Learning Environment and Mindset

The focus of this research is to investigate how the learning environment could contribute to fostering a growth mindset with students. Too many students are focused on the final grade received on an assignment rather than identifying and learning from the patterns of their mistakes. I believe that a positive learning environment can help shift students’ approach to learning by obtaining a growth mindset.

A positive learning environment is one in which students feel safe and comfortable with making mistakes. It is a place where students feel academically supported despite their level of understanding of a certain topic. My hypothesis is that student mindset mirrors the learning environment. My intervention is centered around getting students to focus on the process of learning (i.e. thinking about how they got to their answer as opposed to what the right answer actually is) A supporting factor also includes the type of praise my students will be receiving from me. I hope to create an environment where praise is given during (not just after) the process of learning and it will be rewarding effort on behalf of the student as opposed to what they are learning.

A student with a growth mindset will see a wrong answer as an indicator of what they have to work on a little more as opposed to simply what they don’t know or have failed to learn. Students with a growth mindset understand that with time and effort, their ability to learn the material will increase. On the other hand, a student with a fixed mindset will attribute their setbacks to their ability. They view learning in the form of product as opposed to process, where the answer is either right or wrong and if they get it wrong, then they are simply unable to learn the mater...

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