Teaching Activities To Tap Into a Growth Mindset

Summary

Professor Laura Freberg from California Polytechnic State University emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset in teaching, contrasting it with a fixed mindset. She discusses the need for educators to continuously adapt and innovate in the classroom, using technology and new methods to enhance student learning. Freberg shares her experiences with online exams and virtual reality, highlighting the value of trying new approaches and the positive impact on student engagement.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Laura Freberg is a professor of psychology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, teaching introductory psychology and behavioral neuroscience.
• 💡 She discusses the concept of 'fixed mindset' and 'growth mindset', which were popularized by Carol Dweck, emphasizing the importance of viewing abilities as improvable rather than static.
• 🏫 Laura reflects on her teaching approach, advocating for a growth mindset in the classroom to foster continuous improvement and adaptability to new teaching methods and technologies.
• 📚 She highlights the inertia in traditional teaching methods and the need to challenge these to keep both herself and her students engaged and motivated.
• 📈 Laura shares her personal teaching philosophy, which involves trying new things in the classroom to prevent boredom and to enhance student learning experiences.
• 🎓 She believes that students can sense a teacher's enthusiasm or lack thereof, which can significantly impact their own engagement with the material.
• 🔍 Laura is interested in using technology, such as virtual reality, to improve the classroom experience, although she acknowledges that the effectiveness of such tools is still being explored.
• 📊 She suggests that students often perceive their abilities as fixed, which contrasts with the growth mindset that sees potential for development and improvement.
• 👩‍🏫 Laura feels a sense of risk and vulnerability every time she teaches, which she believes is a positive sign of pushing boundaries and trying new approaches.
• 📝 She emphasizes the importance of not relying solely on notes during lectures, which can help maintain engagement and energy in the classroom.
• 🤝 Laura calls for more formal mentoring processes for new teachers, especially adjuncts, to help them develop effective teaching strategies and a growth mindset.

Q & A

Who is Laura Freberg?

Laura Freberg is a Professor of Psychology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

What subjects does Laura Freberg currently teach?

She teaches introductory psychology and a behavioral neuroscience class.

Who is Carol Dweck and what is her contribution to psychology?

Carol Dweck is an eminent psychologist from Stanford University who has written extensively on the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

What is a fixed mindset according to Carol Dweck?

A fixed mindset views abilities such as math or music as fixed talents that people have more or less of.

How does Laura Freberg define a growth mindset?

A growth mindset involves flexibility and the belief that one can improve proficiency through effort and learning.

What does Laura Freberg believe is necessary to avoid becoming bored and stale in the classroom?

Laura Freberg believes that teachers should have a growth mindset, be open to new opportunities, and constantly look for ways to improve their teaching.

How does Laura Freberg demonstrate her love for neuroscience to her students?

She gets comments on her student evaluations about her love for neuroscience, which students respond to and may encourage them to pay more attention.

How long has Laura Freberg been teaching?

Laura Freberg has been teaching for 43 years since her first college class.

What is Laura Freberg's approach to incorporating new technology in the classroom?

She loves technology and tries new things, like virtual reality, to see if they can enhance the student experience.

What does Laura Freberg think about the current perception of students by faculty?

She thinks there's a growing recognition of students' flexibility, but there's still some inertia in the system with a fixed view of students as either good or bad.

How does Laura Freberg feel about entering the classroom?

She feels like she's taking a risk and walking on a tightrope every time she enters the classroom because the outcome is uncertain.

What is Laura Freberg's approach to using technology for exams?

She started using online exams a few years ago and tested them with her face-to-face students, who responded positively, leading her to continue using them.

What does Laura Freberg suggest for colleagues who are hesitant to adopt a growth mindset?

She suggests starting with one thing, such as audience response or different question formats, and not trying to do too many new things at once.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Embracing a Growth Mindset in Teaching

Laura Freberg, a professor of psychology at California Polytechnic State University, discusses the concept of a growth mindset, introduced by Carol Dweck. This mindset contrasts with a fixed mindset, encouraging flexibility and continuous improvement rather than viewing abilities as static talents. Freberg applies this in her teaching, avoiding complacency by constantly seeking new methods and technologies to enhance her classroom experience. She believes that enthusiasm and a willingness to innovate are contagious to students, and that a stagnant approach can lead to disengagement. With 43 years of teaching under her belt, she has never repeated her methods, always exploring new ways to improve student engagement, such as virtual reality. Freberg also touches on the broader educational system's inertia, where students are often labeled as 'good' or 'bad', suggesting a shift towards recognizing student potential for growth is needed.

05:01

💻 Experimenting with Online Exams and Mentorship

Freberg shares her experience of transitioning to online exams, initially out of necessity when she had to teach an online class. She implemented this in her traditional classes as a trial, giving students the option to revert to traditional testing if they disliked the online method. However, students responded positively, leading her to continue using online exams. She expresses a desire for more formal mentorship in education, especially for adjunct faculty who are often left without guidance. Freberg suggests that for educators not naturally inclined towards a growth mindset, starting with small, manageable changes, such as audience response systems, can be a good first step towards embracing new teaching methods.

Keywords

💡Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. In the video, Laura Freberg, a professor of psychology, discusses her teaching approach and how it relates to psychological concepts. Her classes in introductory psychology and behavioral neuroscience are direct applications of psychological principles.

💡Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. It contrasts with a fixed mindset, which assumes that traits are predetermined. The video emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset in education, where Professor Freberg believes in the potential for improvement and adaptability in students' capabilities.

💡Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset is the belief that skills and intelligence are set and cannot be changed. It is a concept mentioned by Professor Freberg as something to avoid in teaching, as it can limit students' potential for growth and learning. She contrasts this with a growth mindset, which is more conducive to learning and development.

💡Behavioral Neuroscience

Behavioral neuroscience is the study of how the brain and nervous system affect behavior. It is one of the classes that Professor Freberg teaches. The video suggests that understanding the brain's role in behavior can inform teaching strategies and help educators foster a growth mindset in their students.

💡Carol Dweck

Carol Dweck is a psychologist from Stanford University known for her work on mindsets. She differentiates between fixed and growth mindsets and has written extensively on the topic. In the video, Professor Freberg credits Dweck's work as foundational to her understanding of how mindsets impact learning and teaching.

💡Inertia

Inertia, in the context of the video, refers to the resistance to change or the tendency to maintain the status quo. Professor Freberg discusses how inertia can hinder the adoption of new teaching methods and the importance of overcoming this to foster a growth mindset in the classroom.

💡Technology

Technology is a recurring theme in the video, with Professor Freberg expressing her enthusiasm for integrating new technological tools into her teaching. She sees technology as a means to enhance the learning experience and keep her teaching methods fresh and engaging.

💡Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is mentioned as a potential tool for enhancing classroom learning. Professor Freberg is curious about its application in education, which reflects her openness to explore innovative methods to improve teaching and learning.

💡Mentoring

Mentoring is discussed in the context of supporting new teachers. Professor Freberg suggests that there is a need for more formal mentoring processes to help educators develop their teaching skills and adopt a growth mindset.

💡Top Hat

Top Hat is an audience response system used in classrooms for interactive learning. Professor Freberg mentions using Top Hat as an example of a technology she has adopted to make her classes more engaging and to facilitate a growth mindset in her students.

💡Student Evaluations

Student evaluations are feedback provided by students about their teachers' performance. In the video, Professor Freberg refers to student evaluations to illustrate how her enthusiasm for the subject matter can influence student engagement and their perception of the importance of the material.

Highlights

Laura Freberg is a Professor of Psychology at California Polytechnic State University.

She teaches introductory psychology and a behavioral neuroscience class.

Freberg discusses Carol Dweck's concept of fixed and growth mindsets.

Fixed mindset views abilities as fixed talents, while a growth mindset allows for improvement.

Freberg emphasizes the importance of adopting a growth mindset in the classroom.

She notes the inertia in traditional teaching methods and the need for innovation.

Freberg believes that teachers should be open to new opportunities and technologies.

She warns against becoming bored and stale, as it affects student engagement.

Freberg shares that her enthusiasm for neuroscience is noticed and appreciated by her students.

She has been teaching for 43 years and constantly seeks new teaching methods.

Freberg loves technology and tries to incorporate new tools like virtual reality into her teaching.

She stresses that teaching methods should be geared towards outcomes and student success.

Freberg perceives a shift in the academic community towards recognizing student flexibility.

She feels a sense of risk and uncertainty every time she enters the classroom.

Freberg does not use notes during her lectures to keep herself engaged and alert.

She advocates for trying new teaching methods incrementally and starting with high-success strategies.

Freberg suggests that audience response systems are a good first step towards adopting a growth mindset in teaching.

She criticizes the lack of formal mentoring for new teachers, especially adjuncts.

Transcripts

- I'm Laura Freberg.

I'm a Professor of Psychology at California Polytechnic

State University San Luis Obispo.

Right now I'm teaching mostly introductory psychology,

and then I have a behavioral neuroscience class.

It's not really my definition.

It's Carol Dweck.

She's a very eminent psychologist from Stanford University.

