As a teacher, you want your students to develop a growth mindset and a sense of self-efficacy. But how do you balancing challenging your students and supporting them as you help them grow and develop these traits? Here are some tips to help you create a learning environment that fosters growth mindset and self-efficacy.
One way to balance challenge and support is to set high but realistic expectations for your students. This means that you communicate clearly what you want them to learn and how you will assess their progress, but also that you tailor your instruction and tasks to their readiness and interests. By setting high but realistic expectations, you show your students that you believe in their potential and that you are willing to help them reach it.
I agree with the above! Something else I have found to be valuable is both vulnerability and flexibility. I was never very good at math, so when I filled in for a math teacher and one of the students had difficulty understanding the concept, I explained that I had trouble learning math also. This created a different rapport with the students. I then explained the concept differently, to help the student who was having difficulty.
Safety. There is not a safer place to be wrong, than when learning. 1) I am learning too 2) we will all “assume good intent” with each other 3) class participation is based on the question: “did you help others to learn?”
In my experience working with Early Childhood, this focus on self-efficacy is crucial. Helping a child do it for themselves is really the name of the game in the under 5 education area. We accomplish this by modeling and gently nudging the students in the right direction. Speaking our day out loud is an excellent way to give words to our actions for the pre-talkers and those struggling with language. Finally, by asking questions of the children and letting them explain things to you is an excellent way for them to show their knowledge, feel accomplished and for you to see where they are at in a certain skill building phase.
I disagree, I don't think we should be setting the expectations unilaterally. Helicopter (lawnmower, jackhammer) parenting has robbed young adults of experience making decisions, resolving conflict, and learning from failure. This lack of experience usually leads to overconfidence or lack of confidence, both of which present problems. Overconfidence leads to unrealistic expectations. Lack of confidence leads to analysis paralysis..."Where do I even start?" My point is, involve them in the expectation setting process. Role model collaboration while providing decision making experience; help them to set realistic expectations; allow them to fail in a low risk environment and show that failure is necessary for success. That's the job!
I believe that case-based learning allows students to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios, analyze complex situations, and make informed decisions. It encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to navigate ambiguity - skills that are highly sought after by employers in today's competitive job market. What truly help students to transform into a professional, is their ability to apply the acquired knowledge effectively and logically in practical and workplace situations.
Another way to balance challenge and support is to provide constructive and specific feedback to your students. This means that you praise their effort and strategies, not their intelligence or talent, and that you give them suggestions on how to improve their performance and overcome difficulties. By providing constructive and specific feedback, you help your students understand that learning is a process and that mistakes are opportunities to grow.
A practical approach to constructive feedback is to establish ground rules to allow it to be received appropriately. Provide the feedback but do not discuss it right away, schedule a time a day or two later to follow up. The problem with receiving feedback for most is feeling the need to justify, and all of the emotion that is wrapped up in the "why". When you provide time and space, it gives the emotion a chance to dissipate and you can discuss the "how" constructively. The "why" can be important, however, usually the "how" is the purpose of the conversation and what needs to adjust moving forward.
In my experience, maintaining this balance is vital, and feedback is an effective way to do so. Feedback, however, is best received and understood when it proceeds from a previously built relationship. Creating a safe, positive learning environment where risk taking and questioning are a part of the ethos, allows for feedback that produces increased learning outcomes.
If we follow God through Jesus, by His given Spirit, we will judge ourselves and others through the same measure they Spiritually give us as One. God's corrective judgment is given to encourage others to surpass where they are, not to condemn them or keep them stagnant. How we respond to correction shows us what we lack or gain in our relationship with Christ.
Having taught in Colleges and B-Schools...one thing that I've always come across is the need to balance my students for them to progress with level headedness instead of developing a sense of over confidence There are scenarios where students had actively participated in the class or towards submission of their assignment however of there's anything that can help them to learn from their own experiences...I ensure that I bring in my sense of constructive feedback for them through the sandwich technique This implies that I share what they have been doing well, bring in the specifics where they could have improved upon and then balance it out with how they could leverage on their strengths to move to the next level in their real career
It is very important to keep on supporting as well as criticizing at the sane time. Providing a supportive environment along with guiding them where they can improve can help them heading in the right direction. In Sanskrit there is a shook which gives a metaphor of a potter who keeps on patting the pot while making it on a potters wheel alongwith another hand supporting from inside. This kind of support system is needed for a student to develop to its yrue potential.
