Using Feedback to Develop a Growth Mindset
Karen A. McCay
04 January 2019
Introduction
Feedback and growth are two sides of one coin, and when used together, they transform education. They work in tandem to increase intrinsic motivation and foster measurable growth in schools. When teachers help students set regular goals and provide specific, timely feedback on those goals, students engage with more effort to master those goals. This process works even better when teachers remember to praise hard work instead of talent and to support a cooperative climate rather than a competitive climate in their classrooms. This paradigm of safe but challenging feedback and hard work helps students increase their work output, and therefore, their learning.
Set Regular Goals and Provide Timely Feedback
Teachers need to help students set small goals, track them throughout the learning process, and document their achievement of those goals. Little, regular checks after each activity to see how students progressed toward their learning objectives motivate them much more than any grade ever will--because we all love to set and achieve goals. Waller and Shickler emphasize the importance of helping students recognize themselves for their growth: “Rather than emphasizing the good grade or award, recognize the achievement by celebrating the person they had to become to get it. Ask them to reflect on the work they did, the obstacles they overcame, and the new capabilities they developed” (2016). During learning--during each step--students need clear feedback on how they’re progressing toward their unique goals. “Effective feedback requires that a person has a goal, takes action to achieve the goal, and receives goal-related information about his or her actions” (Wiggins, 2012).
I recently assigned students an essay and rather than rushing to grade them with written comments overnight, I decided to grade them in writing conferences with students the next day, meeting one-on-one with students while I gave feedback. “As educators, we should work overtime to figure out ways to ensure that students get more timely feedback and opportunities to use it while the attempt and effects are still fresh in their minds” (Wiggins, 2012). On Tuesday, I sat with each student one-on-one and conferenced with them on their performance based on our goals for the essays (students worked on a vocabulary exercise as they waited for their conference). I explained what grade-level goals students met, and then I specified which goals they missed. Next, I explained exactly what students needed to do differently to document mastery of the goal. I did not give grades. I merely gave the feedback and then let the student move back into the group activity as the next student had a conference. Experts “suggest taking the time to provide learners with information on what exactly they did well, and what may still need improvement. They also note that it can be helpful to tell the learner what he is doing differently than before” to achieve new success (Stenger, 2014). My students’ revisions were phenomenal, which is common when they have specific explanations of what they did NOT do well the first time and how to fix it.
Praise Success through Hard Work, not Talent
Nothing will kill students’ growth faster than telling them they’re a “natural.” As a coach, I have never believed in naturals. Hard work really does beat natural inclinations every time. In the classroom, Waller and Shickler have seen the same thing: “Talent will always be trumped by effort and a growth mindset. Learning this will motivate academically and athletically challenged students to maintain high expectations for their lives. It can also be a wake-up call for students who’ve leaned on their natural intellects for years and may have never developed the capacity to work hard” (2016). I had students working on Vocabulary.com recently to assess their mastery of 50 SAT vocabulary terms, which are in the play they’re reading. Some students had 40% mastery on the vocabulary pretest, and some had 0%. ALL of the students got very excited to grow that mastery level when they saw how quickly they received feedback from the program and how quickly that feedback helped them master new words. These words aren’t easy, so students had to work hard to master them. Waller and Shickler suggest in these instances that we teach students to affirm themselves: “Rather than saying ‘I’m proud of you,’ try saying, ‘You should be proud of yourself’ . . . you’ve delivered a powerful message that validation should come from within. This reinforces the child to look inward rather than outward for appreciation and acceptance” (Waller & Shickler, 2016).
Cooperate, Don’t Compete
In many learning activities, we could challenge students to beat one another, but I have found that a team of students (or athletes), who help each other, often become a stronger group. When students compete, they often become afraid of failing for some reason, and they need to see failure as another opportunity to succeed: “The key is to help young people build confidence in trying, so they’re less concerned about the negative consequences of making mistakes. When you help with this, you create the valuable understanding that taking risks, participating, and making mistakes are not only positive things, but critical ingredients to success” (Waller and Shickler, 2016). While students worked on their vocabulary as individuals, they also had an opportunity to “table--talk” with their peers. Students discussed the meanings of words, strategies for remembering a word the next time it came around, and plans to complete vocabulary steps on particularly difficult words at home. Again, students received no grade for this activity. They received coaching--on strategies that worked and did not work, on partners, who might be able to help, and on what vocabulary work at home could lead to mastery faster than another plan. In other words, I tried to give timely feedback, which could help them grow right away: “Timperley and Hattie note that effective feedback is most often oriented around a specific achievement that students are (or should be) working toward. When giving feedback, it should be clear to students how the information they are receiving will help them progress toward their final goal” (Stenger, 2014).
