Strategies for Your Curriculum

Increasing Student Motivation and Engagement Using a Mindset Approach: Strategies for Your Curriculum David Valentiner Northern Illinois University

Presentation Outline • A Request • Rationale and Empirical Basis – Introduction to the theory – Selective review of the evidence -- four studies

• Feedback • Strategies for your curriculum – Curriculum modules – Shifting the paradigm – Building your own curriculum

Strategies to Promote a Growth Mindset • From the first study, “Brainology” includes a six-session online tutorial on cognitive neuroscience, supplemented with in-class activities and homework assignments. • From the second study, the Malleable Pen Pal condition involved three 90-minute sessions in which individual writes letters to a younger student. • From the fourth study, the Incremental Theory condition involved a semester-long process of designing a webpage advocating an incremental mindset.

Something Less Cumbersome • One 30-45 minute session • Uses the “saying is believing” paradigm • Orient students to the task of advocating for a growth mindset. Instruct them to not evaluate whether it is true or not. • Present information to help them.

Presentation Outline • A Request • Rationale and Empirical Basis – Introduction to the theory – Selective review of the evidence -- four studies

• Feedback • Strategies for your curriculum – Curriculum modules – Shifting the paradigm – Building your own curriculum

Other resources • • • •

Dropbox folder Pert.net Mindsetworks.com Ongoing consultation (email, phone, etc.)

Shifting the paradigm • Mindset beliefs are self-maintaining • Like other implicit beliefs – Outside of awareness – Sometimes at odds with explicit beliefs – Guide attention, interpretation, and behavior – Transmitted through media, person-to-person

• Change the behavior to change the belief

Fixed Mindset

Growth Mindset

• The goal is to look smart: “I want to show how smart I am.”

• The goal is learning: “It’s more important to learn than it to get the top grade.”

• Effort is seen as negative : “If you have to work hard, it means that you are not very smart.”

• Effort is seen as positive : “The harder you work, the better you’ll be at it.”

Fixed Mindset

Growth Mindset

• Response to failure: “I • Response to failure: “I don’t want to do this;” will work harder in “I don’t like this class;” this class;” “I will and “This isn’t fair – I spend more time am going to cheat.” studying for the tests.” • Intelligence Praise: “Wow, that’s a really good score. You must be smart at this.”

• Effort Praise: “Wow, that’s a really good score. You must have tried really hard.”

Fixed Mindset

Growth Mindset

• Low Confidence

• High Confidence

• Low Motivation

• High Motivation

• Decreasing Performance

• Increasing Performance

Growth Mindset • Praise effort (not achievement or performance) • Talk about acquiring knowledge and developing skills (not demonstrating ability) – “show me what you have learned” versus “show me how good you are at this”

• Focus on the task (not the person) – Self-focus contributes to a breakdown in automatized cognitions and behaviors (i.e., choking)

• Emphasize formative (not summative) evaluation • Describe role models efforts (not gifts)

Shifting the paradigm • Other beliefs relevant to mindset beliefs – Intelligence is stable – Group differences – Some students can’t learn this material – Some people are just naturals at this – Some people are not cut out for this – Some of these things can’t be learned

• Adoption of a growth mindset is a teaching strategy.

Presentation Outline • A Request • Rationale and Empirical Basis – Introduction to the theory – Selective review of the evidence -- four studies

• Feedback • Strategies for your curriculum – Curriculum modules – Shifting the paradigm – Building your own curriculum

Mindset constructs • • • • • •

Peer relationship mindset Personality mindset Shyness mindset Morality mindset Weight mindset Negative affect mindset

Selecting a mindset construct • Consider the specific course curriculum (e.g., math skills for a math class, biology knowledge for a biology class, etc.) • Consider how students actively engage with the curriculum and develop a sense of belongingness • Entry and gatekeeping courses might target professional identity (e.g., engineering can be learned; most students in this class who work hard can become an engineer)