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Growth Mindset: Going Beyond Answer-Getting

By EMILY NUTTALL posted 12-14-2017 19:13

  
As a student, I was one of those kids who sort of caught on quickly to algorithms. I was “good” at math. As an adult, I realize that had nothing to do with my intelligence; instead, it was - and still is - more of a reflection of my personality. As I come to research and understand more about how learners learn, I have become more reflective of my own learning experience. I reflect in order to keep myself in grounded in “my students’ shoes,” so that I may continue to understand how they learn and what they need from me as a facilitator of their learning. As I learn more about Growth Mindset and put words to what I’ve felt innately, it is clear to me that true learning comes from exploration, questioning, and challenges.


When I learned algorithms, I was not really learning. I was simply becoming really good at imitating steps. The unfortunate thing about that is that I remember being praised for doing so - being called “smart” for getting answers, while watching my peers’ self-esteem plummet because they couldn’t get answers in the same way, or as fast. I remember feeling bad for my friends as they struggled, and as unspoken labels began to pour over them. I heard every “sigh” from a frustrated teacher. I could feel the buzz of nervous snickers from classmates. Classmates who were laughing to hide their own insecurity about their ability to memorize a set order of steps, in order to solve a math problem, and therefore appear to be mathematical geniuses.

From my own experience as a young learner, I now understand the burden and pressure of being labeled the “smart kid,” as well as the damage and self-esteem robber of being silently labeled as “not as smart.” It brings to mind the recent, and powerful, video from Jo Boaler and the team at YouCubed: Rethinking Giftedness. When I became a teacher, the reality of both experiences flooded my mind as I watched some of my students catch on quickly to the mathematics, while at the same time other students struggled to make sense of it. Throughout my years as a teacher, I noticed that all students genuinely wanted to be successful.

As an educator, I am driven by the notion that all of my students need to (and deserve to!) maintain that desire to be successful. I know from my own teaching & learning experiences that all students are capable of learning. However, just as each person is unique - with a unique personality - each student learns differently. We need to shift away from the practices of rewarding students whose learning style and personality are compatible with algorithms, following steps, and getting-answers. Instead, we should celebrate students’ ability to reason through their thinking - regardless of correct or incorrect answers. It is essential that we support and develop each individual student’s path to discover and understanding mathematical concepts, which includes celebrating and encouraging many mistakes. Getting answers does not support conceptual understanding; in fact, these students do not achieve true understanding or depth of knowledge on which they can build and connect ideas. We need to shift to Growth Mindset teaching & learning practices in order to reach all learners.
#Education #growth #learn

#ElementarySchool​​​​​
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Maryam Shuaib
05-02-2020 13:12

I love that you now have this realization over being "good" at math. I have always told myself that I am '"bad" at math and it is only now after learning about the growth mindset, that I have had the realization that is not the case. If I had someone who instilled in me the growth mindset growing up. A math teacher who made me realize that I can achieve it and it is not something that is fixed, I feel like I would have had a different outcome when it comes to math. I would have been more successful.

Florence Kwok
08-22-2018 14:31

I love the discussion of mindset. Most often, mindset is learned either from parents or educators. We have a perpetual cycle because teachers will resort to what they know and often times, as educators we are not up to date with the latest research about how children learn best. The sad truth is that a lot of teachers and parents have their own fixed mindsets about their identity as a learner. Too often I have heard parents say, "I was never good at math either, we're not math people." It was not until my own experience teaching that I began to see math in a different way. It finally made "sense." The algorithm never made sense, it worked, but it never made sense. The confidence that my students exude when it "makes sense" is far beyond the success of "getting the right answer." Thank you for sparking the discussion!

Tiffany Davis
04-28-2018 22:52

I really love how you mentioned the fact that as an educator you understand that no two students are the same and that no two students will have had the same learning experiences. This really stood out to me because this is something I find really important to consider when planning for the types of students I will encounter in my future classroom. Students will make mistakes, but it's okay as long as they are able to still build those connections. 

Chanhong Luu
02-06-2018 14:23

I too was a student who was good at applying algorithms, and I really wish I was told what was said in this post. All kids need to know that intelligence isn't static and apply this growth mindset into all areas of their lives. This is crucial in developing a positive self-esteem in young students. I also wish my teachers had known this and taught us the conceptual understanding behind math. There so many could've, would've, should've's, but I have solace knowing that this information is out there, and that I can change the status quo as a teacher.

I also related a lot to the Rethinking Giftedness video because I viewed myself as smart but wasn't identified as gifted until the 7th grade. I wanted to be gifted so badly that I asked to retake the test after I didn't pass it in 6th grade. I felt a lot better about myself once I was called gifted.

Tiffany Moore
02-06-2018 13:04

I think it's very important to discourage students from saying whether they are "good" at math or not. From a young age kids decide whether or not math is for them and pigeonhole themselves. When we talk about growth mindset it's important to emphasize that everyone has the ability to be better regardless of where they are in their math skills. I also am curious how we find a balance between the process and getting the right answers when schools are so test based.

