"Are you smart enought to solve it...or have you just not solved it yet?" This is such a meaningful statement. After listening to Carol Dwek's TED Talk, I can't help, but think of my own students who when faced with a task, the first thing to come out of their mouths is, "this is too hard" or "I can't do this." Sometimes making these assumptions before even beginning to think/process what is being asked of them. As an educator, I believe that ALL students can learn, they just learn differently and at different pace. I think that the generation of children, that we teach, or "Microwave kids," are so used to getting an immediate response and have a hard time believing they have to work to be successful.
In my own classroom, I see it with my students who stuggle and my high achievers. I have taught students who struggle to complete a task and because they are used to struggling they shut down and believe that they can not succeed. It is hard as the teacher to encounter these kids because you know that even though these kids are beaten down in their mindset, you have to build it up so that the student can believe in the power of yet. I have also witnessed my gifted students who have become overachievers because they don't believe in the challenge. These students are so smart that they feel they don't have to work hard because it usually comes easy to them. When these students are given anything with a more of a challenge than they are used to, they too often shut down
I love diffferentiated instruction for my classroom because it allows me to help my students believe in the power of yet. I am able to work with my students who are stuggling and help them to meet personal goals and I can also challenge students who need to go deeper in content.
I think "The Power of Yet" is powerful for all stakeholders in educations to learn. Sometimes I feel like we put a cap on "yet" when we judge students on standardized test scores. Those scores provide us with data and sometimes can predict a student's future performance, but they don't determine how well a students will succeed. We have to began to inform student's of their own growth mindset at a very early age, so that they can believe that the problems they face have just not been solved YET!!
Hi Teelah,
ReplyDeleteLike you Dweck's question, ""Are you smart enough to solve it...or have you just not solved it yet?" resonated with me. I've seen what you described in your classroom in my own from fourth grade to kindergarten to the college classroom. Fear of failure as well as apathy toward new learning are realities that our students face and challenges that we as teachers experience. Examining our classroom practice and considering ways we can foster student agency can not only help improve the sustained inquiry effort in our pbl units but can also help promote engagement in the learning process for our students as well. Thanks Teelah! Sincerely, Dawn