Challenge and Effort by Joanne Foster

In this blog I share my views about a thought-provoking presentation, and share some insights about learning.

Last week I had the good fortune to meet renowned psychologist and researcher Dr. Carol Dweck, and to attend a presentation she gave to parents and adolescents at Branksome Hall, an independent girls’ school in Toronto. I was pleased to hear what Dweck had to say about mindsets and intellectual growth—and delighted to observe the rapt attention of the audience. Hundreds of people filled the auditorium, and it seemed to me that everyone left with a more positive attitude about learning, a better understanding of brain-related functions, and a deeper appreciation of the power of persistence. Dona Matthews and I often refer to Dweck’s work in our writing, and I found it informative and affirming to hear first-hand about her ongoing research.

Dweck discussed the difference between a fixed mindset (intelligence seen as a fixed trait), and a growth mindset (intelligence seen as a malleable quality that can be developed). She said that intelligence is “a platform from which you grow”—and went on to explain how neural plasticity affords us the ability to learn more and more over time. The key is to acquire and sustain a growth mindset. It’s also important that adults model growth-mindedness for their children. To that end, Dweck laid down three basic rules.

Rule #1: learn at all times. Try to think deeply about things, and pay attention to what you’re experiencing. Figure out what you don’t know, and need to know. Participate in study groups, find a mentor, attend meetings and conferences, and find other avenues for learning. Don’t worry if you don’t look smart. It’s OK to make mistakes. See them as opportunities to learn.

Rule #2: work hard. Effort is what takes you to the next level, allowing you to use your capabilities, and strengthen them over time. Practice and commitment matter. Struggling can be beneficial. It’s good to stretch systematically, by building upon what is known and pushing past traditional comfort zones. This leads to personal growth.

Rule #3: confront deficiencies and setbacks. Don’t perceive them as humiliating, but rather as challenges. Find ways to capitalize on circumstances (strategize!) and turn them into avenues for learning. That’s how people become resilient, able to recover from failure and improve themselves.

Dweck closed the presentation by reiterating that when it comes to developing a growth mindset, everyone should take a close look at their personal value systems. By learning to see that what’s easy is boring and a waste of time, and that what’s more difficult is interesting and worthwhile, individuals become energized, put forth the necessary effort, and become much stronger as a result. Brain power intensifies; confidence, motivation, and effectiveness increase, and there’s no limit to what people can achieve. In other words—in fact, in Dweck’s words—“Always challenge yourself!”

In Being Smart about Gifted Education, 2^nd Edition (2009, Great Potential Press) and other work, Dona Matthews and I examine growth mindedness more fully, and disclose why this is one of the secrets to raising smarter kids.  To read more about this go towww.raisingsmarterkids.net

Emotional Attunement: Good Food for Babies’ Brains by Dona Matthews

Warm, caring, attentive human connection is as essential to babies’ developing brains as food and sleep are to their physical growth.

An emerging area of science is demonstrating something that most parents know instinctively, and that attachment theorists have known for a long time: When an infant’s mother is calm–even in the face of daily disasters such as the baby’s hunger, exhaustion, or discomfort–the child absorbs and acquires a capacity for calm self-soothing. When his mother is distressed or agitated, the baby absorbs and learns that.

‘Attachment neurobiology,’ ‘biological synchronicity,’ ‘limbic resonance,’ and ‘mommy mind-meld’ are some of the names being given to emerging findings that show the deep connections that are formed at the brain level between infants and their adult nurturers. All of these terms, including ‘mommy mind-meld,’ refer to an infant’s experience primarily with her mother, but also with any other adult with whom she has a strong, nurturing connection, including a father, grandparent, or other close, caring, and consistent person in her life.

In a recent blog, Mary Axness discusses the science behind this phenomenon. She cites the research of neurobiology pioneer Allan Schore, who describes the mother as ‘downloading emotion programs into the infant’s right brain,’ and the child as using the mother’s right hemisphere as a template for the imprinting and hard wiring of circuits in his own right hemisphere, giving the child a template for mediating his emotional experiences.

