Here are a few more responses to questions on current trends and issues in education, including educators in faith-based learning environments cultivating growth mindset, the connection between personalization of learning and growth mindset, and the effects of social media and students’ belief about their intelligence.
Do you see a unique position that educators in a faith-based learning environment have in cultivating a growth mindset in students?
There is a definite command in Scripture to be growing. Peter writes “if these things” — faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, and more — are in us and are growing they will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Christ. To remain effective in service, students need to understand growth is essential; it is critical that we foster a lifelong learning mindset in them.
I strongly believe Christians are called, in part, to redeem the world through their work. The command to be salt and light should inform the quality of our work. If we are not growing in ability, knowledge, and understanding, we will eventually become ineffective.
What connection do you see between personalization of learning and development of a growth mindset?
First, there is a connection between motivation and mindset: autonomy (I have some say in how I learn), community (I sense I am part of a team, learning together), and competence (What I need to be successful is available to me). A learning culture of all three fosters intrinsic motivation. A student can approach a task by asking either, “How fast can I complete this assignment?” or “Am I completing this assignment for the purpose of learning?” Personalization from a growth mindset guards against simply mastering tasks in lieu of learning.
Personalization requires that a teacher help each student find meaning in new material. Connecting students’ past experiences with new material will enable them to find value in it. Give students time to find these connections, and don’t make assumptions you know what their experiences are. Teachers can create a community experience to establish a reference point for the new material, but they should always ask students to think of additional examples from their experience.
By personalizing learning, teachers can guide student mindset toward growth.
How do you see the effects of social media intersecting with mindset and students’ beliefs about themselves and their intelligence?
A student’s mindset and beliefs about himself has a lot to do with how he interprets social media. He may respond to a friend’s training schedule: If he can do it, I can do it. vs I’ll never be as good as him. Also, if all a student reads are success stories, it is more likely he will feel inadequate (I could never do that), and is nudged toward a fixed mindset. It takes maturity and an ability to think beyond a social media post.
[Next month – Q&A Part 3 of 3 addresses the teacher and growth mindset cultivation, the direction of research, and a professional development recommendation.]
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