BA Library Online: Growth Mindset, Self Efficacy and the Attribution Theory

Here is another post I shared with our faculty last year when we were figuring out how engagement with students happen in Online Distance Learning. It concerns change and the response, thus, a growth mindset came up in one of our faculty meetings. The seminal research by Carol Dweck on growth mindset has been supported and extended by Angela Duckworth as she empahsizes grit and resilience and by product of a growth mindset. 

Neelen and Krishcner (2020) on the other hand, looked at the factors that are attributed in developing a growth mindset.

Goodbye Growth Mindset! Hello Self Efficacy and Attribution Theory!

The title tends to mislead. Click bait, yes. On a closer look, the article cautions teachers, educators and professionals working with children and young people in using and communicating ideas of a growth mindset without considering the learner's knowledge of self, the ability to anticipate difficult tasks and the skills to perceive or envision possible solutions to accomplish it.

Neelen and Krishcner discuss Self-efficacy and Attribution Theory as approaches to help and to support learners and meet them where they are at. Specific steps and strategies to accompany the learner in thinking through challenging work are included in the article. These are captured in two images which are posted below for easier acccess.

Growth mindset can lead to grit and resiliency. But simply saying to a learner that *"time management is easy and it can be done by scheduling" *on top of academic requirements and extra-curicular expactations may do more harm than good. Self-Efficacy and the application of the Attribution Theory, according to the writers' research help learners learn, gain confidence and perform better.

Bulletin Board Displays: Digital Citizenship and A Growth Mindset

We are pushing through mid-term now and everyone is as busy as a bee. The first set of advisory letters have all been sent out two weeks ago and we had our Parent Teacher Conference last Saturday. We are in full swing. Academic Year 2017-2018, the honeymoon is over.

The excitement and positive energy that came at the beginning of the year is slowly waning for some. There are peaks and valleys in academic progress of students and everyone is tired, or stressed, or confused. Let's get real and not deny ourselves this very human reaction to the rigors of teaching and learning in an IB School.

And I take it that these dips in the process of learning happens to all school or learning community.

What to do?

Call on grit and perseverance.

It is a matter of mindset.

One that recognizes failures and mistakes as opportunities for growth.

And then, rise up.

However, some are a bit slower than the rest. That is where team work and compassion come in. No one should be left behind in teaching and learning for we are all accountable for each other. And the library is pitching in.

Our library's bulletin board at the start of the year took on the theme of a growth mindset. See the photo above.

Inspired by the researches and works of Carol Dweck (Growth Mindset) and Angela Duckworth (Grit), a growth mindset is a proactive way to rise above the difficulties of life in general and face the challenges of every day. Remember the old saying, it's all in the mind, or what you conceive in the mind you achieve in real life? That is putting it simply but the core of a growth mindset is strength of character that is built overtime. A growth mindset is found in the formative teaching and learning experiences designed by teachers for the students. It is also about giving students feedback. Coaching. Mentoring. Allowing them to make mistakes and giving them ample time to reflect.

As we cross the threshold of the dip, we will soon replace the bulletin board's quotes with new ones that are more applicable for the needs of the community. And yes, we will be putting out and displaying books to accompany the theme. There goes your bibliotherapy services!