Exploring Mindsets about Intelligence

Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Training Simulation and Discussion

Dr. Dallas Dolan & Dr. Larry Coleman The Community College of Baltimore County, MarylandIntroduce ourselves. Introduction: We want to tell you today about an indirect intervention that we are using at CCBC that targets faculty members and trains them in Culturally Responsive Teaching methods. Well try to give you a sense of the kind of training we do for faculty and staff, and will simulate one of our modules on mindset for you today. Well also share some of the ways that faculty members are incorporating this kind of material into their classrooms and some outcomes that faculty members are seeing. We hope to hear from you and discuss the applications this might have to your institution. First, a little about CCBC and Culturally Responsive Teaching. 1

To get a sense of our institution, we have to take you all the way across the countrythats the Baltimore area. 2

Essex

Dundalk

Catonsville

Hunt Valley

Owings Mills

RandallstownClick to add each campus and extension center. 3Student characteristics

Discuss demographics of our population 4Achievement Gaps: Some BackgroundIn 2000, CCBC first identified achievement gaps between African American and white students

An aggressive campaign was begun, which included culturally responsive teaching, professional development, student case management and targeted activities, and new developmental education supports.

A bit about achievement gaps---while this workshop is not about Achievement Gap Data, we need to acknowledge the context in which we work. 5Culturally Responsive TeachingThis professional development work about CRT comes from ten years of focused examination of the academic performance of minority and underrepresented students at our college.This work also evolved from the attempts of faculty and administrators to dramatically improve the achievement and learning outcomes of those students.

Background at CCBC6CRT DefinitionsGays definition indicates that Using knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them. It teaches to and through the strengths of these students. (Gay, G. 2000, p 29) Gloria Ladson- Billings agrees with the use of a cultural framework to be incorporated into the learning environment.

CRT desired OutcomesLadson-Billings and Gay support the notion that within a culturally responsive framework:

Students must experience academic success. Students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence.Students must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the social order.

Training in CRT at CCBCCulturally Responsive Teaching

Two-week (24 hour) Summer Seminar (stipend)

Workshops on Stereotype Threat, Social Capital, Race and Culture and Mindsets

Reached 100+ faculty last year; targets another 200 this year, including adjunct faculty.

Certificate of Culturally Responsive Teaching

The four modules for the culturally responsive teaching seminarRace and Culture

Overcoming Stereotype Threat

Social capital

*Mindsets

*This is the module we will simulate for you today.Simulation

Exploring Mindsets About LearningOne in a series of workshops on Culturally Responsive Teaching at The Community College of Baltimore CountyThis is a variation of the module we present to faculty members and staff members at CCBC. We always try to have some kind of an activity at the beginning that taps into previous knowledge and helps contextualize the information. Because of this, no two trainings are ever the same. 13Opening Activity

Dallas (This is the transition into the mindset module). We have an opening activity for youit will take about 10 minutes or so. 14Metacognition: Thinking about thinking while youre thinking. Self-talk: What will people think if I get these wrong? Im horrible at Math, better start with the easier stuff. I hope they dont make me share my answerswhat if (insert name) finds out I got it wrong?

Thoughts: This is easy! I havent had to take a test in years. Hope I remember this stuff. This should be interesting. Feelings: relaxed, energized, anxious, dreadful

Dallas: For this activity, were going to ask you to exercise your metacognitive abilities. Thoughts, feelings and self-talk are always happening in our minds. For this activity, were going to ask you to be conscious of your spontaneous thoughts, feelings that you have (and shifts in feeling) and spontaneous self-talk. Self-talk may be a new concept to some of youits really just things you say to yourself (often repeatedly). Self-talk may be instantaneous, may happen so quickly that you dont even attend to it. 15This is an example of self-talkhttp://youtu.be/UNAMrZr9OWY

Dallas16Opening Activity DirectionsTwo handoutsSix Question AssessmentNote sheet

Dallas Give directions: First, look over that assessment. Notice there are three sectionsmath, reading and English. Now check in with yourselfnotice any reactions (thoughts? Feelings? Self-talk?) that looking at this brings up. You will have 5 minutes to complete the assessment questions. You can begin with any section. Decide where you will begin and why. Note that on your note sheet. Ill tell you when you can begin the test. 17

AssessmentActivity: Answer all 6 questions on the activity sheet. (5 Minutes)

18Dallas You can begin with any section. Decide where you will begin and why. Note that on your note sheet. Ill tell you when you can begin the test.

Think- and -Share

FeelingsSelf-talk ThoughtsDallas Discuss your reactions to this activity with 2 or 3 people near you. What thoughts/self-talk did you notice? What feelings? Were other people thinking/feeling the same thing? What do you think influenced what your reactions were19Debriefing & Observations?

Dallas Ask for volunteers from groups to share some of the reactions/thoughts/feelings/self-talk from the activity.

20What does this have to do with Mindsets?

For twenty years, my research has shown that the view your adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. Dweck, 2007.Larry 21David Yeager Larry This is David Yeager, who presented at this conference last year. In this clip he is discussing work in using Mindsets to improve math learning. 22Beliefs and MindsetsFixed Mindset BeliefsAbility is fixed and unchangeableWe tend to sort ourselves and others regarding intelligence and abilityDifficulty or failure is confirmation of inferiorityNo responsibility, control or reference to effort

Growth Mindset Beliefs Ability is not limited, but improvable

Tend to measure growth in relationship to a personal best or process of development toward mastery

Difficulty or failure is information about what to do to improve

Effective effort enhances intelligence

Larry: Review of Two mindsets(5 minutes) 23The LearnerFixed MindsetPerformance OrientationGrowth MindsetLearning OrientationOn entering a task asks..Can I do it? Will I look smart?How can I do it? What do I need to learn?Focuses onThe outcomeThe process to an outcomeBelieves that errors..Indicate failure or personal limitationsAre a natural and useful source of feedbackFinds uncertaintyThreateningChallengingBelieves that the optimal taskMaximizes how smart s/he looksMaximizes his/her learning (becoming smarter) How does Mindset affect learning? Larry: Overview thisHow can they use this? Use this as a diagnostic tool---when you are wondering about what a student is thinking or how you are approaching a situation. You could present this as a handout to explain the two mindsets. These things are flags that help to raise certain questions to trigger. There is a copy of this chart in your handout packet.

24The LearnerFixed MindsetPerformance OrientationGrowth MindsetLearning OrientationOperates with standards that areComparative, immediate, rigidPersonal, long-terms, flexibleEnters the situation with expectations thatEmphasize present ability.Emphasize effort toward learning. Sees the teachers role asA judge, a controller of rewards and punishment.A coach, a resource and a guide. When successful, experiences rewards asExtrinsic, reflecting the value of someone elses judgment of his/her performanceIntrinsic, reflecting the value of skills, activity and progress. How does Mindset affect learning? 25Translating theory to practice How can we, as educators, encourage our students to adopt a growth mindset? In our classrooms? In our interactions with students? How can we adopt a growth mindset ourselves?Dallas: These are questions we ask ourselves. Some of the most interesting parts of this work are seeing how faculty members take this information and theory and translate it into their own classrooms and with their own students. 26Jadi DallasIntroduce Jadi and show how she has taken this theory into practice in her English classroom. 27More on the Research see the annotated bibliographyStudies on Motivation and AchievementStudies on Gender Gap in MathStudies on Narrowing Racial Achievement GapsStudies on Resilience and BehaviorStudies on Malleability of Intelligence

Larry 28How Can We as Educators Encourage a Growth Mindset in Students? Teach it directly. Use reflective activities like journaling and blogging. Discuss your own personal experiences with growth or fixed mindsetsUse the terminology---give them the vocabulary.

Lessons learned at CCBC on how to implement CRT29Relating this to your institutionHow do the mindsets of faculty and staff who work with students influence their expectations of students at your institution?

How do student mindsets about abilities affect their academic behaviors?

Could your institution benefit from a similar program? Why or why not?

Three questions to ponder about your own institution and CRT. Talk with a few other people near you for a minute or two. 30Questions? Comments? Discussion?

Open it up for discussion31Thank you! Please stop by the Emerging Ideas area to talk with us more about Culturally Responsive Teaching at CCBC.