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Literacy 7-12

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Literacy 7-12 > Strategies > Growth Mindset Feedback

Growth Mindset Feedback

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Overview

Providing feedback that focuses on the process of developing skills conveys the importance of effort and motivates students to persist when learning. When students believe that their skills can be developed through dedication and hard work instead of innate abilities, they can develop a growth mindset. Research has shown that this type of feedback in combination with teacher modeling is particularly supportive of marginalized students.

Use It in the Classroom

Watch how this school incorporates growth mindset feedback as an inherent element of its culture. They implement techniques for teachers and peers to give and receive respectful and specific feedback, encouraging a growth mindset approach. They also use language such as "good mistake" and "aha mistake moment" to describe their mistakes, seeing them as opportunities for growth.

  • When providing growth mindset feedback, it is important to remind students of the progress they have made while also supporting them during times of struggle. Teachers can support a growth mindset by specifically attending to the effective strategies they use, effort they put in, and practice they do when providing feedback.

    • Design It into Your Product

  • Developers can provide feedback that stresses the learning process when learners accomplish a difficult task. Along the way, they can also give feedback during setbacks to motivate learners to continue trying, which grows their sense of intelligence as something that can be developed.
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    Resources

    Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
    Examples

    Encourage a Growth Mindset

    Four ways to foster a growth mindset in students

    Examples

    Growth Mindset Examples

    Video starting at 2:20 that shows high school teachers giving effective feedback in math

    Examples

    Growth Mindset Feedback

    Sentence frames for providing growth mindset feedback in different situations

    Examples

    Growth Mindset Lesson Plan

    Blog from a teacher on how he fosters growth mindset with his EL students

    Research

    Growth Mindset for Math

    Jo Boaler explains the importance of learning from mistakes

    Research

    Self-Efficacy

    Subtopic that includes research on the factors that lead people to develop self-efficacy on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Research

    Student Goals

    Subtopic that explores how student goals relate to academic achievement and their motivation to learn on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Research

    Student Motivation

    Topic that includes research on the factors that motivate students to learn and reach their goals on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Research

    The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

    Scientific American article by Carol Dweck on the importance of process praise

    Factors Supported by this Strategy

    Student Background
    Social and Emotional Learning
    Emotion
    Motivation
    Self-regulation
    Stereotype Threat
    Cognition
    Metacognition
    Literacy

    More Teacher Modeling & Support Strategies

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    Incorporate Students' Cultural Practices

    Learning about students' cultures and connecting them to instructional practices helps all students feel like valued members of the community, increasing Sense of Belonging, which improves Motivation and can mitigate Stereotype Threat.

    Feedback on Writing

    Providing constructive feedback supports students' writing development by letting them know how to improve their writing.

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    Evaluating Sources

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    Foster Growth Mindset

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    Brief Instruction Steps

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    Wait Time

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    Encourage Student Self-advocacy

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    Read-alouds: Discussing Emotions

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    Accessible Vocabulary & Syntax

    Using language that is accessible and appropriately leveled for each student allows all students to feel successful and participate in learning.

    Model the Assignment or Skill

    By talking through their thinking at each step of a process, teachers can model what learning looks like.

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