Axness also discusses problems with all of the electronic engagement-replacements available today—television, videos, Baby Einstein, iPhones, iPads, and other computerized programs designed for babies. These may appear to give a sense of engagement, but excessive use of these media devices is actually associated with delayed language development. In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics went on record against using electronic media with children younger than the age of two, stating that they ‘probably interfere with the crucial wiring being laid down in their brains during early development.’ In the ensuing media debate on the topic, an AAP spokesperson declared that ‘parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons.’

Understanding the power of infants’ connections to their parents as ‘mind-melds’, where babies are downloading certain aspects of their caregivers’ brains—is a great argument for parents and other caregivers to take very good care of their own mental health. In addition to all the basics for good physical and emotional health (good nutrition, regular exercise, as good a sleep regime as possible), caregivers might consider integrating yoga, journal-keeping, mindfulness, meditation, or other reflective, mind-calming practices into their lives.

Another practice to consider is conscious attunement to sources of gratitude. The fields of positive psychology and psychoneuroimmunology demonstrate the ways that the choice to feel appreciation for what one has in one’s life (and to combat feelings of entitlement and resentment) changes the level of oxytocin available, thereby changing one’s attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours. A parent who attunes regularly to her sources of gratitude is going to provide a clearer, more positive mind for her baby to meld with, thus giving her baby a better start on creating a good life for himself.

For more information:

My inspiration for this blog: Mommy Mind Meld blog by Marcy Axness: http://mothering.com/all-things-mothering/mothering/nourish-infant-brain-development-with-the-mommy-mind-meld

A great background resource for people interested in the science behind these ideas:  Schore, A. N. Attachment and the Regulation of the Right Brain. Attachment and Human Development 2, no. 1 (2000): 23-47.

For more on the effects of media use on infants’ development, see http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.01027.x/full  for an article by Dimitri Christakis, called The Effects of Infant Media Usage: What Do We Know and What Should We Learn? Acta Paediactrica 98 (2009): 8-16. Christakis’ conclusions: ‘No studies to date have demonstrated benefits associated with early infant TV viewing. The preponderance of existing evidence suggests the potential for harm. Parents should exercise due caution in exposing infants to excessive media.’

For more on the power of gratitude to change our minds, see Laura Markham: http://www.ahaparenting.com/_blog/Parenting_Blog/post/How_to_Change_Your_Happiness_Set_Point_with_Gratitude/

For more on similar topics:

Raising Smarter Kids blog: www.raisingsmarterkids.net

Music and Intelligence by Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster

Although wild claims about ‘The Mozart Effect’ have been debunked, it’s true that music education—when it’s done right—can foster the development of intelligence. 

Scientists and intelligent consumers are justifiably sceptical of claims that music increases children’s intelligence. ‘The Mozart Effect’—claims that listening to certain kinds of music, such as Mozart’s sonatas, made children smarter— became wildly successful several years ago, and then was roundly refuted. Listening to Mozart’s sonatas was shown to have very short-term effects (15 minutes) on one form of intelligence (spatial reasoning), and not to improve children’s intelligence in any useful or practical way.

Since then, there’s been a body of evidence demonstrating the value of solid music education to children’s cognitive development. Brain benefits don’t come from a few minutes of listening to a particular form of music, but rather accrue over time, with systematic learning, effort, and practice, as is true for all areas of endeavour.

New advances in neuroimaging are enabling scientists to learn more about how the brain works, and they have found increased neural efficiency occurs as a result of better developed and coordinated neural networks. Nine to 11-year old children who play musical instruments have significantly more grey matter volume in both the sensorimotor cortex—involved in planning and executing movement—and the occipital lobes—responsible for visual processing; and the effects of music education increase with the intensity of training. Professional musicians have significantly better developed neural networks in several brain regions.

Canadian scientists who specialize in learning, memory, and language in children have recently found that pre-schoolers can improve their verbal intelligence after only 20 days of classroom instruction using child-friendly, interactive, music-based cognitive training. The research is being directed by Sylvain Moreno, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest (affiliated with the University of Toronto). This research focuses on brain plasticity—the capacity of the brain to change—and its practical implications for parents and teachers. They are studying musical training and bilingualism as experiences that depend on brain plasticity, and how these types of training influence the development of attention, memory, language, and intelligence. Fascinating!