For Administrators
Principals need to take on the same tasks as teachers, but FOR teachers. They need to help staff members set and track meaningful goals; they need to praise growth earned through hard work, and they need to get teachers to cooperate with one another, not compete. The strategies are identical, honestly, but they look a little different on the building level.
Principals need to help teachers plan their annual goals based on what they’re actually passionate about that year instead of worrying about their final score on their annual evaluation. If principals focus on the process of growth, not on threats, rewards, or “end outcomes” like evaluations, then teachers become happy to work harder. Their harder work, like it does for students, translates into growth . . . and a growth mindset, which is vital in a school climate: “A growth mindset has a sizable impact on business efficacy” (Finley, 2014). A fixed school won’t grow. A growth-oriented school, even if it’s doing other things wrong, will show nominal growth. “No one truly has a 100% growth mindset, and no one can make the switch overnight,” but focusing on our goals and watching our growth on the building can foster that mindset (Waller & Shickler, 2016). The principal can help by discussing practical goals with teachers early in the year, which align to building initiatives so teachers can make one or two small changes instead of twenty.
Principals need to provide clear, timely feedback that praises hard work rather than talent. I have seen several schools’ morale drop just from principals praising their “naturals” and no one else. Teachers need to know that they’re developing their craft, and they need that validation every year from the principal. Regular feedback helps teachers hear more often what they’re doing well and what they can tweak. A fast method for providing meaningful feedback to teachers is similar to writing conferences with students. Instead of attending the entire class to observe a teacher, principals could record 20 minutes of the class, watch that video in the presence of the teacher, and then critically question the teacher, getting them to start their own feedback: “[V]ideo or audio recordings can help us perceive things that we may not perceive as we perform; and by extension, such recordings help us learn to look for difficult-to-perceive but vital information. I recommend that all teachers videotape their own classes at least once a month. It was a transformative experience for me when I did it as a beginning teacher” (Wiggins, 2012). If a teacher doesn’t see something important, then the principal can add that piece of feedback. The entire observation would take less time this way than attending a class, and the teacher would have more meaningful, timely feedback about the observation--they would be helping observe themselves. Making sure that feedback is meaningful is important, too: “Too much feedback is also counterproductive; better to help the performer concentrate on only one or two key elements of performance than to create a buzz of information coming in from all sides” (Wiggins, 2012). Teachers are inundated every year with several skills they must perform all at one time. Focusing on two areas for growth would make teachers feel that their goals were more manageable and more achievable.
Finally, principals need to foster a cooperative climate where mistakes are NORMAL and acceptable instead of a competitive climate where teachers try to outperform one another. Remembering to phrase feedback as goal-oriented information often helps teachers to focus on their skills rather than their VALUE to the building: “Such care in offering neutral, goal-related facts is the whole point of the clinical supervision of teaching and of good coaching more generally. Effective supervisors and coaches work hard to carefully observe and comment on what they observed, based on a clear statement of goals. That's why I always ask when visiting a class, "What would you like me to look for and perhaps count” (Wiggins, 2012)? Principals can also foster a safe climate by sharing their own stories of failure, growth, and goal achievement: “Help them see you as an individual, and that where you are in life is a culmination of all the actions you’ve taken and decisions you’ve made. There is so much power in your stories, and you can unlock it by sharing the challenges and struggles of your life… the difficult decisions and failures as well as the successes” (Waller & Shickler, 2016). I motivate my students with these types of stories every day so they know I make mistakes, too. I openly share my “teaching failures” with my staff so they know that failure is a normal step in the growth process, too.
More Resources:
Providing Students with More Personalized, Meaningful Feedback
Timely Feedback
Sample Feedback Forms
Return to All Learners Page
Back to Best Practices
Back to Relationship Teaching Home Page
References:
Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. J. (2012). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Finley, K. (2014, October 24). 4 Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset in the Classroom (EdSurge News). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-10-24-4-ways-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-the-classroom/
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Stenger, M. (2014, August 6). 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback (Edutopia). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger
Waller, J., & Shickler, S. (2016, December 12). 6 Strategies for Teaching the Growth Mindset (7 Mindsets). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from http://7mindsets.com/growth-mindset/
Wiggins, G. (2012, September). Seven Keys to Effective Feedback (ASCD). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Seven-Keys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx
Karen A. McCay
04 January 2019
Introduction
Feedback and growth are two sides of one coin, and when used together, they transform education. They work in tandem to increase intrinsic motivation and foster measurable growth in schools. When teachers help students set regular goals and provide specific, timely feedback on those goals, students engage with more effort to master those goals. This process works even better when teachers remember to praise hard work instead of talent and to support a cooperative climate rather than a competitive climate in their classrooms. This paradigm of safe but challenging feedback and hard work helps students increase their work output, and therefore, their learning.
