Growth Mindset and Difficulty

It is important to not simply increase the level of difficulty in your course without also creating the right context for that difficulty. Make sure that you offer not only high expectations, but that those expectations are offered with high support. Support comes in many forms, but all are connected to high-quality instruction: offer multiple explanations, individualized instruction when needed, discipline-specific study strategies, transparent assignments, a variety of opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning, and active learning opportunities. 

For a more in-depth discussion of two ways to prepare students for desirable difficulty, the following video offers information on growth mindset and transparency - two approaches to teaching students how to be resilient learners. 

 

More on Growth Mindset

Popularized by Carol Dweck's book Mindset, the concept of a growth mindset is: "a belief that abilities are malleable and can, with effort, be improved” (Persellin and Daniels 8). This is the opposite of a fixed mindset, or a belief that intelligence and skill is set or fixed and unchangeable. The logical conclusion of fixed mindsets is that no amount of study or work will improve their abilities, while those with growth mindsets look at complex, difficult tasks and welcome the challenge and opportunity to grow. It is also connected the concept of "grit," popularized by Angela Duckworth's book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Links to an external site.and her TED talk Links to an external site.. 

If applied in a surface-level only way, growth mindset may or may not have an impact. Just defining the term or telling students to adopt an open mind is not enough. Some people have decades of negative experiences and entrenched thoughts that they simply can't learn math or are inherently bad at writing. And, it is not enough to put all the responsibility of adopting growth mindsets on students - we also need to intentionally create learning environments that create opportunities for students to make mistakes, try again, and learn. From our grading practices to the language we use with assignment feedback, growth-mindset thinking only thrives in certain landcapes. You can find great resources for teaching growth mindset at the Mindset Kit site Links to an external site.. 

 

Strategies for Strengthening Students' Growth Mindsets

Persellin and Daniels provide more than a dozen strategies to help faculty steer students away from any fixed mindset ideas. 

    1. Break It Down
    2. Stress the Ideas that Ability is Malleable and Can Be Developed 
    3. Make it Worthwhile for Students to Learn from Their Mistakes
    4. Encourage Effort and Active Reflection 
    5. Create a Culture of Respect
    6. Try Problem-Based Learning
    7.  Use Stories to Inspire
    8. Share Stories of Your Own Failure with Students
    9. Challenge Students to Think With a Growth Mindset
    10. Encourage Students to Find Strategies to Make a Topic Relevant to Their Experience or Area of Interest
    11. Remind Students that Grit Can Be Acquired
    12. Cultivate the Trait of Conscientiousness in Your Students
    13. Encourage Learners to Engage in Positive Self-Talk
    14. Show Students Duckworth’s (2013) Six-Minute TED Talk and Discuss in Class

For more information about any of these approaches, please contact me or check out the book from the TLC!

 

Transparency

Being clear and transparent about how our classes work, what we expect from students in their assignments and behavior, as well as how students can meet those expectations are key to maintaining a rigorous and achievable course. While the full TILT module provides an overview of the assignment framework, it is important to think about transparency as a larger, more general concept here. Be frank, honest, and clear with your students. Don't assume that they know what you have in mind for a successful class.  Be transparent about why you are doing what you are doing. In particular, spend time sharing the research evidence behind academic rigor and learning that shapes your philosophy. Don't expect students to change their minds and beliefs with just a quick word from you. Devote class time to teaching students how to learn in your discipline. Most students have not been taught how to learn, so making them aware of the thinking behind your classroom approaches is key to getting them on board. 

 

Strategies for Increasing Transparency, Especially with First-Quarter and At-Risk Students

Persellin and Daniels also have an extensive list to support increased transparency about desirable difficulty in the classroom. 

    1. Get To Know Your Students
    2. Let Students Deliver the “How-to-Succeed-in-this-Course” Messages
    3. Set Ground Rules for Attendance and Behavior in Class
    4. Assess Entering Students’ Skills
    5. Activate Student Buy-In
    6. Give Low-Stakes Quizzes to Help Students Make Class a Priority
    7. Make Expectations Explicit
    8. Require Students to Interact with the Material
    9. Assess Student Progress Early
    10. Discuss Exam Review Strategies in Class
    11. Connect New Learning to Old
    12. Discuss Learning Strategies 
    13. Assure Students That You Believe They Can Do What Needs to Be Done to Succeed in This Class and in School 
    14. Encourage Students to Set Up a Support Network
    15. Encourage Students to Seek Help
    16. Caring, Sustained Relationships
    17. Realistic, Hopeful Pathways
    18. Engaging School and Community Settings

Once again, if you would like more information about any of these approaches, please contact me or check out the book from the TLC.

 

Negotiating Student Resistance

Students might resist the idea that difficult learning is more effective learning. Keep in mind that there are some students who think short term. If learning well enough to pass a course is good enough for them, they make push back against your focus on long-term retention. Some of them might never take a class in your discipline again, and they might not be swayed by your "it will help you in the future" argument. Others are going to resist because it is simply frustrating to feel unsure and to struggle. Be prepared for push back. 

Keep in mind this important idea: not all resistance is destructive. In fact, student resistance can be very constructive. In a 2013 research study, Seidel and Tanner observed that positive resistance looked like this: “students asking challenging questions, offering suggested corrections, helping other students without request, and submitting constructive feedback for instructor improvement. (Persellin and Daniels).  These behaviors and skills demonstrate deep engagement and understanding, and in the right circumstances, they are great examples of critical pedagogy in action. 

Of course, there are times when student resistance has significant negative impacts on the course, or even on the instructor - from high stakes student evaluations during tenure or the first-quarter teaching, to concerns about enrollment in struggling programs, to rising levels of anxiety about new material. If you want to implement desirable difficulty, you can't just make the courses harder and change nothing else in your approach. 

Here's Persellin and Daniels's advice about avoiding common pitfalls:

  1. Teach students how to learn. Emphasize metacognition, growth mindset and other mental shifts that create learners who understand how they learn best. Get specific about what learning looks like in your discipline and how that might differ from learning in other courses.
  2. Explain your approach and get student buy-in. Be explicit about these approaches. Use the TILT framework or other ways to discuss assignment purpose and relevance. Spend time sharing the research evidence behind your approaches to combat learning myths. 
  3. Address possible misconceptions about using nontraditional approaches. If you use collaborative learning or group work assignments, spend time addressing the problems with other group assignments and give individual  as well as group grades. Make sure that students know what is their responsibility and what is your responsibility. And, as some student pushback is rooted in concern that faculty are unavailable or unclear, highlight support like office hours and invite question. 
  4. Schedule mid-quarter feedback. If you want to learn about how students are experiencing your class, the best method is to ask. This gives you time to learn and make course corrections before the end of the quarter. For more info, see the Mid-Quarter Feedback module.