The Analysis of the Complex Nature of Learner's and Growth Mindset

Introduction

As a Maths Tutor at a Further Education College, I face a challenge when it comes to teaching the 16 - 19 year olds. The main issue is that of the learner’s mindset coming into college. All students undertaking GCSE mathematics are students who have either previously failed their GCSE or who have very low math ability and so have never been entered for the GCSE. The recent change in legislation, that has come about as a result of the Review of Vocational Education – The Wolf Report, has resulted in thousands of students having to stay in compulsory education until the age of 19, with mandatory Maths and English for those who have failed to achieve a grade 4 (in the new grading system) or equivalent. This has lead the learners, who are resitting their GCSEs, to already feel like a failure at the subject as well as resulting in unmotivated, unwilling learners who do not want to be there. I shall be researching into the causes of low/fixed mindset and the effect it has on learning. Observing trends in behaviour/thinking which will allow me to reflect and offer possible solutions, as well as determining where to further my research.

Critical Analysis

Mindset is a complex issue faced by teachers as it limits morale, participation and motivation. Mindset UK (n.d, p 1) state that it is a ‘set of beliefs that affects how you think, feel and behave’. There are 2 theories relating to mindset - discussed by Blackwell, Trześniewski & Dweck (2007): Fixed mindset (also referred to as entity theory)- relating to a belief that you are born with a set amount of intelligence that cannot be changed and so is self-limiting; and Growth mindset (or incremental theory)- where the individual believes that intelligence is a ‘malleable quality that can be developed’ with hard work and persistence.

Fixed mindset is limiting for both those with low and above average intelligence. The low level believe they are poor at an activity and so they have limited motivation to participate in the activity, where as the more able learners think they are good at something and so become complacent in their learning assuming they don’t need to put in the work to achieve a higher understanding.

Mindset is related to various learning theory discussed by Avis, Fisher and Thompson (2015): Behaviourism- based on positive reinforcement which results in reactive learning; Cognitivism- relating to internal cognitive processes resulting in responsive learning which is linked to learning by problem solving and processes involving repetition; and Constructivism- based on the theory, expressed by Bereiter (1994, cited in Sarita, 2017, p. 183), that ‘people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences’. It is constantly changing and affected by both internal and external opinions and attitudes as well as past and present experiences. Humanist theory is also linked to mindset as it is through reflection that ‘free thinking’ occurs.

Behaviourism is important when considering learner mindset as this theory can be utilized to reinforce learning through praise and portraying a positive message to the learner. This can help to overcome the negative feelings that have developed through past harmful experiences related to learning. Behaviourism has its limitations when teaching due to learners individuality, meaning that each person reacts differently to stimuli and so this needs to be adapted to the learner.

Within FE the importance of a cognitivism is clear as it addresses the passive learning, described by Avis et al (2015), that is occuring, where the student is not engaged and so only surface learning. The opposite of this, deep learning, occurs when learners take an active role involving reflection and hypothesizing to build understanding which Klinger (2010) discusses as how knowledge is developed. Learners need to be more in tune with their learning and so reflection should be included in the learning process. Humanist theory, which also is linked to Maslow's concept of self-actualization, relates to the idea that learners should take more responsibility towards their learning and develop more personal autonomy.

Issues with Learner’s Mindset

The issues with the learner’s mindset have not just been caused by having to resit their exam but are an accumulation of past experiences, learned behaviours and their beliefs about intelligence, as well as the negative feelings surrounding these. The learners mental wellbeing and self-worth can also be factors in their mindset, as anxiety and depression can lead to negative thinking and lower the individuals self belief. This can also lead to stress which can result in a loss of working memory.

Weisberg & Reeves (2013) argues working memory is vital for learning, as the Atkinson-Shiffrin multi-store model of memory states that the working memory/short-term memory is the store of information that is readily available to use. Other factors that affect working memory include: an individual's cognitive load (there capacity for holding information); the mental effort or concentration they can give the task at a given time, their intellectual capacity and how relevant/interesting the individual feels the information to be.

Factors Affecting Mindset

Childhood experiences, around maths, can also lead to a fixed mindset if the learner never fully grasped the basic concepts and so have repeatedly failed to comprehend more complicated topics that build upon the basic knowledge. In these cases the child gets left behind and never catches up. They think of themselves as incapable of doing maths and come to accept that as a fact. This has led to: barriers to learning; a deterrent to participation; it being culturally acceptable to be innumerate; and the ‘‘I can’t do maths’ has become a self fulfilling prophecy’ (National Numeracy, n.d, pg 10).

