1. Pupil Support Worker Conference 18 th August 2015 Mindsets Lesley Nelson Educational Psychologist lesley.nelson@westlothian.gov.uk DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

2. Take the mindset quiz Think about how you would have answered these questions when you were in school ? What kind of mindset do you have? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

3. Are we born smart or stupid? Is intelligence fixed from birth? Do we have ‘built-in’ talents as a baby? Or… do talents, abilities and intelligence itself grow from experience?? What we’ll be looking at DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

4. 1. Born SMART….? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

5. At birth, we can’t WALK or TALK These abilities don’t pop up overnight…. ….. they DEVELOP as we LEARN!! Importance of development DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

6. Good at maths? Good at acting? Good at science? Good at music? So, are we born… DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

7. Was Einstein born a genius? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

8. Was Michael Jordan born slam dunking? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

9. Was Taylor Swift born a singer? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

10. What can we learn about learning from animals? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

11. Ratty intellect… BORING Nothing to do in the cage but eat and sleep –No stimulation EXCITING Cage had opportunities for rats to play and interact –Lots of stimulation Lab rats were placed in 2 different environments: DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

12. After a while, the stimulated rats were found to be smarter than the boring rats. Their brains were even HEAVIER than the boring rats. Rat results DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

13. What do you think? Are our abilities determined from birth? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

14. Two beliefs about intelligence DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

15. Fixed mindset Believes: Intelligence is CARVED IN STONE Scores in a test MEASURE POTENTIAL Intelligent people shouldn’t have to WORK HARD Failure reflects a LACK of INTELLIGENCE DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

16. Growth mindset Believes: Intelligence is MALLEABLE Learning requires HARD WORK and EFFORT ALL individuals CAN LEARN and improve We CANNOT MEASURE a person’s POTENTIAL DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

17. Thinking about mindset OBSERVE the mindset you adopt You can CHOOSE to adopt a growth mindset When you meet challenges REMIND yourself about the growth mindset DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

18. 2: The Brain DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

19. The brain weighs 1,300 – 1,400 grams It is made up of 100 Billion Neurons Forming different areas called Lobes Facts about the brain… DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

20. Frontal Lobe Parietal Lobe Temporal Lobe Occipital Lobe DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

21. Emotion Reasoning Speech Motion Planning Problem solving The Frontal lobe is used for: DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

22. Touch Pressure Temperature Pain The Parietal lobe is used in: DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

23. Hearing & Memory The Temporal lobe is used for: DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

24. Vision We use this lobe to process what we see The Occipital lobe is used for: DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

25. The different parts of the brain let us do things think things remember things All of the lobes, and all their functions, are important in everyday life. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

26. The more we use a part of our body, the more space our brain needs to control or interpret it. In fact, by learning the brain may have to change the space it uses to account for new abilities. Brain space… DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

27. People who play music have been found to have auditory centres that are BIGGER than normal. The ‘sound’ area of their brain grew through practising their music. Sound Centre DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

28. All of the areas of the brain… like sound, communication, problem-solving… are made of cells called NEURONS They transmit information all around the brain. Neurons DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

29. Neurons pass information through CONNECTIONS with other neurons at SYNAPSES DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

30. Learning helps our neurons GROW. The more we learn, the more connections they make. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

31. … through lots and lots of practice. People with large auditory areas in their brain grew lots more neuron connections in the sound area…

32. In summary… The brain is like a muscle that gets stronger and works better the more it is exercised. Too often pupils believe the brain is static, leading them to think talent and giftedness are permanent, unchanging personal attributes that automatically bring later success. Every time you work hard, stretch yourself and learn something new your brain forms new connections and over time you actually become smarter. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

33. What about your brain? What areas do you think are bigger in your brain than in other people’s? What areas would you like to get even bigger and stronger? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

34. 3: Promoting and Supporting a Growth Mindset Goals Responses Praise DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

35. Beethoven’s teacher called him a HOPELESS composer He wrote 5 of his greatest SYMPHONIES while DEAF DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

36. "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas” Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because… DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

37. Different ways people view failure Some people view it as a learning opportunity. They value learning. While others view it as confirmation that they are not smart. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

