcoming serious music anxiety. It also illustrates three mathematicians (Amy Ksir, me, and Renzo Cavalieri) playing Christmas Carols on accordions in public. I know, you wish you were there, or that I at least had sound for you&#8230;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In fact, my accordion story\u00a0is something that I already tell\u2014I talk about how math is like sports, or like music, something you have to practice, and tell them that I know it is hard. I tell my students the same thing my best professors told me: You can do this, you just have to challenge yourself, put in the effort, and work through the discomfort of confusion. The research on growth mindset is really just a supplement to what many math teachers and professors have been saying all along. \u00a0Now there is science saying the same thing, and that believing in this possibility alone can make a big difference.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m really curious to hear from people who have also been thinking about this. Have you incorporated growth mindset into your courses or thinking about your own math life? Did you already know a lot about it, or is it relatively new to you, too? I\u2019d love to hear about it in the comments.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week Sara brought up growth mindset as an important part of talking to students dealing math anxiety and insecurity. When I first heard the phrase a few months ago, I thought it was maybe some hokey visualization mantra for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/2015\/11\/02\/ive-got-my-mindset-on-you-growth\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" data-url=https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/2015\/11\/02\/ive-got-my-mindset-on-you-growth\/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,20,18],"tags":[125],"class_list":["post-1493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-minorities-in-mathematics","category-teaching","category-women-in-math","tag-growth-mindset"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3c1jI-o5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1493"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1497,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1493\/revisions\/1497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/phdplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}