Public Group active 1 week, 2 days ago
CUNY Learning Mindset Modules Group
This Discussion Forum for CUNY Learning Mindset Modules Group is visible to the general public. Anyone on the Internet can see the comments and discussion threads. But only Academic Commons members can join and leave the group, and participate in the discussion.
Admins:
1.7 Supportive Messaging (Required to earn certificate)
-
Posted by CUNY Mindset Initiative on March 11, 2024 at 11:01 am💬 Reflection/Discussion:
- Which specific messaging strategies and techniques do you intend to try in order to create a growth mindset-supportive learning environment?
-
-
As a support staff to Educators and students, I try my best to acknowledge the pressure and stress that comes with a fixed mindset. I encourage both parties to examine negative self-talk and negative messaging that contributes to this fixed mindset that can be very discouraging and unmotivating. Acknowleging where they are coming from and what they need to achieve their goals. Helping them identify a vision and action plan of what that looks like. And encouraging them to reach out for support when they feel stuck or overwhelmed.
-
Hi Carrie,
I love that you’re focused on using growth mindset strategies to facilitate communication between educators and students. Do you offer examples of growth mindset messaging when you encourage them to examine negative self-talk?
-
-
One thing I do to facilitate a growth mindset supported learning environment is to let students know that being good at anything requires a lot of time and effort. Mistakes will be made along the way, but these mistakes also provide important learning opportunities.
-
Hi Danesh,
I love your emphasis on time and development! Are there ways you might also reframe “mistakes” in terms of a growth mindset? In my composition I course, I focus on the language of lessons or learning when I ask students to reflect. Instead of asking them what mistakes they made in their essays, I ask them to identify specific instances where they learned something new or where they would apply new learning when they revise.
-
-
I read this section of the module thinking of the feedback that I give on students’ quizzes. Over the last year, my feedback has become more bare-bones (partly for the sake of saving time), highlighting where students have gone wrong in their mathematical thinking. I’ve neglected to include short comments of encouragement or confidence that students can master the topics, and those make a difference! I’m inspired to reframe my feedback comments through a growth mindset lens.
-
You may also want to do warm-ups, homework, or test preparation by having students find errors in incorrect work from previous years. They can explain errors (in thinking or computation) and correct them. They can also clarify if it was a logical error or a silly error and “give advice” to the student as to how (or what) they could study better for the future.
-
Great reminder. Especially when teaching large classes with significant writing assignments, giving thorough feedback can be very time consuming; I might even find myself giving much more thorough feedback when I start grading, and burning out, giving less, to those on the bottom of the stack. Giving myself an assignment, so to speak, regarding the feedback I give, helps me keep on track to give critical and encouraging feedback.
-
-
The focus of my advising sessions is always on “what’s next”? Oftentimes, the student’s goal is simple: graduation. After defining the type of graduation (e.g., raising/keeping my G.P.A. to meet the minimum required for graduation OR potential admission to graduate/professional school) I try to frame the discussion in terms of short-term and long-term goals–how many credits per semester, specialized advising units, student support services, etc. I also reframe potential “roadblocks” to success as challenges to be met. As appropriate, I may introduce the idea that there are less preferable but still effective ways to reach the student’s goal if Plan A doesn’t work the way the student hoped it would.
-
Hi Denise, thanks for sharing! Growth mindset messaging seems so important in academic advising. Have you found ways to highlight and celebrate students’ progress so far while still focusing on the long-term goal of graduation?
-
-
The strategies discussed here for fostering a growth mindset in educational settings are truly inspiring. Carrie, your approach to addressing negative self-talk and helping both educators and students identify their vision and action plan is crucial. It’s a reminder that growth starts with understanding our own barriers and actively working to overcome them.
- Elizabeth, reframing “mistakes” as “learning opportunities” in your composition courses is a fantastic way to encourage students to see each assignment as a step towards mastery rather than a final judgement on their abilities. This shift in language can significantly impact students’ engagement and persistence.
Danesh, emphasizing that proficiency in any skill requires time and effort, and that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, helps normalize the struggles that students often face. It’s a vital message that can help reduce anxiety around new challenges.
Seth, revisiting the way you provide feedback on quizzes to include encouraging comments is a great example of how small changes can make a big difference in student motivation and self-esteem. It’s often these small acts of encouragement that keep students engaged and believing in their capabilities.
Denise, your strategy of focusing on “what’s next” and reframing roadblocks as challenges rather than dead ends helps students see obstacles as surmountable and integral to their growth. This proactive approach likely helps students remain focused and optimistic about their paths, even when plans need adjusting.
Each of your contributions illustrates powerful ways to implement and reinforce a growth mindset, which not only enhances learning but also supports emotional and psychological resilience. Thanks for sharing your approaches.
-
I understand that every discipline is different, so my own strategy here may not be universal. In writing courses, I do not put a grade on first drafts. Everyone who submits a complete draft gets full credit–no matter the state of the draft. But then, in my comments, I direct students to places where they can improve the draft using a combination of overall comments, marginalia comments, and a rubric. Students are invited to use these to write a second draft that addresses these suggestions. I find that allows all students to grow–no matter where they’ve started–and to improve their writing in specific, manageable areas. It also alleviates their worries about the “essay” because they know they already have multiple opportunities to try the same essay.
-
I really appreciated Kevin Kolack @professork sharing his welcome video for students! So many useful messages and frameworks! One thing that especially stood out for me is how he goes beyond goals for the class to bigger goals (e.g. graduate!). This, together with the discussion posts by Carrie Geith @carriegheith & Denise Sands Baez @denisesb serve as powerful reminders that growth is not just academic, in specific disciplines, but so much more than that. Â
-
When I took an earlier iteration of this course, the welcome video was one of the most important changes I made. Kevin Kolack’s video is such a great example of this. It’s a very easy and very significant way to welcome students into our courses and to set a tone. I think often it’s difficult to know how the tone of our syllabi is landing. But, in a welcome video, through words, tone, etc., students really get a sense of the course and our support.
-
I agree, Elizabeth, with your comment on Dr. Kolack’s video.
Setting the tone, the first impression makes a difference.
-
-
I tell students that we are going to learn together.
Most of my teaching involves project-based learning. I use plenty of scaffolding, which is to present the project in stages. I give credit for each stage and emphasize how important it is to focus on process over the course of the term. This term I introduced AI tools and found that it was better to focus on one aspect of AI, which was making illustrations and graphics for a particular project. Students gave me a lot of feedback that they were overwhelmed, because they thought use of AI was cheating. I modeled some of the simple tools and how to integrate them with the other app I was using with it.
We then experimented in class with a few AI tools. Students were able to talk out their fears. I kept emphasizing experimentation and showed them some good and bad outcomes of mine. I found that students felt more likely to experiment when they had peer support. After projects were complete, I had them reflect verbally in class and in a short reflection. Most of them said that they were nervous, but they enjoyed experimentation and found that it tied to their work. They were willing to think about AI tools a little differently.
I demonstrate the skills that they need for a project. I model for students and set up peer support for them. I consistently use language that emphasizes process over product. I also make sure that students know that some of them will come in with different talents. I am not grading on talent, but grading on effort and how well the project meets the learning objectives. One component that I am going to add or gradually have been adding is what I learned in art school (my BFA was in Fine Art/Illustration) which is that talking about the work is a vital part of the process. Presentation is important.
Summarily, I tell students that we will learn together and repeat this throughout the course. There are some students who want to skip a stage or hand in work based on something that they do well naturally (or the opposite). I emphasize that it is not about what you came in with, but what you left with at the end of the course
-
Hi @elizabethklein1 – This is such a powerful example, focusing on AI. Maybe this is specially powerful because the new tools have come out so quickly, relatively speaking, and everyone who is trying them out is going through a learning process. Even those who designed and trained some of the generative AI tools are learning and getting surprised by what comes up. I hear you that many students had resistance because they thought using AI was cheating. I’ve experienced that as well.
I hope you’re sharing your experiences and approaches with colleagues and I think that would really help them feel more comfortable trying out something new!
-
-
I am going to add to the post because I did not answer one of the prompts. I will comb through my syllabi to add in growth mindset. I will also explicitly teach what this means in terms of each project that I present. One thing that I wrestle with is resubmits. I do allow resubmits after feedback at a certain stage of the project. I might open an opportunity for another resubmit for learners who still want to improve, but I must think about this carefully and set limits dependent on class size. For example, this summer I will have a big class and time is tight because it is a 5 week course. I cannot have resubmits for 60 students in a 5 week course. I might have them just resubmit a part of the assignment.
-
Hi Elizabeth,
It’s interesting that we’ve got a lot of crossover between the Learning Mindset community and the emerging AI community! I appreciate the way you scaffold the projects for your students. It sounds manageable and significant: students have opportunities to learn and practice along the way. I also appreciate your careful framing of AI and your discussions with students. I know that many faculty are feeling overwhelmed by AI. I can’t imagine how overwhelmed students feel with so many mixed messages! Your very clear and careful framing of this is a great example of supportive messaging. You’ve both explained and modeled why AI is appropriate in your course & field.
I’m replying here to both of your messages. As you move through the modules, you’ll see many examples of how to include supportive messaging in your syllabus. I’ve found this part of Learning Mindsets to be a big task–I really had to rethink the tone and purpose of my own syllabi. But the question of resubmits goes beyond the syllabus. Learning Mindsets help students–it doesn’t help students if you set up a task that’s impossible to achieve for yourself! 60 students in 5 weeks doing multiple resubmits sounds… daunting. I think setting limits makes sense. I don’t know how you do resubmits, but when I do them in my own courses(composition), I ask students to highlight all of the changes they’ve made in the resubmit. This makes it a little easier / faster to read and assess.
-
Thank you so much! AI is the perfect topic for this thread.
-
-
I can see several things to do and/or aspire to. First, I plan to revise the intro videos for my courses so that they highlight growth mindset more explicitly, particularly how important it is for their success in this class and beyond. Second, I plan to add more opportunities for student to reflect their learning process. This can be done as part of the SMART Goal process or in any assignment. I’ll have to think about where these moments fit best–or have students make choices about when they might want to reflect on their learning. Lastly, I plan to continue to explore giving feedback that deemphasizes grading in favor of encouraging feedback that focuses on what they have done, what the next steps are, and what they need to do to get there.
-
That sounds good. I wish there was some straightforward way of grading based on how well students are learning to learn, rather than just on how much they learned.
-
-
I will show a video or some other module to my students introducing the growth mindset concept, maybe the Pearson one we viewed. I will also incorporate more growth mindset messaging into my intro video, first class, and throughout the semester. I will continue to tell students that we learn together and from one another, and that we all have something to contribute.
-
I am thinking about showing the growth mindset video by Pearson Higher Education on orientation day. I find this framework motivating as it emphasizes the importance of putting effort into learning. It highlights that as students dedicate effort to learning, they will be able to make progress, which is individualized. Students often tend to compare themselves with others, which can be counterproductive since culture and lived experiences may influence a growth or fixed mindset. Using growth mindset language and fostering an environment of individualized growth at the beginning of the course can positively enhance the learning experience.
-
-
I employ a few strategies to help emphasize and cultivate growth mindset in my students. First, I explicitly state in my syllabus that I firmly believe that every one of my students is able to meet the challenges of the course (statistics). Second, I employ a flipped-classroom format emphasizing deliberate practice in class that allows students to engage in problem solving and receive immediate feedback in low stakes environment. Third, I scaffold major assignments to allow for revision, emphasizing process and development over time. Fourth, I allow revision with metacognitive reflection on some assignments to help students recognize and correct their mistakes.
-
I plan to create a growth mindset-supportive learning environment using various strategies and techniques. One method will be to create an introduction video like Dr. Kevin Kolack’s, where I can outline my expectations for the students. Additionally, I will provide timely, constructive feedback to help students self-reflect and develop action plans to improve their academic performance. Using growth mindset language, such as “not yet” during office hour discussions with students who have failing grades is another approach I intend to take. I will also make a conscious effort to highlight students’ efforts and progress. Lastly, I aim to normalize seeking help when needed and make students aware of available resources within the department and college to address their specific needs.
-
I loved this module and the explicit examples of how we can foster a growth mindset in our courses. I found Dr. Kolack’s introductory video inspiring and liked how it set a really positive tone for students. I plan to revise my introductory video to my students, as it is what will set students’ first impression with my courses. There was also a lot to consider regarding how to give the most effective feedback to students. There is something very impersonal about the Blackboard and Brightspace grade centers, and I have tended to often be concise and direct with my feedback. I plan to make a lot more effort to think about how I can give constructive feedback while also commending students for the progress that they have already made and emphasizing the confidence I have that a student can meet my expectations. I also plan to continue to revisit this discussion board to learn from the strategies other instructors are taking.
-
I really like the idea of giving a short lesson on neuroplasticity (with visuals of course) to make the idea of growth mindset more tangible to students. I think this can do a lot to enhance buy in. Another thing I plan to do is incorporate growth mindset philosophy, e.g. encouragement of question-asking and risk-tasking, into my syllabus and initial discussion of the syllabus. It feels like messaging that sets the tone at the start of the semester will be very impactful.
-
I constantly stress the strange nature of the material we are coI constantly stress the strange nature of the material we are covering so that the students don’t think it is them when something sounds counterintuitive, uninteresting, or just a way of thinking that is foreign to their experience.
-
In Blackboard, I have a module with optional links for students to view, and one of them is on growth mindset. In the welcome message, I tell them to take a look at it before the semester starts, but I also mention it to them on the first day of class and show them the three-minute video Developing and Embracing a Growth Mindset for them to reflect on.
I loved Prof. Kolack’s video. He comes across as friendly and approachable, and he promises that his class will serve them well in life in general.
-
This seems like a helpful strategy, I’ll look for the video.
