Teacher Mini Lesson 

Welcome to Week 4 of the Blended Learning Coaching Academy.  This week are going to be exploring the difference between growth mindset and fixed mindset.  When coaching teachers through the process of blended learning it is important that we explain to them the difference between the two mindset.  As blended learning coaches it is important to make sure that we foster growth mindset environments.  

This week we will also try to hold a Google Hangout session.  Google Hangouts will happen every Monday at 9:00pm Eastern Time. Feel free to join in on the conversation.

If at anytime you have any questions feel free to email Marcia Kish at kishmarcia@gmail or call at 614-600-2247.  Our hashtag for the course will be #DSDcoaching.  Feel free to watch the feed to the right and contact any of the participants throughout the session. 

Week 4 Mini Lesson Video
Creating Mindset 

Video Playlist for Mindset

About Growth MindSets

  • Teachers with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed. These teachers focus on learning over just looking smart, see effort as the key to success, and thrive in the face of a challenge.
  • Teachers with a fixed mindset believe that people are born with a certain amount of intelligence, and they can’t do much to change that. These teachers focus on looking smart over learning, see effort as a sign of low ability, and wilt in the face of a challenge.
  • Teachers with a growth mindset do better with the blended learning process.

Teaching a Growth MindSet

Neuron Science Activity
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One way to help teachers develop a growth mindset is by telling them how the brain can get smarter. You can explain how certain experiences cause new connections in the brain to form or strengthen, making the brain smarter by literally rewiring it. Here’s some evidence you can talk about:
  • In a study with rats, researchers put some rats in empty cages and others in stimulating cages with puzzles and other rats. The rats in the stimulating environments were smarter, and their brains even weighed more!
  • London taxi drivers have to give their brains a workout when they navigate the complicated streets of London. Research suggests this has an impact on the brain. The part of the brain responsible for spatial awareness is bigger in taxi drivers compared to other Londoners. And the longer a person has been a taxi driver, the bigger that part of the brain.

Celebrate Mistakes

  • Create the norm that you love and want mistakes.
  • Don't just praise mistakes - explain why they are important.
  • Give work that encourages mistakes.
  • Math teachers: To see similar videos specific to growth mindset in math class, sign up for Professor Jo Boaler’s course,  How to Learn Math, and check out youcubed.org.

Praise the Process 

Never say you're smart. 
  • Praising teachers for being smart suggests that innate talent is the reason for success, while focusing on the process helps teachers see how their effort leads to success.
  • In one study, 5th graders were either given praise for their intelligence or for their effort after succeeding on a set of moderately challenging problems. Later in the study, researchers found that students praised for their effort were more interested in challenging themselves and even performed better on another set of problems.

Give Task that Promote STruggle and Growth

  • Find patterns vs finding answers
  • Instead of solving a problem, ask the teachers to construct

Assessments for Learning and Encouraging a Growth Mindset 

  • Summative assessments = end of unit assessments showing performance.
  • Formative assessments = assessments that inform learning for both students and teachers - also known as assessments for learning. In formative assessments, students should have a full and clear sense of their learning path:
    • Where they are in the course.
    • Where they need to be.
    • How to close the gap between a and b.
  • Teachers who receive diagnostic feedback outperform students who receive grades. Diagnostic feedback without a grade attached helps teachers focus on how to improve. (Rubric scores)