A third way to balance challenge and support is to encourage self-regulation and reflection among your students. This means that you help them set their own goals, monitor their progress, and evaluate their outcomes, and that you invite them to think about what they learned, what they did well, and what they can do better next time. By encouraging self-regulation and reflection, you empower your students to take ownership of their learning and to develop a sense of agency and confidence.
Self-regulation and reflection should be taught at all grades to promote consistency and to develop the students desire to take ownership for learning. Helping students reflect on their learning process is essential to developing metacognition and executive functioning.
AND have them draw their own road forward: Many young people began their careers from a laptop screen without the context of company office space or in-person mentoring... they were (and often still are) crafted into individual contributors completing assigned tasks as quickly as possible, more akin to finishing homework than building something meaningful. Moving forward, off the back of pandemic remote work, my advice to young people is, try building co-created goals w/ management that allow you to look UP and AROUND the organization. What skills do you want to attain? What area of the company would you like to improve or change? What kinds of impact do you want to help create outside company walls?
Totally agree with your response BG, we need to slow things down, notice and respond. The world can be overwhelming, schools need to be safe havens where co-regulation and self regulation can develop in readiness for students futures.
The way schools and universities teach reflection should be reframed. From “Dear Diary” type reflections to intentional journaling of progress, learnings and journey. Journaling of learnings such as start of a internship or class will help students look back and see how far they’ve come. It can be even easy as bullets of what happened, what they learned and who they met. The impact of international reflection is immense - I know from personal experience!
We all have mirror cells in our brains that both allow us, and, actually cause us to learn others' socialized behaviors without even realizing it. Demonstration and modeling of what self-regulation looks like AND how it can be achieved is the single most effective way to help a young person integrate this behavior/skill. They will learn from watching what we do, not what we say. Show what I do for my own self-regulation and build tools into my workday rather than waiting until I'm in the red and need to calm down. Using tools daily, or hourly for some nervous systems is required in the fire-hose amount of processing we are asked to do in today's world. Acknowledging this for young people can be a relief and let them know we understand.
A fourth way to balance challenge and support is to model and promote a growth mindset yourself. This means that you share your own learning experiences, challenges, and successes with your students, and that you use language and actions that emphasize growth and improvement, not fixed and innate abilities. By modeling and promoting a growth mindset, you inspire your students to adopt a similar attitude and to embrace learning as a lifelong journey.
In my experience, it is not only children that need help to develop a growth mindset. Adult learners who have come through the traditional schooling systems also need support. For many adults, it can be challenging to discover that there are no failures or mistakes, only feedback and course correction. However, once they get the hang of learning and growing instead of the old school right and wrong approach, they quickly become curious and dedicated students ready to embrace a lifelong journey.
Students benefit from comfort with being wrong. And that begins with educators. Modeling a growth mindset means much more than saying the words. It means displaying comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty by showing our own curiosity vs. what we know. I see some post secondary educators display fear in not being the smartest in the room just as I see students display discomfort with the imperfections of their knowledge and experience. If you really want to get students to adopt a growth mindset, we must go first by not knowing and sharing that we don’t know. Look for activities that require student critique of your materials via their own research. More questions and less answers.
Modeling was my initial answer above as this is often the best way to show young people what you mean. Words can fail, but actions are clear.
Teach children about the brain and how it can develop new neural pathways throughout our life. Teach about and model how we can learn from errors. Teach them about resilience. Give examples of famous people - it's easy to think that they achieved overnight success, when the reality is often a lot of hard work and multiple failures along the path.
Also, It's important to promote a culture of Open questions. During my volunteering experience with TEALS, teaching AP CS Fundamentals to high school students, I realized the importance of fostering a culture of open questions. This course, known for its rigor, can take students out of their comfort zones. Encouraging inquiry and critical thinking can guide students to unravel complex concepts and view difficulties as learning opportunities. Such an environment emphasizes struggle not as failure, but a stepping-stone towards growth, a crucial element for success in challenging courses.
