Introduction
As a Maths Tutor at a Further Education College, I face a challenge when it comes to teaching 16 - 19-year-olds. The main issue is that of the learner's mindset coming into college. I shall be looking into the causes of low/fixed mindset and the effect it has on learning. This will allow me to observe trends in behavior/thinking which will allow me to reflect and offer possible solutions, as well as determine where to further my research.
Critical analysis
Mindset is a complex issue faced by teachers as it limits morale, participation, and motivation. According to Mindset UK (n.d, p 1), it is a ‘set of beliefs that affects how you think, feel and behave’. There are 2 theories relating to mindset -discussed by Blackwell, Trzesniewski & 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.
Mindset is related to various learning theories: Behaviourism- based on positive reinforcement which results in reactive learning; Cognitivism- relating to internal cognitive processes resulting in responsive learning; and Constructivism- based on the theory that ‘people construct their understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences’ Bereiter (1994, cited in Sarita, 2017, pg 183). 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.
All the students that are taking 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 led 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.
A fixed mindset is limiting for both those with low and above-average intelligence. The low level believes they are poor at an activity and so they have limited motivation to participate in the activity, whereas 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.
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 behaviors, and their beliefs about intelligence, as well as the negative feelings surrounding these. The learner's mental well-being and self-worth can also be factors in their mindset, as anxiety and depression can lead to negative thinking and lower the individual's self-belief. This can also lead to stress which can result in a loss of working memory which is vital for learning according to Weisberg & Reeves’, (2013) Atkinson-Shiffrin multi-store model of memory which proposes 3 different types of memory processes: sensory, short-term, and long-term. Where 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 (their 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.
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Childhood experiences, around maths, can also lead to a fixed mindset if the learner never fully grasped the basic concepts and so has 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).
Cognition
Dweck’s (2000), Theories of Intelligence
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 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.
Strategies
The development of a growth mindset is proposed through interventions relating to
- Intelligence (show that it is not fixed)
- Potential ( only achieved through constant learning)
- Validation (learner can be own person)
- Challenge (a positive force, be willing to fail)
- Learning (value for itself)
Firstly Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (1954), determines that learning cannot take place unless an individual's basic needs are met (Gravells, 2013). By considering Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, I can help ensure learning occurs effectively by creating a suitable classroom environment. Gravells, A. (2013). The Award in Education and Training. London: Learning Matters an imprint of SAGE Publications Ltd.
The brain is very complex so strategies to overcome the effect of mindset need connectivism
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’.
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