1. Dr Udaramati Pope Academic Practice Consultant, CPLD
Learning to ‘fail’: changing student mindset to develop the learning resilience required for research and enquiry in HE
Dr Udaramati Pope
Academic Practice Consultant, CPLD

2. Padlet address for this session
24 November 2018

3. What I want to introduce you to today
the characteristics and qualities students need to be successful in research and inquiry work
the implications of a ‘fixed-mindset’ and ‘growth-mindset’ attitude for HE learner behaviours and outcomes, with specific focus on research and enquiry
two ways we can support learners in developing the growth mindset that research and enquiry work require

4. Activity 1 Individual activity
Find a copy of the handout on your table
Read the three statements in each section
Mark the one you agree with most in each section
Save this for later…..

5. So what qualities do students need in order to engage successfully in research and enquiry?
Activity Watch James Dyson talking about the process of invention, which is one form of research and enquiry. After you have watched, using Padlet, enter words that describe the qualities/characteristics of someone who engages successfully in research and enquiry.
24 November 2018

6. James Dyson on the process of research and inquiry that resulted in the development of the bagless, dual-cyclone vacuum cleaner.

7. Professor Carol Dweck, Stanford University The Benefits of a Growth Mindset

8. Characteristics of fixed- and growth-mindsets
Fixed mindset
Growth Mindset
Believes intelligence is fixed, cannot change
Believes talent is something you are born with (or not)
Believes that if you are successful at something, it should be easy
Believes that failure is negative and indicates that you are not a success
Believes intelligence can be developed
Believes talent is something you can develop
Believes that to be successful at something, you need to make a lot of effort and practice
Believes that failing is positive and is an integral part of the learning process
24 November 2018

9. Mixture of fixed and growth mindset
Now use your responses from Activity 1 to identify your own mindset tendencies
More fixed mindset
Mixture of fixed and growth mindset
More growth mindset
24 November 2018

10. What are the implications of a fixed mindset for the undergraduate?
Used to being top of the class – probably won’t be in HE
Used to high achievement with little effort – will probably be hard work in HE; may give up quickly
Used to being spoon-fed and getting the ‘right’ answers easily – won’t understand how there are not ‘right’ answers in research and enquiry; can’t function without showing they are ‘right’ or the lecturer telling them the answers/how to do it
Used to being told they are ‘clever’ – might not feel so clever any more – leads to drop in self-esteem, and may then give up quickly, feeling a failure before they begin. May also avoid participating in the first place so that they do not have to ‘fail’
24 November 2018

11. What do research and enquiry-based learning require from students?
The ability to…
Identify and ask questions
Keep asking questions - tenacity
The willingness to try and try and try to find answers or solutions – with lots of failure – more tenacity
Making links, working out what those links are
Self-assessment/peer assessment – there is no ‘right answer’
Look for an unknown answer - lecturer doesn’t provide the answers!
Self-Motivate and motivate others in the group
Be able to recognise the limitations of their current skill set, be willing to develop new skills and be proactive in doing so
Self-assessment of progress when the goal may be unknown

12. How can we support students to develop a growth mindset?
Full workshop on this on July 13th – details to follow from CPLD
24 November 2018

13. How can we support students to develop a growth mindset?
Two ways we can approach this in HE
Create opportunities to ‘fail’ – formative assessment
Use feedback to praise effort and tenacity, not intelligence and ‘correctness’
24 November 2018

14. Create opportunities to ‘fail’ – formative assessment
This does not mean more ‘practice summative assessments’…. It means opportunities to practice skills/apply knowledge and understanding to build step-by-step towards summative assessments = more active learning in sessions e.g. SCALE-UP, flipped learning, and other active learning methods = more opportunities to ‘get it wrong’ in a supported environment = more opportunities to get feedback on their progress, (from peer and self-assessment, not only from their lecturer!) = more opportunities to be shown how to use that feedback to improve progress
24 November 2018

15. Use feedback to praise effort and tenacity, not intelligence and ‘correctness’
When effort and ability to stick with the task are recognised and rewarded, students learn to value their intrinsic appreciation for learning, and to enjoy the experience of ‘failure’, recognising it as integral to their learning. This is particularly important in giving verbal feedback during learning activities in sessions, but is also relevant to written feedback
24 November 2018

16. Even Geniuses Work Hard!
Dweck, Carol (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.