There are so many factors that play a role in student learning and academic success. Carol Dweck’s research teaches us that what children believe about learning and their own intelligence is a very important factor in their success. Some children have a “fixed mindset” meaning they believe that people are born with a certain intelligence or ability level that doesn’t change. Some children have a “growth mindset” meaning they believe that intelligence and ability level can change with hard work and effort. Children with a growth mindset have more academic success.
Throughout the school year, I have modeled and promoted the growth mindset in hopes of helping the children be empowered. However, Dr. Dweck’s research also shows that directly teaching children about how the brain works and how practice and effort can “pump up” your brain, increases academic success. In fact, her research compares students who received extra math instruction vs students who received instruction on the growth mindset. The students who learned about the growth mindset did better on the mathematics assessment than those who received the extra math instruction.
In our class we have been learning about how our brains work by watching video clips about the brain. We have learned about the neurons that make up our brain as well how the neurons connect and fire. We also have discussed the growth mindset. We know if we keep trying and believe we can do it we can change our brains and learn more.