Another issue surrounding math ability is low motivation. The learners claim to not care about passing their mathematics GCSE and so are unwilling to put in the work. This can be as a result of various internal factors (a lack of intrinsic motivation; being scared of failing; low aspirations; not seeing the value of being numerate; or a lack of interest in the subject/topic) or external factors (learned behaviour from parents or family members; Socio-economic class; or they could have issues outside of the classroom that distract from the topic at hand.

Failure is another factor affecting mindset. Failure is seen as indicating a lack of intelligence and low level learners associate that to their self worth. Where as, higher level learners with a fixed mindset will tend to avoid activities that they fear they may fail in so as not to risk coming across as less intelligent. This is also linked to learned helplessness, which Catapano (nd) states as being ‘a vicious cycle that reinforces itself’, going on to discuss it as being due to a student perceiving that their outcome is out of their control, resulting in them refraining to put in any effort, producing a lower level outcome which reinforces that they are not any good at it, hence failure becomes inevitable.

Strategies

Gravells (2013) discusses how when tackling the effects of, and determining strategies to change, a learners fixed mindset it is essential to ensure an individual's basic needs are met by considering Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (1954). This involves establishing a suitable classroom environment where the learner feels safe to make mistakes hence allowing effective learning to occur.

Next it is important to demonstrate that intelligence and mindset are not fixed, that they change depending on situation, motivation and attitude towards setbacks/failures. That a learners potential is achieved through constant learning, from successes and failures, and that it is the effort and determination that is key to overcoming setbacks and so have to be willing to fail.

Teaching of FE learners should be taught in an andragogical way - referring to Knowles (1984) concept of Andragogy, rather than a pedagogical way, which Culatta (2019) outlines as being a learning theory that is aimed towards adult learning that is concentrated around the idea of adults being involved in the planning of their learning. This means teaching the 16+ learners as adults- setting open ended tasks, giving complex instruction, offering rich mathematical tasks and not teaching them in the less effective methods which are more suited to children.

Praise

Dweck (2008, cited in Lambert, 2014, p.51), suggests that praise is a key factor when addressing mindset and that compliments such as ‘you’re very smart’ can lead to a fixed mindset as the focus is on the result. Instead the praise should be around the process and the effort that has been put in, giving such praise as ‘you worked very hard’. Although, as Gould (2012) contradicts, this is an extrinsic, surface approach and so the shift in mindset is not guaranteed to last long term, unlike intrinsic motivation which comes from within and so is more likely to result in more sustained results. The praise therefor needs to be genuine and suited to the needs of the individual and constructive feedback throughout.

Northern Arizona University (2010, p1) discusses discovery learning as ‘the belief that learners are best educated when they discover facts about their world for themselves' this links with connectivism which Klinger (2010) discusses as being a method that explains and demonstrates mathematics in a way that makes sense to the learner through the language that is used.

Lambert (2014) suggests banning terms related to learned helplessness such as ‘its too hard!’ and replace with sentences such as ‘can you help me get started?’ to help the students to not think in a defeatist way. He also recommends that learners should: attempt questions in different ways, rephrasing the problem before asking for help; take on challenges, not just taking the easy option; remember that there is always room for improvement.

The tutors mindset may also need addressing as Seaton (2017) suggests that a teacher’s view of themself impacts their own approach to teaching and that the interactions between teacher and student are intertwined and so have the most effect at reinforcing the student’s view of themselves. Other strategies that could be used include: not sharing grades with students but give them feedback on how to improve as this prevents the learner from being overly concerned with their result; using manipulatives to help the learner to have a visual representation of a problem; giving students exit slips to gain learner feedback and ideas, allowing the tutor to adapt their teaching practice to meet the needs and preferences of the learners; and encouraging learners to take regular exercise and to get good quality sleep as this helps cognitive function.

Conclusion

I conclude that mindset is not constantly Fixed or Growth but fluctuates from activity to activity, depending on the challenges faced and their feelings towards them. Mindfulness of learners’ attitudes towards a topic/activity need to be regularly addressed through discussions, constructive feedback and praise of effort (not result) to ensure a majority growth mindset. Therefor the way they are taught needs to encompass the discussed theories and strategies to ensure their best chance of success at reaching their potential. To improve my learner’s mindset I will need to regularly reflect on what strategies have been effective and which had little effect.