The Growth Mindset Playbook Chapter 9 Reflection

    Chapter 9, "Increasing Engagement" in The Growth Mindset Playbook talks about how to, as the title says, increase engagement in the classroom. In order to increase classroom engagement amongst students, one must be passionate about what they are teaching, they must allow for individuality amongst the students and their work, and they have to have a good mixture of fun and foundation. In a classroom that just involves PowerPoints, notetaking, and class lectures, it often doesn't foster engagement within the students. A classroom that involves a variety of learning styles and where the teacher is passionate about what they are teaching, as well as one that encourages creativity, are the classrooms in which students are the most engaged in. Page 125 exclaims "The most effective teachers were not the ones who taught the most content, but rather the ones who helped students acquire the mindset of someone in the discipline." As this chapter explains, it isn't the amount of content that matters, it's how you deliver the content. Delivery and the overall aura of the classroom are key. A boring class will only result in bored and unmotivated students whereas a classroom that is fun and promotes creativity will definitely get a better end result. It is important to find many ways to make the content appealing to students so that they will be more engaged. 

    Another thing this chapter talks about in relation is to not consider every student to be the "average" student. Every student is different; They find different topics interesting, they have different reactions, and they have different ways of learning. Constructing a lesson plan based around the assumed "average" learner would not account of the individuality within the classroom. One must find ways to incorporate multiple student interests in order to make it more engaging for the class. This chapter compares the individuality of students' interests to the individuality of pilot body types used as a basis for making cockpits in the 1920s and then the 1950s. In the 1920s, cockpits were made relative to the "average" pilot. When pilots of the 1950s generally changed in size, they had to alter the traditional cockpit. Though selecting a number of pilots as a basis to make the new "average" cockpit resulted in a new design, it still did not meet the various other sized pilots using it. Therefore, more adjustments had to be made, and nowadays cockpits have adjustable seats to meet the needs of the individuality of pilots (Pages 127-128). I thought it was an interesting connection that this chapter provided. It definitely painted a good visual picture of a real-life scenario where individuality was taken into consideration and how it caused improvements once it was.

    Continuing on, this chapter compares the traditional Analytic Rubric (one that has set-in-stone directions and expectations for the project) and a Single-Point Rubric (one that has some expectations, so students know what is to be expected of the project, but it leaves room for more creativity). Analytic Rubrics only promote Fixed Mindsets whereas Single-Point Rubrics bolster Growth Mindsets. Typical Analytic Rubrics "illustrate a top-down approach to learning that prescribes a 'right' way to do a task, activity, or assignment" (Page 130). This is not a good mindset for creating assignments, because "we know there are lots of ways to approach a topic and demonstrate mastery" (Page 130). As this chapter continues to explain, establishing a "right" way to do an assignment only promotes Fixed Mindsets, but leaving room for creativity, feedback, and improvement allows for the promotion of Growth Mindsets. I appreciate how this chapter gives a good example of a Single-Point Rubric (Page 131). I will definitely use this in my future classroom. This would be very beneficial for any school project for students of any age.

    The other key objective this chapter describes is how to have a Multi-Dimensional view. Having a Multi-Dimensional view means that you understand that there are multiple ways to do a task. Opposingly, a One-Dimensional view is where you only expect that there is one correct way to do a task. It is important to have a Multi-Dimensional view in the classroom (and this can go alongside with using the Single-Point Rubrics) in order to encourage Growth Mindsets, showcasing that there isn't only one "right" way to learn or complete assignments. Special emphasis is placed on Math with regards to this. Having a Multi-Dimensional view of solving math problems is key to promoting Growth Mindsets with regards to math. For the most part, there is more than one way to solve a math problem (especially for real-world math problems), so it is key to keep that in mind.

    Overall, the key to promoting engagement in the classroom is to make the content engaging in the first place. The teacher must be passionate about what they are teaching, take into consideration the individuality of students in the classroom, and provide many ways to excitingly deliver the content. In a sense, one must deliver content that can spark curiosity and wonder. Having a Multi-Dimensional view and using Single-Point Rubrics both promote Growth Mindsets amongst students in the classroom. This chapter says "...boring teachers alienate students not only from learning about a specific topic area, but even worse, they run the risk of alienating students from learning in general" (Page 133). I can back that claim up from past experiences. I've had my share of "boring" teachers, and I definitely did not enjoy the class as much, nor get as much out of it, as classes that were far more engaging and allowed for creativity.