-
-
To be honest, I believe I’ve already been like this for a long time. I regularly tell stories of students who became much stronger over the course of the semester. One is of a student who was doing pretty well, getting B+’s on his essays. He said he wanted to be a police officer. Then, another professor asked him if he’d ever thought of being a lawyer. After that, he came to see me as soon as an essay was assigned, and he would work much harder on them. By the end of the course, he was getting A’s. He interned with a state senator eventually and plans a career in politics. I think students are often embarrassed to look at their little grammatical errors. Many students avoid looking at and processing the errors. So, I have them do corrections lists and their errors tend to go down by about 75% during the semester. Students have told me they improve more than they thought they could. On the first day, I tell my more anxious students to let go of the idea that they’re not good at English; they just haven’t practiced that much yet.
-
Just like in Dr. Kolak’s video, I approach the class as a tool to help personal and professional development. I make the students a part of the learning process by creating an agreement with them. This is where as a team, we set the expectations in the classroom by laying down the groundwork for the semester. Building up trust with myself is important, but to foster real conversations and growth, the students need to be comfortable speaking up in front of each other. I make it clear that we are here to learn from each other. Some of the golden rules of the class were:
- To be present for the professor and each other in class
- No one knows everything, but together, we know a lot
- We can’t be articulate all of the time – give the benefit of the doubt and ask questions
- What we learn leaves here, but what we say, stays here.
- One mic – one voice at a time
- If you’re ordinarily quiet, try and speak up more, and if you’re talkative, be mindful to leave room for quieter voices
As for the coursework, their assignments would take the foundational marketing lesson and apply it to themselves. I gave a great deal of feedback and encouraged students to make small steps that lead to bigger-picture wants. If I wasn’t happy with what they turned in, I allowed them to revise and submit.
I wish I had known about reflection exercises after tests and big projects and hope to incorporate that more into this coming semester.
-
I always mix low-stakes and high-stake assignments, and I design quizzes or very short writing assignments as building blocks of a midterm, final, or longer paper. I call the low-stakes assignments “rehearsals” or “practice” or “warm ups” in advance of the higher-stake graded assignment. In a recent course, for an assessment, I tracked closely some sample questions on quizzes and exams to see how much this helps students review and brush up on concepts they didn’t quite get the first time around. There was on thing in particular that had been a challenging piece of material for many students. In writing up the assessment, I tended to focus on the percentage of students who, despite getting feedback on a quiz and being present when I reviewed the material again in class, still got it wrong on a higher-stakes assignment. Looking back, now, though, I can see that the glass was at least half full: not all, but a good number of students improved their ability to demonstrate what they knew about this concept. The theme of what one doesn’t know “yet” in these modules is a great one, and that’s a word I’m going to be using a lot more in these situations.
-
I agree with Cynthia – using a variety of assessments is instrumental when you have students with different learning styles.
-
-
I really enjoyed this module, especially the clear examples of how to cultivate a growth mindset in our courses. Dr. Kolack’s introductory video was inspiring and set a positive tone for students, which shows that good videos do not have to be fancy, and it does not necessarily need a lot of editing. I would show this to the faculty I work with to grow inspiration. I also gained valuable insights into providing more effective feedback. Moving forward, I would encourage faculty to offer more constructive feedback rather that just an acknowledgement. Depending on time availability, faculty can take turn providing feedback to students. Quality over quantity.
-
The messaging strategy I intend to try is to emphasize students’ effort and learning process when giving feedback. If there is room for improvement, I will highlight one or two key areas (without overwhelming them) and engage in thinking together about how to improve and why those areas matter. I will conclude the message by framing these improvements as valuable learning opportunities and expressing that I welcome their revisions and further discussion.
-
To help cultivate a growth mindset, I give students detailed outlines and examples on what is expected from them in their written reports. I emphasize that they have the proper tools, guidance and assistance from me to perform their best.  In addition, I give extensive feedback to students on their laboratory reports. I ensure that I highlight what they did well, what I enjoyed about their report, and I list to them specific feedback on how to improve for their next report. I also inform students about opportunities for revisions to improve their grade.  I definitely want to work on communicating with a growth mindset while lecturing to encourage students’ participation.
-
I like beginning classes with questions. I like portfolio grading, which emphasizes process. I assign some classes scholarly-reading portfolios, where they must summarize articles. But I explain that I will grade the whole portfolio because I assume they will improve over time, as they get used to reading the discourse of the scholarship in this field–if the first few are not as good but the final ones are strong, the whole thing gets an A. I build in reflections in order to make students articulate their own process, their own struggles, and what they have accomplished. And even on individual assignments, I ask students to make comments about what they want feedback on, what they think they did well, what they think they did less well, and why. It starts a conversation and it gets them thinking about process rather than just product.
-
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
