"...existence is defined by our beliefs. They determine how we
feel, what we think,
the goals we pursue, and the actions we
take." Tom Asacker, The
Business of Belief
Key Focus: BELIEFS
Q1: What is the key to success for our students?
A1: It's not effort or focus or persistence. Those are all by products of something else. It turns out that what people believe about their own intelligence and their ability to change and learn is the root from which all other "success factors" spring.
"My work is part of a tradition in psychology that shows the power of people’s beliefs. These may be beliefs we’re aware of or unaware of, but they strongly affect what we want and whether we succeed in getting it. This tradition also shows how changing people’s beliefs— even the simplest beliefs— can have profound effects. [There is] a simple belief about yourself— a belief we discovered in our research— [that] guides a large part of your life. ... Much of what may be preventing you from fulfilling your potential grows out of it."
Dweck, Carol (2006-02-28). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (p. 2). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
"The Power of Belief - Mindset and Success": Eduardo Briceno at TEDxManhattanBeach
Key Focus: CHANGING BELIEFS
Q2: Why is changing beliefs central to our QEP?
A2: There's a huge body of research from Carol Dweck and others that demonstrate that basic beliefs about the self influence everything. It begins with belief about one's own intelligence and extends to any and all abilities that can be improved through effort.
" My enduring interest has been in the implicit theories, or basic beliefs, that people use to understand their world and to guide their behavior. In my research, I have found that one type of belief about human nature -- the belief that fundamental human attributes are fixed traits or that they are malleable qualities that can be developed -- has profound consequences for how people function, how they relate to others, and what they achieve."
" Focusing on people's beliefs as opposed to their simple preferences and habits or broad personality traits, helps us answer in more precise ways questions like: What personality factors allow people to function well in their lives -- that is, to grow and learn, sustain satisfying relationships, achieve well in school and careers, be caring toward others, or recover from setbacks? This is because beliefs can typically be defined very precisely, measured very simply, and altered through interventions to reveal their direct impact. In contrast, broad personality traits can be assessed, but they contain no implications for how you might change them. Beliefs are not necessarily easy to change, but they tell you where to begin."
Carol S. Dweck. "Can Personality Be Changed? The Role of Beliefs in Personality and Change." Current Directions in Psychological Science17:6 (2008)
Asacker, Tom (2013-05-15). The Business of Belief: How the
World's Best Marketers, Designers, Salespeople, Coaches, Fundraisers, Educators, Entrepreneurs and Other Leaders Get
Us to Believe
Key Focus: MINDSETS
Q3: What are the specific beliefs that deeply influence behavior, outcomes, and overall drive to learn?
A3: Students’ motivations and efforts are driven by their
mindsets—a set of key beliefs they hold. The greatest untapped opportunity to improve learning in our schools is to deliberately work on developing the four Learning Mindsets that stand out in the research as deeply influencing student behavior, outcomes, and overall drive to learn."
Key Focus: EFFORT
Q4: Is more effort enough?
A4: "The key new insight ... is that the research shows pretty clearly that our views of effort, and our use of effective effort strategies, RESULT FROM our view of intelligence. So it turns out to be much more effective for people to learn that their intelligence is malleable (which results in more effort) than to learn that effort is good (which tends not to be as effective).
"The Power of Belief - Mindset and Success": Eduardo Briceno at TEDxManhattanBeach, excerpt from Top Comments on
You Tube.
"Students with Learning Mindsets are energized, seek
challenges and hold high expectations for themselves. But if they don’t know what to do in order to
meet those ambitious goals, they may develop a sense of helplessness. Or if
they have misconceptions about what strategies are effective, they may try,
fail, try again, fail again, and eventually question the Learning Mindsets. For
example, if a student has the false impression that putting in effort is simply
about the amount of time one spends on a task and not about deliberate
practice, she may not achieve the progress she expects, which in turn may
lead her to conclude that her abilities are fixed.
We have the opportunity to teach not only knowledge and skills, but also the
self-management and learning-to-learn skills needed in school and life (as well
as the Learning Mindsets). We may think that students implicitly learn these
skills as they do their work, but without explicit instruction and reflection,
this understanding is not as solidly consolidated in the mind and understood
(Schwartz, 1998). Research shows that we need experiences to deeply understand
knowledge, but we also need explicit discussion and reflection to truly make
sense of our experiences and apply our new understanding in different contexts.
Key Focus: FACULTY BELIEFS, LANGUAGE, and PRACTICES
Q5: How can we help students develop the beliefs they need and then act on those beliefs in smart ways?
A5: Our beliefs, language, and instructional practices can help students change and learn.
Key Focus: EFFECTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Q6: What are several effective learning strategies that students can employ?
A6: Some study techniques accelerate learning, whereas others are just a waste of time—but which ones are
which? An unprecedented review [in Scientific American MIND] maps out the best pathways to knowledge.The top two learning strategies are described in the excerpt below. More strategies that work and don't work can be found in the full article attached below the excerpt.
"Students who hold a fixed view of their intelligence care
so much about looking smart that they act dumb, for Module 3 will focus on the
what could be dumber than giving up a chance to learn the use of Thinking Routines
something that is essential for your own success? " Let the journey continue... Carol Dweck