38. Goals: are the things we aim for DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

39. Goals: performance Those with a FIXED MINDSET tend to create PERFORMANCE goals. They believe that a person’s POTENTIAL can be MEASURED. They aim to receive validation from others. Receiving low marks mean that they are not smart. Both success and failure cause ANXIETY. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

40. Goals: learning Those with a growth mindset tend to create LEARNING goals. The goal is MASTERY and COMPETENCE. Scores and marks reflect how people are doing NOW and do not measure a person’s potential. Creating goals for learning has shown to INCREASE PERFORMANCE and enjoyment and decrease negative emotion. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

41. Responses: are how we react to events DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

42. Response: helpless Fixed mindset Unmotivated Lack of perseverance Decreased enjoyment Depressed Anxious Responsible for the setback Disengaged and avoid getting involved with studying DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

43. Response: mastery Growth mindset View setback as a challenge Try harder Look for other ways to do things Factor in many different points Engage with the problem ? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

44. Praise People are very sensitive to the messages they receive about themselves. The way we interact with young people can foster either a growth or a fixed mindset. Praise for effort v. praise for ability. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

45. Praising for ability (e.g. talent or intelligence) Praising intelligence makes kids fragile. “Wow, you’re really smart!” “Look at how well you did on this project. You are so intelligent!” Our tendency to praise gifted children for their intelligence may actually be detrimental to their long-term intellectual growth and development. DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

46. The Alternative: Praise for effort “You must have tried very hard!” “ You really studied for your test and your improvement shows it!” “ I like that you took on a challenging project. You’re sure going to learn a lot.” “I love that you kept trying, even when it got difficult! Good job!” “ I like the way you tried all kinds of strategies on that Maths problem until you got it!” DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

47. Praise for effort (cont.) Ask questions about their work in a way that admires and appreciates their efforts and choices and gets them to reflect on the satisfaction they feel from working hard. - “You put so much thought into that essay. How did it feel to hand it in? -“That picture has so many beautiful colours. Tell me about them. -“I could tell you put in a lot of practice on that piano piece. How did it feel to perform it? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

48. Praise for effort (cont.) For a pupil who worked hard but didn’t do well: -“I liked the effort you put in, but let’s work together to identify some new strategies to try next time” -“We all learn things at a different pace. It may take more time for you to catch on to this, but if you keep working as hard as you are, you’ll get it” -“Everyone learns in a different way. Let’s keep trying to find the way that works for you” DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

49. Providing Feedback Instead of focusing on a student’s score on a test or assignment, provide specific feedback – Look at mistakes as opportunities to talk with students about strategies, effort, and their understanding – Help students focus on learning as a process rather than one-time performance – Provide specific feedback on what kept the student from succeeding and how he/she can improve DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

50. Providing Feedback (cont.) Be honest with pupils and then give them the tools to do better. – “You scored 3 out of 10 on the reading test. Here’s the intervention we’re going to do together twice a week to improve your reading.” - “You received 2 yellow cards for talking out in class and disrupting the learning environment. Here are some strategies for getting the teacher’s attention without getting in trouble.” DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

51. What will I say? I’m not good at this I’m awesome at this I give up This is too hard I can’t make this any better I just can’t do Maths I made a mistake She’s so smart. I’ll never be that smart It’s good enough Plan A didn’t work What are you missing? You’re on the right track Try some of the strategies you’ve learned This might take you some time and effort You can always improve so keep trying You need to train your brain in Maths Mistakes help you learn better You need to figure out how she does it so you can try it Is it really your best work? Good thing the alphabet has 25 more letters! DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

52. Lasting change Use frequent formative feedback High levels of challenge for every pupil Explicitly welcome mistakes Engaging in deliberate practice Reward effort not attainment Model a Growth Mindset DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

53. Summary A growth mindset helps people to be motivated and to succeed A growth mindset can be learnt We can foster a growth mindset in others by the type of feedback we give and by teaching them about the brain’s huge potential Role models give people evidence of the growth mindset in action DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

54. Resources Websites Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing Mindsetworks.com www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset Book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol Dweck DATA LABEL: PUBLIC