So, what does this mean for parents and educators? Music education is beneficial for all children—”Nothing activates as many areas of the brain as music,” says Donald A. Hodges, Covington Distinguished Professor of Music Education, and director of the Music Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It is particularly important, however, for children who have learning problems or trouble learning in traditional academic ways. Patricia DeCorsey, coordinator of Lawrence University’s Early Childhood Music Program in Appleton, says, “By introducing children to music, so many areas of the brain benefit at the same time, like the mathematical and language centers.”

A Brain Power Conference is being held in Toronto on May 3-4, 2012, for parents, teachers and others interested in the practical implications of neuroscience findings for education, and child development, with a focus on art, media, technology, and music.  Interestingly for our blog topic of music and intelligence, this conference is being held at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Neuroscientists are on the frontier of understanding how the brain develops, and what that means to parents, teachers, and others interested in children’s learning and development. That being said, there is growing evidence that music education has many benefits for the development of children’s intelligence. All that and providing great pleasure, too!

References, and Links to Follow

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robert-whent/mozart-effect-children_b_1337047.html

http://musicianbrain.com/papers/Schlaug_Music_Child_Brain_NYAS2005.pdf

http://research.baycrest.org/smoreno

http://www.brainpowerinitiative.com/events/

http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/canmusicmake.html

http://educationviews.org/2012/04/05/an-interview-with-doug-thompson-and-dr-joanne-foster-inaugural-brain-power-conference/

Parenting and Multi-Tasking in the Digital Age

a thoughtful, insightful, and well-informed perspective from eminent developmental psychologist, Tracy Dennis Tiwary:

Parenting and Multi-Tasking in the Digital Age.

Playtime & Chores by Dona Matthews

Why is it that some children seem to enjoy doing household chores, whereas others do everything they can to avoid anything that looks like work? Many of the most successful and productive adults have described their work as feeling like play. There is emerging evidence that the roots of mastery and achievement lie in early play experiences.

We got some interesting responses to my blog on playtime, where I made a case for kids needing lots of unstructured time to do what they want to do. I cited some research showing its importance in children’s development, including the increased likelihood of kids happily and voluntarily involving themselves in clean-up when they’re given enough time for child-directed play.

From Luc, we heard this about his son, Felix:

“Unstructured playtime”, I think that’s what Felix has been doing all his life. He didn’t want Pokemon or Playstation. As a toddler, he was always ‘constructing’ something, using carton boxes, home furniture, ropes…I remember having breakfast standing up, because I didn’t have time to untangle the chairs he had tied together in a ‘construction’.

One thing’s for sure: “to take ownership of their own learning and their own environments” is happening right now. He’s studying “morphology”, “syntaxis”, “linguistic sciences”, ancient Greek, colloquial Norwegian… while reading many books.

However, it looks like I missed one part somewhere along the route: “co-operate independently in cleaning up after a free-choice period”. Perhaps that’s related to my office desk looking like a garbage dump most of the time?

The same day that this note arrived from Luc, I read a delightful blog posted by Kelly Bartlett, the author of a blog called Parenting from Scratch. She describes herself as a ‘Certified Positive Discipline Educator who lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, children, and way too many pets.’

In her blog on chores, Kelly laid out what I recognize (from years of work as a developmental psychologist specialising in gifted development) to be a brilliant step-by-step plan for helping children acquire mastery in anything. She’s applying her plan to chores, but the same concepts apply just as well to musical, mathematical, linguistic, athletic, or any other kind of mastery.

Kelly writes:

When it comes to doing chores, there is a positive approach that can be summed up in two words: Take Time.

To teach, that is. Chores, while seemingly straightforward to us parents who do them all the time, take time for kids to learn. And we need to take time to teach them. And to expect independence with them. And also to form a habit of them. Oh, and enjoyment of them. Well, we might be waiting a LONG time for that one!

But promises of rewards and threats of consequences aren’t necessary as long as the chore-learning process is cooperative and encouraging. In our house, “We do it together,” is our motto right now, with an addendum of, “(until you can do it alone)” to come later. Here are the four steps that help us get there:

1. Model. They see me do stuff first.

2. They help me. I get to have an assistant.

3. I help them. Now it is their turn to take the lead.

4. They do it alone. We’ve done it enough times together that it is not unreasonable to expect them to get a job done on their own.

Of course, the length of time to get through this 4-step teaching process depends on the task. Getting the dog her food is much less complicated than cleaning one’s bedroom.

For big tasks, break the job up.  Make the bed. Put toys away. Pick up clothes. Vacuum. Clear dishes. Throw away garbage. Wipe surfaces. Each one is its own learning process. That’s why it’s overwhelming to say, “Clean your room,” and expect it to be done quickly and without supervision/ direction/ guidance/ help.

Here are some jobs that my kids were able to handle alone at various ages:

Age 1-2 (not expecting perfection)

• dusting
• fruit & veggie prep (washing & drying)
• choosing clothes

Age 3-4 (also not expecting perfection, and expecting some “No’s)

• setting table
• folding laundry
• getting dressed

Age 5-7

• vacuuming
• measure ingredients
• pack own carry-on for trips

Though my kids can do these kinds of jobs on their own, I still expect to give directions as to when they need to be done. I don’t expect them to notice on their own and take the initiative to do some chores (except when the toilet needs to be plunged…that takes no prompting for JJ). At their ages, they simply have other priorities than I do. I think the first time I started taking initiative for doing chores is when I had my own house! That’s when it began to matter to me.

What if they say “No,” or argue when it’s time to do chores? My answer is, “Yes, let’s do it together.” Even if it’s a task that I know they can do on their own, they may simply be needing some extra encouragement right then. So my answer is, “Yes, it needs to get done. Let’s do it together.” I break the job up into “You do this and I’ll do that…” No arguing, negotiating, reasoning, bribing or threatening…just cooperation and some re-teaching. I expect to remind my kids often to do chores. I expect to teach them (“do it together”) for a long time. I remind myself that their whole childhood is time for teaching. Like me, my kids may not exhibit “proactive-chore-behavior” until they’ve moved out into their own place. But because of the years I’ve invested teaching chores and instilling the importance of getting jobs done, it will be second nature to tackle their own chores with confidence.

To see Kelly’s entire blog (from which this was excerpted), including great photographs, go to

http://parentingfromscratch.wordpress.com/

Luc’s story illustrates the value of free unstructured play, and it also demonstrates the importance of parents’ modeling the kind of behaviour they want to see in their kids. As Luc says, the fact that his desk is a mess is a clue to why Felix doesn’t volunteer for clean-up. And sometimes—specially if the creative free play has gone on for a while and resulted in a giant mess—clean-up can be daunting, which is where Kelly’s blog comes in. Her approach to chores illustrates the scaffolding—step-by-step support— kids need for learning anything. The more complex the task, the more scaffolding is needed. When this is embedded in normal daily life, the way Kelly describes, it becomes second nature, and kids are given a giant gift—it will be easier for them to achieve whatever they decide they want to achieve.

Curiosity by Joanne Foster

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”  ~Albert Einstein

“I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.”  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

I begin this blog with words from two oft-quoted individuals who provide interesting perspectives on curiosity. According to Albert Einstein, his abilities pale in comparison to his sense of wonder. Eleanor Roosevelt believes curiosity should be at the top of every parent’s wish list because it’s the most useful attribute any child could possibly have.

If you reread those quotes, leaving out the last word, would you fill them in the same way? Would others? (Just curious…)

I am inclined to conduct a couple of informal experiments and ask 100 parents and 100 teachers the question, “What is the most important thing we can teach children?” I can only speculate at this point but I would venture that very few respondents would say curiosity. I think I’d hear words like knowledge, respect, integrity, organization, enthusiasm for learning, perseverance, and many other fine answers—all of which are all the stuff of valuable lessons. However, perhaps curiosity is something we tend to undervalue because it is not really a prerequisite for learning. It’s more of a motivator. And, in fact there are many different kinds of possible motivators. For example, there’s speculation, controversy, playful exploration (see our last blog for more about this), guesswork, humour, and countless other ways to spark the mind and also generate inquiry. Curiosity is only one way.

And yet, it is a very important one. Curiosity is a prime activator not only for stimulating inquiry but for igniting the imagination, and acquiring information. “This is the most curious tea party I’ve ever been to,” said Alice as she set about finding her way in a strange land, and in unusual and challenging circumstances. Indeed, curiosity gives rise to important questions—to the why, where, what, who, when, and how of the world we encounter, where and when we encounter it—and curiosity can help shed light on meaningful answers, too. It lies at the core of what makes children want to know more about life, keeps them engaged, and has the potential to fire up the sort of passion that ever-inquisitive Einstein referred to in the quote above.

It is perhaps curiously coincidental that shortly after writing this blog—albeit before adding this paragraph—I received the most recent issue of Teaching for High Potential (Winter, 2012, published by the National Association for Gifted Children). Esteemed researcher and author Felicia Dixon focuses on the importance of encouraging children to become self-directed learners. She discusses “inventive thinking” which involves learning to think critically and creatively, question vigorously, and aspire toward discovery. In short, Dixon advocates providing ample, rigorous, and motivating opportunities for kids to challenge themselves—to be “chronically curious”—and thus become better equipped to deal with contingencies and changes productively; ready to face, and also change the face of, the future.

Perhaps I should ask 100 children, “What makes you smart?” Or, “What is the one thing you’d like a fairy godmother to bestow upon you?”

I may do that—as a matter of curiosity… J

March 5, 2012

www.raisingsmarterkids.net

Playtime! Maybe the Best Learning of All by Dona Matthews

Children need more unstructured playtime in their lives. They need time enough to get bored. If they’re going to learn and grow and achieve as much as they can in the long run, they need ample opportunities to develop their self-regulation, imagination, self-awareness, and other important life skills.

Over the past few decades, playtime has become more about things—toys, educational puzzles, electronic games, etc.—than about imagination and activities that children invent for themselves. It’s also become a lot more adult-directed, with an eye on academic learning and productive use of children’s time, a lot less child-directed and apparently aimless. Instead of being filled with spontaneous improvisation and discovery, children’s time is increasingly being scheduled by adults and gobbled up by electronic devices.

While many parents think that an increased focus on the productive use of their children’s time will give their kids a leg up in the competitions to get into the best preschools, schools, and—eventually—colleges and universities, there is increasing evidence that it does the opposite. By robbing kids of ample time for imagination, exploration, and collaborative invention, we are taking away essential opportunities for them to develop the skills prerequisite to real achievement and fulfillment over time.

Self-regulation skills include managing and controlling one’s feelings, moods, behaviour, and intellectual focus. Like self-regulation, collaboration skills and self-awareness are key components of emotional intelligence, which is a much better predictor of academic, career, and other kinds of success than IQ or other intellectual or academic ability scores.

Kids who spend good chunks of their time building forts, playing house, or constructing narratives of pirates, paupers, cowboys, and circus clowns are more likely to take ownership of their own learning and their own environments. Interestingly, they’re also more likely to co-operate independently in cleaning up after a free-choice period in preschool. In an interview on National Public Radio in the USA, child development expert Laura Berk reported, ‘Children who are most effective at complex make-believe play take on that [clean-up] responsibility with greater willingness, and even will assist others in doing so without teacher prompting.’ (To see the complete article, go to http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514)

Although it may look like they’re wasting time or doing nothing much at all, kids involved in imaginative play may be investing their time as productively as possible for the long run. When they’re making up their own rules and their own games, they’re learning about themselves and others, exploring and finding out what they like doing, what they want to learn more about, and how to interact successfully with others. So, let’s not insist on giving kids the scripts and the props we think they need for their play, but rather, let’s allow them to find and invent their own ways of playing and learning, at least for good parts of their day.

Children do need planned stimulation and enrichment opportunities—classes, clubs, puzzles, building toys, educational activities, museums, performances, outings, etc.—but their lives shouldn’t be so jammed with these good things that there’s no time left for imagination and unstructured playtime. Somewhat counter-intuitively, too much focus on enrichment and achievement can actually impede their cognitive and emotional development. Do-nothing times can be the most productive times of all.

Connections by Joanne Foster

This is a story about the unexpected—and about the power of making connections.

Last week I was contacted by a former student – after 34 years! I received an e-mail from a fellow who asked if I’d taught at a particular school back in 1978, saying that if, indeed, he had found me, he wanted me to know I’d had an impact on him. He wrote, “Thank you for being such a great teacher, and encouraging me to think freely and giving me the confidence to achieve my goals.”

He actually apologised if his message seemed “weird.” On the contrary. Imagine how delighted and surprised I felt!

I remember this student—even though I’ve worked with countless pupils since then. I taught him Grade 4. I wrote back, and said I recall he had red hair and freckles, boundless energy, a love of sports, and that he was very bright. He’s a busy professional now with a family of his own, and yet he took the trouble to track me down, even after so much time had passed. It was an unexpected and special treat to hear how his life had unfolded, and to know I may have had some small part in it.

I don’t share this story here because I think I’m such a great educator, or believe I have such a good memory, or because I want to pat myself on the back. Nor do I share it because I think everyone should reach out to a teacher from days gone by. (Though I can attest it’s something lovely to consider doing.) I share this story because this person’s simple decision to be proactive and send that e-mail made a huge impression on me – in two ways.

Firstly, it’s overwhelming to think how a teacher’s impact can transcend the years. What we do in a classroom has a direct bearing on our students’ learning, achievement, self-confidence, and more—and we may never know the extent of that. Unless they choose to reconnect, we say goodbye to our students at the end of the school year, wish them well, and can only hope we’ve helped them on their individual paths toward a happy and productive life.

Secondly, I wonder if people realize how much it resonates when they connect with teachers. I’m not only referring to situations involving past experiences. I’m thinking of contact between parents and the teachers who are currently working with their children. It’s wonderful to have someone reconnect after more than three decades.  But, connections are also important for the here and now. A kind word, gesture, or appreciation of effort is meaningful, lasting, and something any teacher would enjoy. The sooner the better – but it goes to show it’s never too late…

www.raisingsmarterkids.net

How Comforting Kids When They Fail Can Rob Them of Motivation to Learn, by Luc Kumps

Teachers’ attitudes can have a powerful effect on kids’ motivation. Comforting students when they don’t do well can rob them of their motivation to learn, reduce their likelihood of taking on challenging courses, and lock them into low achievement. 

If you believe talent is something a person is born with, or not, you’re more likely than others to give up when faced with difficulties. You’ll think that setbacks indicate the limits of your ability. People who think this way—sometimes called having a ‘fixed mindset’– avoid investing a lot of effort in a task, since effort exposes their lack of natural ability.

By contrast, if you think that effort is what makes people more competent, you’ll work harder, invest more time and energy in practice, and be more likely to persevere through adversities. That’s been called having a ‘growth mindset’, and it’s been proven to lead to many different kinds of beneficial outcomes—better grades at school, more self-confidence, higher ambitions, higher career achievement, and more.

Fixed mindsets can come from praise or criticism that’s directed at a person’s innate abilities or talents. Every time someone tells a child how smart (or stupid) he is, what a good (or bad) child she is, how special (or forgettable) he is, the child is being pushed toward a fixed mindset.

Mindsets can vary from one area of our lives to another. You might have a fixed mindset about mathematical ability (‘I can’t do math’), but a growth mindset about relationships (‘Friendships take nurturing’).

Recent research has investigated the influence of a teacher’s mindset on the way she teaches math. A person holding a fixed mindset on math ability will agree with statements like “You have a certain amount of math intelligence and you can’t really do much to change it”. When confronted with mediocre test results, teachers will draw different conclusions, depending on their mindset. Growth mindset teachers attribute the disappointing results to a lack of effort, while fixed mindset teachers conclude there’s a lack of math intelligence.

Fixed mindset teachers are more likely to console a student for poor performance, perhaps explaining , ‘Not everyone has math talent.’ These comforting messages communicate a fixed mindset to students, leading them to agree with statements like ‘My teacher believes I have a certain amount of math intelligence, and I can’t really do much to change it.’

Fixed mindset teachers assign less math homework. They inadvertently reduce their students’ engagement, motivation to learn, and future achievement in the subject. Their students feel less invested in their future, at least as far as math is concerned. They expect to obtain lower grades than similarly-achieving students who received feedback from a growth mindset teacher. Teaching behavior resulting from a fixed mindset can lock students into low achievement.

This research about teacher’s feedback on mediocre achievement made me wonder: how would a fixed mindset teacher react to superior achievement? Telling someone, ‘You’re a math genius’ can also induce a fixed mindset and lower effort. Does a genius need to work hard? If you need to put in effort, can you still be a genius?

And what about gender stereotypes? If a fixed mindset teacher believes that boys are better at math than girls, won’t she be inclined to comfort the girls more than the boys? Almost certainly. This is what the researchers concluded:

Such messages [of comfort], over long periods of time, may contribute to the broader disengagement with math and science evident among many American students. Americans lag behind students from other nations in their math and science performance and are less likely to pursue advanced degrees in math and science-related fields. Particularly in these challenging fields of study, instructors have the opportunity to play a critical role in leading students to persist and maintain their engagement. However, when instructors are focused on quickly diagnosing and simply comforting those who they perceive as lacking ability, they may inadvertently contribute to this leaky pipeline.
(Rattan et al.)

References

Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self-theories – their role in motivation, personality, and development. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.

Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset – the new psychology of success. New York: Ballantine.

Rattan, A., Good, C., & Dweck, C. S. “It’s OK — Not everyone can be good at math”: Instructors with an entity theory comfort (and demotivate) students. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology(0). doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2011.12.012

Unscrupulous by Joanne Foster

At a time of rising cyber-crime, identity theft, and other cleverly destructive and intrusive violations and disturbances, it’s a good idea to stop and think about what that means for people who are involved in raising smarter kids, and want to foster productive outcomes.   

Over the past month, both Dona and I have been the victims of thieves. In daylight, on pleasant city streets, on different continents, and in varied circumstances, we each had our locked car broken into, and personal property stolen. The incidents were upsetting and intrusive, but thankfully no-one was hurt. The perpetrators did their nasty business while we were out and about, and left the scenes of the crime almost as if they’d never been there.

What does all this have to do with raising smarter kids? Lots, actually.

Firstly, we live in a world where people are not always who or what they seem to be. The crooks and scam artists of today are often savvy and clever in ways we can hardly imagine. They don’t necessarily “look unscrupulous” (whatever that means). They can gain access to a car’s electronic entry code in a heartbeat while sitting nearby as you unsuspectingly lock your vehicle and hear a reassuring beep sound emanate from its hood. They can steal your identity online and elsewhere. They may appear sleek but act slick. And so, we have to teach children to be alert and careful. Even the smartest child is no match for a devious person who is out for money, possessions, or information, or who might have other ulterior motives or intentions. In fact, it’s quite possible that the smart crook was once a smart child. It’s interesting how some people choose to use their intelligence in socially productive ways, and others do not.

Raising intelligent children means that we have to instill positive values. Parents can model and encourage ethical behaviour. Our children are the “next” generation, and they’re the key to a better, safer, more principled world—one in which consideration of others really does matter. Children’s intelligence can be used to build society or to damage it, and so parents have a huge role in helping kids learn to direct their abilities productively.

As adults it is good to show strength and resilience in the face of setbacks. Most material items can be replaced. A calm and measured response is far better than a frantic one, and helps children learn that situations can be resolved over time. And, of course, we are never too old to learn how to safeguard our belongings, and learn from our mistakes. (Don’t leave anything of value in a car. Duh.)

Last year, I had my purse snatched from where I had it carefully tied to my chair at a restaurant.  I was in the company of three other people sitting at a small table, and none of us saw a thing! I thought I was smarter as a result of that incident, but as it turns out, this most recent car break-in taught me that I’m still learning about protecting my belongings.

We are all in the process of learning things—and that includes our children. Let’s strive to help them better realize and understand the stark realities of life, how to respond intelligently when things go awry, and how to bounce back effectively from unsettling occurrences. Above all, let’s teach them to act with integrity and honesty, and to be respectful of others.

For more:  www.raisingsmarterkids.net