Do your students have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset in math? My students did. If your students have a fixed mindset, they believe that their poor math skills are permanent traits. On the other hand, when your students have a growth mindset, they believe that their abilities can be developed with effort. It’s the effort that we want to focus on building.
Changing student mindset from “I’m not sure” to “Yes I can!”
There are many ways to help your students build their growth mindset and focus on their efforts in math. Growth mindset activities help students think more about their work towards becoming better mathematicians. How could your students improve their endeavors in math?
Implementing specific techniques that showcase work effort is important and does not have to be hard. What if your students can achieve higher success in mathematics with one simple strategy? Here are two strategies to try in your own classroom.
- Test Retakes. Do you allow your students to retake a test? By allowing your students to retake a test you’re saying “I know you can do better”. Effectively administering test retakes for your students can diminish their test anxiety. This video explains the “test retake” strategy, how to implement it, and the reasoning behind the process.
- Specific Praise. Do you use specific praise with your students? Many teachers are weak in this area. Learn how to effectively grow your students’ mindsets by saying what students do well. The video explains the “Specific Praise” strategy, how to implement it, and the reasoning behind the process.
Bulletin board displays are a good way to start growth mindset conversations. In your classroom, either on a wall or a traditional bulletin board you can make a display of growth mindset quotes. Showing and using words that inspire students will manifest their math efforts.
Click Here to Download Bulletin Board.
Do your students have a math portfolio for the year? What if you put in the portfolio their growth mindset goals and journey? A growth mindset portfolio helps students set and keep math goals all year. It is a great resource to keep in the classroom for parent conferences, meetings with the guidance counselor, and showing growth of a student from the beginning of the year to the end.
Click Here to Download Growth Mindset Portfolio.
When teaching Growth Mindset activities in math, there are multiple ways to incorporate it. Choose what works best for your students. How do your students like to be coached? How do they respond when you give positive or negative feedback? What activities do your students enjoy doing? Here are some quick takeaways you can implement in your classroom today.
- Coach students to see they are better at math than they think they are.
- Praise students often for their efforts in math.
- Keep a math portfolio of what students do well and reference it.
Is having a fixed mindset bad? No, but it will not allow students to improve and go beyond where they’re supposed to. Students need to be shown the sky, above the clouds, where they can truly learn anything. When your students have a growth mindset, they can and will do anything!