Gabriella Soares
02-06-2018 12:58

This is very sad but true. I have seen countless students, while I was in elementary school and in schools today, go through these same things. We, society and teachers, have set this division of math ability almost from the start. We had the "advanced" class who was ahead of the "regular" class all through school. The advanced class was said to be smarter mostly because they would follow the steps of a formal and get the correct answer. They used the steps that they were taught and did not stray from this process. The regular class would be "slower" paced and if stuck in this group it was very unlikely that they would leave. I think the idea of the Growth Mindset is so important. Students need to understand that they have the ability to always be moving forward and grow as learners, that they are not just stuck in that rut that someone puts them in.

Kerry Dwyer
02-06-2018 11:47

I was also a person that did well with algorithms and was praised for doing so.  I really like the philosophy that students should not be praised for getting the correct answer, but should be evaluated on why their answer makes sense (or doesn't).  This skillset a) is a better assessment of whether students have the conceptual understanding, b) grow in their ability to connect ideas, and c) is more valuable in the "real world".

Kerry Dwyer
02-06-2018 11:47

I was also a person that did well with algorithms and was praised for doing so.  I really like the philosophy that students should not be praised for getting the correct answer, but should be evaluated on why their answer makes sense (or doesn't).  This skillset a) is a better assessment of whether students have the conceptual understanding, b) grow in their ability to connect ideas, and c) is more valuable in the "real world".

Erin Herlihy
02-06-2018 10:02

I just have to say I'm boggled by all these students that are just taught procedures when it comes to math. It's frustrating to know that our students are being taught with very short-sighted goals, specifically passing standardized tests by rote memorization. If we know that we should be holding our students to high standards, shouldn't we also hold them to the high standard that they legitimately understand math and not just have math facts and procedures memorized? I feel like all of this comes back to the fact that we need to learn who are students are and meet them where they are in their understandings of math or any subject.

Jess Sandifer
02-05-2018 15:39

At some point in my secondary math education I began to realize that memorizing procedures and tricks wasn't the best way to learn math.  My teachers tended to stray away from questions about why we did math a certain way or why a trick worked.  Now I understand why! The tricks and procedures don't always work.  I remember sitting in class desperately trying to memorize a procedure just so that I would excel on a test while other students begged for the rationale behind the things we were doing.  I really didn't realize that these tricks were a problem until recently.  I remember taking quizzes and tests and wondering why a given trick or procedure didn't work quite right on a problem.  I'd end up missing points and not knowing how to solve this problem.  Instead of trying to understand the problems, I was just trying to solve them..and my teachers were okay with that.  I think that's what they wanted.  In my future career as a teacher, I want to help my students stretch for higher-order thinking and application in mathematics.  I feel that the application of understandings will help my students more-fully grasp the content I am teaching and not just learn to solve a certain problem in isolation of all the other mathematics concepts.

Mary Frances Roll
02-04-2018 22:47

The growth mindset is such an important viewpoint for teachers to have regarding the potential for learning in all their students. Mathematics education, I believe, is slowly reshaping itself to be more understanding focused and less answer focused. However, it will take the intentionality of all teachers to push students towards deeper meaning making and away from rote memorization of procedures. Building a strong mathematical foundation in the early elementary years is particularly important for students to be successful in higher level courses.

Abigail Tice
02-04-2018 17:42

With so many schools and districts centering instruction around preparation for standardized testing, it's not surprising that students are being taught to memorize procedures. If the focus were shifted to creating meaningful learning experiences for math students that push those students to think critically and gain a deeper understanding of the concept, I think those schools and districts would thrive. Not only would they likely see higher test results, but they would also graduate students that have learned to problem solve using math concepts, rather than navigating through standardized tests using memorize procedures that they quickly forget. In any case, making sure that the students know that abilities are ever changing and can always be built-upon and expanded is critical for helping students maintain high self-esteem and a "can do" attitude.

Amanda Perri
02-04-2018 12:57

I think understanding and truly believing in growth mindset is one of the most important values a teacher can have. It is applicable to every subject, not just math.
This discussion makes me wonder what the effect of stereotype threat has when it interacts with teachers who have a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. As Emily said, "all students genuinely want to be successful." However, if a student is not understanding, has a fixed mindset, and is being told by society that "girls are bad at math", does she feel like there is any possibly for her to succeed at all?

Brittany Kaufman
02-03-2018 14:36

This is a great reminder to help teachers reflect on their students thinking processes. By asking ALL students to explain their thinking we create an inclusive and comfortable learning environment , where its okay to not always have the correct answer and problems can be worked through in a collaborative atmosphere. Everyone should have the opportunity to bring what they know to the classroom.

Elizabeth Skipper
12-19-2017 16:06

That is a good point Megan. I would add--not only our learning experiences as students when we were children, but also--how often do we reflect on our experiences as adult learners?

#blog #ElementarySchool #GrowthMindset #AdultLearning​​​​

Megan Holmstrom
12-18-2017 03:17

This blog post got me thinking, how often do we reflect on our own learning experiences (as students) now that we are teachers? I think it happens often, and Emily nailed some of those thoughts I've had myself - thinking back to how I learned math!