A fifth way to balance challenge and support is to create a supportive and collaborative culture in your classroom. This means that you establish norms and routines that foster respect, trust, and cooperation among your students, and that you facilitate opportunities for them to work together, share their ideas, and learn from each other. By creating a supportive and collaborative culture, you cultivate a sense of belonging and community among your students and enhance their motivation and engagement.
An easy way to do this is to celebrate discoveries and successes made by your students. When a student figures something out, share it with the class and make them the star. I freely admit that I don't know everything, but I'm here to learn side-by-side with my students. And I model what I teach, I show them things I just learned recently from a podcast or a PD offering.
Important reminder for all educators (especially undergrad and grad school faculty) - practical application of curriculum to the “real world”. More and more, I have my students looking to really understand how theory translates to practice. The “why do I care about this” question is vitally important and deserves exploration in the classroom so the students have a clear understanding of both the value of the instruction as well as how it can be applied post graduation.
This is very important point. The communication with students should be a two way communication. Whatever topics you are going to cover, you can start with a question and answer session. If this practice is followed then you will see amazing response from the students. Let them speak-up and put their opinion. And we can stop doing session in which there is a one way communication from teacher to students. Instead of this we can promote supportive and collaborative sessions. Anyone can come upfront and share their thoughts.
When students work together, they see different ways their friends approach problems, reminding them there’s always more than one way to tackle a challenge. This teamwork setting makes it clear that it’s okay to try, make mistakes, and learn from them. By working in a group, students get the vibe that growing and learning are all part of the journey. They see that everyone, including themselves, can get better at something with effort and time. So, creating a team spirit in classrooms helps students believe more in their ability to grow and learn.
We need to focus on the principles that drive those who look to us for guidance. By coming at them from a perspective they can relate to, they already feel equipped to learn and expand. In understanding our students and their needs, we can also further understand ourselves and grow along with them. Always ask why not, rather than explaining why and offer the opportunity that there may be overlapping gaps between both your perceptions of the world and bridge from there.
A sixth way to balance challenge and support is to celebrate growth and achievement with your students. This means that you acknowledge and appreciate their efforts and progress, not just their results, and that you recognize and reward their achievements, big and small. By celebrating growth and achievement, you reinforce your students' growth mindset and self-efficacy and encourage them to keep striving for excellence.
Encourage students to notice things in the news or wider society which are relevant to what they are learning and reward them when they do. Stop the lesson a few minutes before the end of the lesson and share 'what went well' / what we have found interesting / what progress we have noticed. I love Maria's suggestion for 'catching people doing something good.' It reminds me of the way that people train dolphins. Ignore mistakes and reward / praise when you catch them doing well.
This is at the core of the Challenge & Support Model. The goal of the "Growth Mindset" is to build a sense of self-efficacy in students. Without the celebration of achievement, we leave it to the student to know whether or not they have done well, leaving it open to un-earned confidence OR hypercriticality despite success. By celebrating achievement, we either correct errors or provide a capstone of positivity to the student's efforts, creating a new foundation for greater success.
Encouraging students to discover and celebrate their unique gifts is a pivotal step in cultivating a growth mindset. By recognizing and embracing their individual strengths and achievements, students gain confidence and a sense of progress. Celebrating growth and accomplishments, no matter how small, fosters a positive learning environment. It encourages students to view challenges as opportunities for growth rather than as obstacles. Whether it's a well-earned round of applause or a simple acknowledgment of their progress, celebrating achievements helps students develop the belief that they can continue to learn and improve throughout their educational journey.
"You succeed or Learn" is a useful mantra. In addition to celebrating achievement, help student to see the growth embedded in what they might call failure. Teach them to fail forward and to see failure as a stepping stone towards their success goal.
As a Holy Spiritual Teacher, through Christ, we can't help rejoicing with all His Spiritual teachers and students who have grown through a devoted relationship with our Heavenly Father, through His Son, by His Holy Spirit, and we will for eternity! It is a daily celebration of minds coming together as One!