Set Regular Goals and Provide Timely Feedback
Teachers need to help students set small goals, track them throughout the learning process, and document their achievement of those goals. Little, regular checks after each activity to see how students progressed toward their learning objectives motivate them much more than any grade ever will--because we all love to set and achieve goals. Waller and Shickler emphasize the importance of helping students recognize themselves for their growth: “Rather than emphasizing the good grade or award, recognize the achievement by celebrating the person they had to become to get it. Ask them to reflect on the work they did, the obstacles they overcame, and the new capabilities they developed” (2016). During learning--during each step--students need clear feedback on how they’re progressing toward their unique goals. “Effective feedback requires that a person has a goal, takes action to achieve the goal, and receives goal-related information about his or her actions” (Wiggins, 2012).
I recently assigned students an essay and rather than rushing to grade them with written comments overnight, I decided to grade them in writing conferences with students the next day, meeting one-on-one with students while I gave feedback. “As educators, we should work overtime to figure out ways to ensure that students get more timely feedback and opportunities to use it while the attempt and effects are still fresh in their minds” (Wiggins, 2012). On Tuesday, I sat with each student one-on-one and conferenced with them on their performance based on our goals for the essays (students worked on a vocabulary exercise as they waited for their conference). I explained what grade-level goals students met, and then I specified which goals they missed. Next, I explained exactly what students needed to do differently to document mastery of the goal. I did not give grades. I merely gave the feedback and then let the student move back into the group activity as the next student had a conference. Experts “suggest taking the time to provide learners with information on what exactly they did well, and what may still need improvement. They also note that it can be helpful to tell the learner what he is doing differently than before” to achieve new success (Stenger, 2014). My students’ revisions were phenomenal, which is common when they have specific explanations of what they did NOT do well the first time and how to fix it.
Praise Success through Hard Work, not Talent
Nothing will kill students’ growth faster than telling them they’re a “natural.” As a coach, I have never believed in naturals. Hard work really does beat natural inclinations every time. In the classroom, Waller and Shickler have seen the same thing: “Talent will always be trumped by effort and a growth mindset. Learning this will motivate academically and athletically challenged students to maintain high expectations for their lives. It can also be a wake-up call for students who’ve leaned on their natural intellects for years and may have never developed the capacity to work hard” (2016). I had students working on Vocabulary.com recently to assess their mastery of 50 SAT vocabulary terms, which are in the play they’re reading. Some students had 40% mastery on the vocabulary pretest, and some had 0%. ALL of the students got very excited to grow that mastery level when they saw how quickly they received feedback from the program and how quickly that feedback helped them master new words. These words aren’t easy, so students had to work hard to master them. Waller and Shickler suggest in these instances that we teach students to affirm themselves: “Rather than saying ‘I’m proud of you,’ try saying, ‘You should be proud of yourself’ . . . you’ve delivered a powerful message that validation should come from within. This reinforces the child to look inward rather than outward for appreciation and acceptance” (Waller & Shickler, 2016).
Cooperate, Don’t Compete
In many learning activities, we could challenge students to beat one another, but I have found that a team of students (or athletes), who help each other, often become a stronger group. When students compete, they often become afraid of failing for some reason, and they need to see failure as another opportunity to succeed: “The key is to help young people build confidence in trying, so they’re less concerned about the negative consequences of making mistakes. When you help with this, you create the valuable understanding that taking risks, participating, and making mistakes are not only positive things, but critical ingredients to success” (Waller and Shickler, 2016). While students worked on their vocabulary as individuals, they also had an opportunity to “table--talk” with their peers. Students discussed the meanings of words, strategies for remembering a word the next time it came around, and plans to complete vocabulary steps on particularly difficult words at home. Again, students received no grade for this activity. They received coaching--on strategies that worked and did not work, on partners, who might be able to help, and on what vocabulary work at home could lead to mastery faster than another plan. In other words, I tried to give timely feedback, which could help them grow right away: “Timperley and Hattie note that effective feedback is most often oriented around a specific achievement that students are (or should be) working toward. When giving feedback, it should be clear to students how the information they are receiving will help them progress toward their final goal” (Stenger, 2014).
