This is Part 1 in a series about building tenacity in our students. Throughout this series, I will explore empirically-validated interventions shown to promote long-term learning and achievement.
The COVID pandemic radically changed the landscape of education. I think many educators expected things to go back to "normal" as soon as the students were back in the classroom. We were, in many ways, unprepared for many of the challenges facing our students as the result of having their education disrupted for 2+ years. A common refrain that I have heard is that many students no longer know how to "be a student." Test scores are down, absenteeism is up. Student sense of belongingness is down, mental health concerns are on the rise. Many students seem to be lacking the skill-set necessary to be successful.
In the past, educational research focused on the influence of cognitive factors on student achievement. However, we are now seeing that these interventions alone are no longer enough.We must address non-cognitive factors, as well. Students need not only to be taught how to learn but how to be resilient and persevere in the face of challenges.
Academic Tenacity
If you look up tenacity in the dictionary, you will see that there are a number of different defintions. It could mean that someone has a firm grip, is determined, or has persistence. Tenacious people do not give up easily. Academic tenacity consists of the mindset and skills that allow students to focus on long-term or higher order goals and withstand challenges in pursuit of these goals. It's about working hard, working smart, and working for a long time. It allows students to look past their immediate wants and needs and focus on long-term goals. It gives them the will to withstand challenges and persevere in pursuit of their goals.
Research about how students react to frustration reveal that there are several non-cognitive factors that affect a student's ability to learn over the long-term. These include: the student's beliefs about themselves, their goals in school, their feelings of social belonging and their self-regulatory skills (Dweck et. al, , 2014, p.4-5).
The Importance of Mindset
Students' belief about their academic abilities have a direct effect on their academic tenacity. They need to believe that they are capable of succeeding in an educational environment that looks radically different from their experiences of the last three years. A student with high self-efficacy believes that they CAN learn and they CAN succeed. A student with low self-efficacy will likely experience decreased academic performance and well-being. Here's another post on self-efficacy if you would like to learn more.
A key factor influencing self-efficacy is Mindset. Mindset Theory is based on the work of Dr. Carol Dweck. According to Dweck, there are two types of mindsets; fixed and growth. An individual with a fixed mindset believes that traits like intelligence are a fixed quantity. It is limited in nature. Therefore, students with a fixed mindset are more likely to be focused on proving what they know. It is a core part of their identity. They are less likely to take chances and challenge themselves because they do not want to risk failure. A student with a growth mindset is focused on improving. They view intelligence as something that is malleable. It can be increased with effort. Therefore, they are more likely to value the process of learning over the appearance of being intelligent.
Are you interested in learning more about how to teach these concepts in the classroom? Check out this lesson from the APA TOPPS's module on Positive Psychology.
Mindset Interventions
Mindset interventions target the psychology of students. There are a number of benefits to the explicit teaching of a growth mindset, including: an increase in academic performance, increased motivation, and higher levels of engagement (Dweck et al, 2014, p. 17). Plus, these interventions can be easily paired with other cognitive or academic interventions.
One intervention is to explicitly teach students how their brain and the process of learning works. I have found that teaching my students about neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to form and reorganize connections based on learning and experience, empowers them to become more growth-oriented. They know that their brain is capable of change. I have the opportunity to teach about neuroplasticity within the context of my course, Dual Credit Psychology. However, this concept could (and should) be incorporated into every class. It does not have to be a standalone lesson. It can be incorporated into the class discussions, student reflections, and the coaching conferences we have with our students. It should be a normal part of our classroom dialogue. I will provide some questions below that can help foster this discussion.
What could this look like in the classroom? I introduce the principles of a growth mindset through an activity that I give to my students at the beginning of the year. I ask my students to tell me about a moment in their life in which they were "at their best." In addition to learning about their "wins," I ask them to describe the process they went through to achieve their goals. This requires them to not only identify adversities that they faced but also describe how they overcame them.
Development Questions
One of the worst feelings as a teacher is when a student gets really frustrated because they "just don't get it." No one wants to feel like a failure. The following questions can help students move past "I can't" by examining their "I have."
- Tell me about a time you performed in a way that you didn't think you were capable of?
- What have you gotten better at over the years?
- Tell me about an important lesson you have learned from your mistakes.
- How have you developed in the last year?
- When were the exceptions of the "rules" of your personality?
- When you have to perform X specific task, what do you hope to learn from it? (Biswas-Diener, 2010, p. 73-74)
These conversations shift the role of the teacher from content expert to expert coach.
Avoiding a "False Growth" Mindset
It's not enough to tell students that they CAN do it if they WORK hard enough. There needs to be support built in that helps them create a path forward to achieve their goal. According to Dweck, we must “focus on the learning process and show how hard work, good strategies, and good use of resources lead to better learning" (Dweck, 2016). By doing this we shift the focus from a performance-orientation to a growth-orientation. One way in which we can encourage this resilience and future-mindedness in students is through goal-setting, which will be the focus on my next post in the series.
Until then, I would love to hear from you about how you encourage a growth mindset in your students or how you have experienced a growth mindset in your own life. Please share below!
Be Well,
Cori
Resources:
Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Practicing positive psychology coaching: Assessment, activities, and strategies for Success. John Wiley and Sons.
Dweck, C., Walton, G., & Cohen, G. (2014). (publication). Academic Tenacity: Mindsets and Skills that Promote Long-Term Learning. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://ed.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/manual/dweck-walton-cohen-2014.pdf.
Gross-Loh, C. (2021, August 2). Don't let praise become a consolation prize. The Atlantic. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/12/how-praise-became-a-consolation-prize/510845/
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