This session will focus on how to transform learning by creating a classroom culture where mistakes are valued and struggle is perceived as worthy and necessary.   This type of classroom culture doesn’t happen by chance.  Rather, it is something we must work at every day.  So how do we make it happen?  The first step lies in supporting growth mindset.  The research of Dweck (2016) and Boaler (2016) helps us more deeply understand the impact of mindset on student learning.   Students with a fixed mindset are less likely to persevere in the presence of mistakes while those with a growth mindset are likely to persist and turn mistakes into learning opportunities.   Equally important is the role of instructors who must explore student thinking to uncover what students know and what their misconceptions may be.  We must not be content with right answers for wrong reasons, all of which can be uncovered through formative assessment opportunities (Keele and Tobey, 2011).  During this discussion-based session, we will explore practical formative assessment strategies useful to the higher education classroom.  Our conversations will include what we know about brain research, how these findings to support growth mindset and the idea of productive struggle.

This session will focus on how to transform learning by creating a classroom culture where mistakes are valued and struggle is perceived as worthy and necessary.   This type of classroom culture doesn’t happen by chance.  Rather, it is something we must work at every day.  So how do we make it happen?  The first step lies in supporting growth mindset.  The research of Dweck (2016) and Boaler (2016) helps us more deeply understand the impact of growth and fixed mindsets on student learning.   Students with a fixed mindset are less likely to persevere in the presence of mistakes or challenge while those with a growth mindset are likely to persist and turn those mistakes into learning opportunities.   Equally important is the role of instructors who must explore student thinking to uncover what students know and what their misconceptions may be.  We must not be content with right answers for wrong reasons all of which can be uncovered through formative assessment opportunities (Keely and Tobey, 2011). 

During this discussion-based session, we will explore practical strategies and best practice useful to the higher education classroom.  The dialogue will be organized around these key ideas shown through research to have positive impact on student learning. 

1)     The session will focus briefly on brain research as described by both Dweck (2016) and Boaler (2016) and how these findings help us know more about how to support growth mindset within ourselves and then in our students.

2)     When growth mindset is in place, students will be more willing to struggle.  This session will examine what productive struggle looks like in the classroom and how to support students as they move through the struggle.  How we handle student mistakes will either contribute to or take away from their willingness to persevere and struggle over time. 

3)     Formative assessment has been shown through research to have positive impact on student learning yet in many classrooms, formative assessment is a missed opportunity. (Keely and Tobey, 2011).  Formative assessment can help us uncover student thinking so that we can plan intentionally for intervention appropriate to the mistakes and error patters our students make during or beyond the class hour. 

4)      We will examine three specific formative assessment strategies that can be used in our classrooms as early as tomorrow and at little to no cost to us or our institutions.  These include “My Favorite No,” “Fist of Five,” and assessment probe opportunities. 

5)     Attendees will be encouraged to share their own teaching experiences related to struggle, mistakes, and how they uncover student thinking through formative assessment.  The presenter will be prepared to share additional ideas and resources as time permits. 

Building a classroom culture where mistakes are valued is linked to mindset, productive struggle, and on-going formative assessment.    It is what we do with student mistakes that matters most.  Taken together, these become the attributes which promise to transform student mindset and learning in ways that will prepare students for all that is possible.  

Boaler, J. (2016).  Mathematical mindsets:  Unleashing students’ potential through creative math, inspiring messages, and innovative teaching.  San Francisco, CA:  Jossey-Bass.

Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset:  The new psychology of success.   New York:  Penguin Random House, LLC. 

 Keely, P. & Tobey, C. R. (2011).  Mathematics formative assessment:  75 practical strategies for linking assessment, instruction, and learning.  Thousand Oaks, California:  Corwin and NCTM.

30-Minute Roundtable Session

Measuring Transformative Learning