For Administrators
Principals need to take on the same tasks as teachers, but FOR teachers. They need to help staff members set and track meaningful goals; they need to praise growth earned through hard work, and they need to get teachers to cooperate with one another, not compete. The strategies are identical, honestly, but they look a little different on the building level.
Principals need to help teachers plan their annual goals based on what they’re actually passionate about that year instead of worrying about their final score on their annual evaluation. If principals focus on the process of growth, not on threats, rewards, or “end outcomes” like evaluations, then teachers become happy to work harder. Their harder work, like it does for students, translates into growth . . . and a growth mindset, which is vital in a school climate: “A growth mindset has a sizable impact on business efficacy” (Finley, 2014). A fixed school won’t grow. A growth-oriented school, even if it’s doing other things wrong, will show nominal growth. “No one truly has a 100% growth mindset, and no one can make the switch overnight,” but focusing on our goals and watching our growth on the building can foster that mindset (Waller & Shickler, 2016). The principal can help by discussing practical goals with teachers early in the year, which align to building initiatives so teachers can make one or two small changes instead of twenty.
Principals need to provide clear, timely feedback that praises hard work rather than talent. I have seen several schools’ morale drop just from principals praising their “naturals” and no one else. Teachers need to know that they’re developing their craft, and they need that validation every year from the principal. Regular feedback helps teachers hear more often what they’re doing well and what they can tweak. A fast method for providing meaningful feedback to teachers is similar to writing conferences with students. Instead of attending the entire class to observe a teacher, principals could record 20 minutes of the class, watch that video in the presence of the teacher, and then critically question the teacher, getting them to start their own feedback: “[V]ideo or audio recordings can help us perceive things that we may not perceive as we perform; and by extension, such recordings help us learn to look for difficult-to-perceive but vital information. I recommend that all teachers videotape their own classes at least once a month. It was a transformative experience for me when I did it as a beginning teacher” (Wiggins, 2012). If a teacher doesn’t see something important, then the principal can add that piece of feedback. The entire observation would take less time this way than attending a class, and the teacher would have more meaningful, timely feedback about the observation--they would be helping observe themselves. Making sure that feedback is meaningful is important, too: “Too much feedback is also counterproductive; better to help the performer concentrate on only one or two key elements of performance than to create a buzz of information coming in from all sides” (Wiggins, 2012). Teachers are inundated every year with several skills they must perform all at one time. Focusing on two areas for growth would make teachers feel that their goals were more manageable and more achievable.
Finally, principals need to foster a cooperative climate where mistakes are NORMAL and acceptable instead of a competitive climate where teachers try to outperform one another. Remembering to phrase feedback as goal-oriented information often helps teachers to focus on their skills rather than their VALUE to the building: “Such care in offering neutral, goal-related facts is the whole point of the clinical supervision of teaching and of good coaching more generally. Effective supervisors and coaches work hard to carefully observe and comment on what they observed, based on a clear statement of goals. That's why I always ask when visiting a class, "What would you like me to look for and perhaps count” (Wiggins, 2012)? Principals can also foster a safe climate by sharing their own stories of failure, growth, and goal achievement: “Help them see you as an individual, and that where you are in life is a culmination of all the actions you’ve taken and decisions you’ve made. There is so much power in your stories, and you can unlock it by sharing the challenges and struggles of your life… the difficult decisions and failures as well as the successes” (Waller & Shickler, 2016). I motivate my students with these types of stories every day so they know I make mistakes, too. I openly share my “teaching failures” with my staff so they know that failure is a normal step in the growth process, too.
More Resources:
Providing Students with More Personalized, Meaningful Feedback
Timely Feedback
Sample Feedback Forms
Return to All Learners Page
Back to Best Practices
Back to Relationship Teaching Home Page
References:
Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. J. (2012). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Finley, K. (2014, October 24). 4 Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset in the Classroom (EdSurge News). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-10-24-4-ways-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-the-classroom/
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Stenger, M. (2014, August 6). 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback (Edutopia). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger
Waller, J., & Shickler, S. (2016, December 12). 6 Strategies for Teaching the Growth Mindset (7 Mindsets). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from http://7mindsets.com/growth-mindset/
Wiggins, G. (2012, September). Seven Keys to Effective Feedback (ASCD). Retrieved January 04, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Seven-Keys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx