Neuroscience- Goal setting and a Growth mindset
In the past, and in some current teaching settings, the way to build self-confidence as learners is to give them tasks on which they are likely to succeed. As current research suggests that the problem with this approach is that it often creates several misconceptions and future problems. (Dweck, 2015, Fuller, 2015). The first problem being is that it keeps students in there comfort zone. Not allowing students to be challenged and stretched inhibits the use and development of their proximal development, while keeping the more advanced students bored, in turn creating a false sense of entitlement. (Doidge, 2015, Fuller, 2015). An example of good practice would be, rather than reward a student with free time after a relatively easy task, extend the learning experience by incorporating stretch and H.A.R.D goals, (Ragnar, 2014). (click the link below for a deeper understanding of HARD goals).
www.leadershipiq.com/books/hard-goals-the-secret-to-getting-from-where-you-are-to-where-you-want-to-be/
By doing so, as an educator you will be facilitating standard 3.1, “Establish challenging learning goals” of the AITSL (2011) standards, while providing improved educational outcomes for students. (Aitsl.edu.au, 2011). Research in a wide variety of field and laboratory settings has shown that H.A.R.D goals have the greatest impact on performance (Ragnar, 2014). H.A.R.D goals act to focus attention, mobilise effort, and increase persistence at a task (Ragnar, 2014). Incorporating H.A.R.D goals, will help create a growth mindset, rather than the previously fixed mindset of “I have finished the task and I am done, that was too easy”. (Dweck, 2015, Fuller, 2015). The more our classrooms are organized around stretching, and growing, and being comfortable with confusion and setbacks, the more we are going to create a growth mindset. Deweck (2015) states that all her research indicates, contrary to popular opinion, you don’t praise talent, you don’t praise ability but you praise the process. So what should we praise? Effort, strategies, persistence, resilience, the bouncing back mentality. These all play a major role in providing constructive feedback, creating a positive student-teacher relationship and enforcing a safe learning environment. (Ragnar, 2014). Teachers who have a growth mindset and understand neuroplasticity of the brain have students who improve more efficiently and effectively, with a purpose for each student to develop to their full potential (Ragnar, 2014, Doidge, 2015).
www.leadershipiq.com/books/hard-goals-the-secret-to-getting-from-where-you-are-to-where-you-want-to-be/
By doing so, as an educator you will be facilitating standard 3.1, “Establish challenging learning goals” of the AITSL (2011) standards, while providing improved educational outcomes for students. (Aitsl.edu.au, 2011). Research in a wide variety of field and laboratory settings has shown that H.A.R.D goals have the greatest impact on performance (Ragnar, 2014). H.A.R.D goals act to focus attention, mobilise effort, and increase persistence at a task (Ragnar, 2014). Incorporating H.A.R.D goals, will help create a growth mindset, rather than the previously fixed mindset of “I have finished the task and I am done, that was too easy”. (Dweck, 2015, Fuller, 2015). The more our classrooms are organized around stretching, and growing, and being comfortable with confusion and setbacks, the more we are going to create a growth mindset. Deweck (2015) states that all her research indicates, contrary to popular opinion, you don’t praise talent, you don’t praise ability but you praise the process. So what should we praise? Effort, strategies, persistence, resilience, the bouncing back mentality. These all play a major role in providing constructive feedback, creating a positive student-teacher relationship and enforcing a safe learning environment. (Ragnar, 2014). Teachers who have a growth mindset and understand neuroplasticity of the brain have students who improve more efficiently and effectively, with a purpose for each student to develop to their full potential (Ragnar, 2014, Doidge, 2015).
Below are some strategies for good practice that are supported by neuroscience research. These include, having the ability to engage learners in reflection, Patterning, Multiple-pathways to learning, relevance and meaning, and feedback (Aamodt & Wang, 2011).
Reflection
Research suggests that our experiences shape us, reflective practice creates learning by attaching meaning and relevance initiating the ability for further growth, while changing and enhancing neuroplasticity (Aamodt & Wang, 2011, Doidge, 2015). Recent neuroscience research reinforces this theory that each individual is shaped by our experiences and continues throughout the rest of our lives (Doidge, 2015). Using reflection, enables the student to identify strategies that work best for them, while reflecting on past processes and linking with new teaching strategies enhances the creation of new neural connections (Aamodt & Wang, 2011). Wiki classroom is a great reflecting tool as Wiki has the ability for online blogging. Blogging has been proven to be a great reflective tool that can be added to on a daily bases. This will create an opportunity for the teacher to understand students at even deeper level, being able identify thought processes and patterns (Teachersfirst.com, 2015).