She's written quite extensively on the difference

between a fixed mindset, which views a variety of domains,

whether that's math ability or music ability, whatever.

If you have a fixed mindset you think of this as a talent.

Something that's fixed.

People have this much of it more or less.

Her idea of the growth mindset is that

there's some flexibility in the system,

and that rather than thinking I'm good at this

or I'm bad at this you take yourself where you're at

and you take steps to make yourself more proficient.

I think to push yourself to avoid doing things

because you've always done them that way.

When I started teaching the kindergarten high school

teachers were actually trained to teach.

We were not.

We were simply given a class.

Here you go, do something.

So we often did what we thought worked in our professors.

So there's an inertia in the system.

You're doing stuff the way you've always seen it done.

I think to have a growth mindset in the classroom

says that's not necessarily how it has to happen

and that I need to be open and press myself

to new opportunities and take advantage

of new technologies, new methods, and so on,

and constantly look for ways of improving

what I do in the classroom.

I think you get bored and stale,

and I think if you're bored and stale

the students are gonna be bored and stale.

They definitely pick up from us on our enthusiasm

or lack thereof for our material.

I get comments on my student evaluations

referring to how much I love neuroscience,

and they think that's a little bit crazy.

But they do respond to it.

It's kind of like if it's that important to her

maybe it might be important to me.

So maybe I'll pay a little more attention to it.

But if you come in there bored and stale

you're done before you start I think.

I try and show growth mindset in my classroom

by trying new things all the time.

I've been in the classroom now for,

this is gonna age me incredibly, 43 years

since I taught my first college class.

And I don't think I've ever done it the same way twice.

I don't get bored easily,

but I would find it incredibly boring

just to walk in the classroom and do the same thing.

So I'm always looking for new things that will work.

Part of it is I love technology,

so when something new comes out I want to try it.

Like the virtual reality right now,

I think has a lot of potential.

Can we make that work in the classroom?

I'm not sure.

I don't have an answer for that.

But I try and do different things,

not for the sake of difference,

but just to see if there's some way

I can the experience better for students.

It has to be geared to the outcomes.

My intuitive answer, which may or may not be empirical,

is they see them as fixed.

That there are good students,

and there are not so good students.

And you just hear faculty talk about students

in levels of preparedness for college,

which is sort of growth mindset.

The idea is that you could be good,

but maybe you haven't had the tools

and the training you need to enter college seamlessly.

So I think there's a growing recognition

that students are flexible.

But there's also, I think,

a little bit of inertia in the system

like there are good students and bad students.

And that's very fixed.

I have that feeling of I'm taking a risk.

I'm walking on a tightrope every time

I go in the classroom,

because you're just on stage, right.

And you never quite know how that's gonna turn out.

I don't use notes.

So I'll have my presentation

and it'll say limbic system and I talk.

I think that helps though.

I think you get a little extra adrenaline that way.

And if it doesn't work,

I'm sure my students will let me know.

I think I try stuff out first.

I can't remember just going into a classroom

just totally blind.

I'll investigate something.

Like Top Hat, I'll play around with it.

I'll go through the trainings.

I'll try and educate myself.

I started using online exams a couple of years ago

because I had to do an online class.

I thought well, I better figure out

how to do this in my learning management system,

which is Moodle.

I figured out how to do and I wanted to test it

on my face-to-face students.

I told them upfront, I said I have to do this thing

this summer online, so guess what?

You're my test subjects and if you hate it

we'll stop doing it and we'll go back

to in-class scantron traditional testing.

So after the first exam they came back

and they said no, we don't hate it at all.

We actually like it quite a bit so keep doing it.

Every quarter I tell the students,

I say, I'm gonna start with an online exam.

If you hate it I'm gonna go back to the,

and I haven't gone back yet.

They continue to rave about the technique.

I don't think we do enough mentoring of our colleagues.

Some schools have a better

process in place.

But I think we're still throwing, especially the adjuncts,

just get thrown out there and it's like, go teach.

Let us know if anything goes wrong.

I'd certainly like to see more of a stronger

more formal mentoring process.

But you do it indirectly, which is embarrassing.

I think that the key to getting the growth mindset going

for somebody who isn't naturally there

is to start with one thing,

not try and do 50 new things.

That's a little terrifying.

I've done that just for fun.

I just wanted to do a bunch of different things

and why not now?

But if somebody's a little hesitant,

at least do something that has

a very high likelihood of success.

I would say audience response is pretty much

a baby step in the right direction.

If you can get the audience response going,

maybe play with some of the different question formats

like Top Hat, you just figure it out as you go.

But one thing at a time.