This semester I am taking an Educational Psychology course, and we have analyzed the ideas of several different theorists in regards to student learning. Additionally, part of the requirement for this class was to participate in Village Project. I’ll explain what this is. Village Project is a campus created initiative in which Education Major students volunteer in After School Programs throughout the city of Green Bay. Us education majors work with the children in these programs with their academics, and we also engage with the elementary students in purposeful play. We students received a school placement early in the semester and volunteered fourteen different times before the conclusion of the course. It was crazy how I was able to relate the ideas of several different theorists we were learning of in class with the experiences I was engaging in through Village Project. One connection I was able to make from the students in the After School Program to my Educational Psychology course regarded the ideas of theorist Carol Dweck.
Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University, “is one of the world’s leading researchers on motivation and mindsets.” Finding answers to the question of how and why an individual achieves success or experiences failure is of her interest, and she relates this to student educational success. Through her current discoveries that have contributed to her theory of Growth Mindset, Dweck has discovered the possibility of changing a student’s mindset so that they may achieve success and have a positive academic outlook. For more information about Carol Dweck, visit this website, and watch her TED talk here!
Carol Dweck’s theory of Growth Mindset embodies several different ideas. These include the concepts of growth mindset, fixed mindset, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, and the words “yet and not yet”. The difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset is fairly simple. A growth mindset is one in which believes progress and success are achievable, and a fixed mindset holds perceptions that one is incompetent for improvement. When considering a classroom, a student with a growth mindset will work hard to master content, and they will not allow failures to prevent them from accomplishing their academic aspirations. A student with a fixed mindset will not view themselves as having the potential to develop greater intelligence to achieve his or her great aspirations. Failure will prevent students with fixed mindsets to progress forward towards greater understanding. Dweck recognized that students who displayed a growth mindset had influences of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Intrinsic motivation is internal motivation. It is one that will surface when a student enjoys performing an action; excitement is usually correlated to intrinsic motivation. Personal growth is experienced with this form of motivation for the student themself believes they are capable of accomplishing their goals. This can be established through meaningful relationships, especially a student’s relationship with their teacher. In addition to intrinsic motivation, there is extrinsic motivation. Students perform or behave to receive a reward or other desired outcome. This form of motivation is built on and prevalent within society. This includes within the classroom. Most often forms of money, trophies, candy, are extrinsic motivators, but other tangible desires or opportunity experiences are utilized. Extrinsic motivation can increase student performance, and it has potential to instill hard work within students for to receive a reward requires students to perform well and grow in their academic understanding.
My favorite part of Carol Dweck’s theory of Growth Mindset is her idea to use the words “yet and not yet” within the classroom or other work environment. The terminology of “not yet” is less harsh than “fail” is, and it does not demotivate a student as seeing a C, D, or F on their report card would. Contrarily, when a student views “not yet” on their report card, he or she may not perceive their potential as less rather as something they just have “not yet” accomplished. Intrinsic motivators may allow them to aspire even greater towards their academic and personal goals. Teachers can also use extrinsic motivators to assist their students in accomplishing the “yet”. The words “Yet and not yet” enable the construction of growth mindsets within students where a poor letter grade can instill fixed mindsets. It is all about progress, and even the slightest progress made by a student is a significant accomplishment because learning is a process. Utilizing “yet and not yet” may allow students to value their learning and the effort they put forth for grades are important, but academic growth is more important.
~Credit for my learning given to Dr. Carolyn Schaeffer at St. Norbert College~
During my work through Village Project at Keller Elementary School, I witnessed demotivation towards academics in most students. Each day an allotted amount of time was set aside for academic work, and the students were rarely enthused to participate. Whether it was reading or math, the students were disinterested in completing assignments or mastering content. There were several instances when I worked one-on-one with students, and it was not uncommon for the students to become quickly frustrated, throw their pencil down, and say they could not do it. These students had fixed mindsets and no intrinsic motivation. I was unable to offer extrinsic motivation due to only being a volunteer, but there was one moment in which a student I worked with was willing to learn from an offerance of an extrinsic reward from his teacher. If the student accurately completed his math sheet, he would receive a candy bar. Assisting this student, we completed the math sheet, and when I returned the following session, he told me all about the candy bar he earned. Through extrinsic motivation, learning of greater material was accomplished, and, from his accomplishment, the student had less of a fixed mindset. This is common within many students, and I am certain the reality of student demotivation and lack of effort will be present within some of my prospective students as well.
Within my future classroom, I will be certain to apply Carol Dweck’s theory of Growth mindset to assist in my students’ academic successes. For the students that accomplished the “yet”, I will offer praise. For my students struggling with content comprehension, I will assist them and share with them that even though they have “not yet” mastered the material, they eventually will. I desire for my class to have growth mindsets; therefore, I may offer extrinsic motivations to develop work ethics and effort so that intrinsic motivation may be instilled and displayed in my students’ academic performances. Hanging posters that present the concept and importance of growth mindsets may be a tool I can implement to create a positive, engaging, and exciting classroom environment in addition to the supportive relationships I create with my students. It is through support and motivation that children can aspire to attain greatness.
Whether you are a teacher, parent, or any form of leader of a group of individuals, Carol Dweck’s theory of Growth Mindset can be applied to your situations. I hope this was informative for you!
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