Patterning
Patterning is the word used by neuroscientists to describe how the brain searches for patterns to construct meaning from input received (Doidge, 2015, Aamodt & Wang, 201). Learning takes place when the brain uses these patterns and attaches meaning to them. Knowledge increases through pattern recognition and by matching new information to memories ((Doidge, 2015, Aamodt & Wang, 2011). Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans show that when people are given new information their brains activate stored memory banks. When these connections are made long-term, memory is enhanced. Reflection enhances patterning by activating neurons and assisting dendrites to grow and interconnect, increasing long term storage, memory enhancement and forming relationships with new and prior learning experiences. This process creates stronger and more numerous neural connections or “pathways” to learning (Aamodt & Wang, 2011). Patterning can be enhanced when educators know their students well. In knowing students interests, learning is able to be tailored via tapping into students passed and current experiences, enhancing the learning experience by creating relevance and meaning. (Doidge, 2015, Aamodt & Wang, 201).
Relevance and meaning
Adolescent brains search for relevance and meaning in learning. At this time of their lives, hormones become more powerful and adolescent’s brains show more activity in the emotional parts of the brain (known as the limbic system), than they do in the planning and impulse control parts of the brain (known as the frontal lobes and the pre-frontal cortex) (Aamodt & Wang, 2011). This means that adolescents learn best when there is emotion involved (Aitsl.edu.au, 2011). Our brains pay particular attention to information that is relevant to survival and interests, and useful in promoting our success. Our brains look at information and determines what is useful and what can be used, these processes could be related to a switching mechanism for engagement, for example, useful information that is related and useful, will create engagement, while information that is not relevant, with no meaning, and is not useful, will create disengagement (Doidge, 2015, Aamodt & Wang, 2011). Educators must provide relevance and meaning to all learning activities. However, relating a task to one student may not be relevant to other students within the class. Again highlighting the importance of “knowing your learners”, and “knowing how they learn”, are vital aspects for the engagement of today’s students (Aamodt & Wang, 2011). The Wiki classroom platform, enhances the educator’s ability to use multimodal literacy which allows for a broader range of strategies’ that can be tailored to each student’s interest. By attaching relevance and meaning ultimately creates a more engaged student, because of the emotional attachment to their interests (Aamodt & Wang, 2011).
Multi-pathways to learning
Powerful experiences, ongoing practice, and varied stimuli enhance multiple-pathways to learning (Aamodt & Wang, 2011. The more ways a learner can reflect upon and apply information learned i.e. through movement, artwork, writing, social interaction, and the more personal the learning experience is, the stronger the neuronal connections, and the creation of more pathways to storing and recalling information (Aamodt & Wang, 2011). The key to using multi-pathway learning is being able to create engaging creative tasks, while allowing opportunity for students to use their own creativity for the enhancement of multi-pathway learning (Doidge, 2015). The use of technology is a good example of how the student can become more engaged, by using technology that they are familiar with that is used in day to day life (Teachersfirst.com, 2015). In doing so will assist in enhancing multi-pathway learning simply because of the vast functionality of technology (Doidge, 2015).
Feedback.
Willis (2011) emphasizes the importance of ongoing feedback. When students are provided with progressive formative feedback about what they did well and where they can improve, promotes and strengthens neural networks (Ragnar, 2014). When students receive feedback or formative assessment, it creates intrinsic motivation, in turn creating “achievable challenge” which leads to and enhances a growth mindset (Aamodt & Wang, 2011). When students are given feedback once they have progressed through a challenge, even if it’s not complete, they experience a pleasurable dopamine response and increased intrinsic motivation for the continuation of learning (Ragnar, 2014, Aamodt & Wang, 2011). As a teacher it can be difficult to touch base, and provide students with ongoing feedback. The Wiki classroom platform allows for 24hrs access by students and teacher, this allows for educator’s to provide feedback anytime outside of school hours promptly and regularly enhancing teacher student communication and contact (Teachersfirst.com, 2015).