![Best Practices at Tier 1 [Secondary] - Gayle Gregory](/cover_679455.jpg "Best Practices at Tier 1 [Secondary] - Gayle Gregory")
intelligent or not, and this condition predicts potential. Those with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can increase over time as the brain changes and grows (through the process of neuroplasticity). This brain plasticity, and its role in the continued growth of the brain’s dendrites and neural connections, is responsible for learning even into old age. A growth mindset—among both teachers and students—plays a pivotal role in promoting student success, as it helps educators build an intellectually and emotionally nourishing classroom environment (Dweck, 2006).
Mindsets can influence how teachers and students approach school and learning. A shared belief among students and teachers in students’ ability to succeed makes a significant difference in student achievement. That’s why educators need to share information with students of all ages about the ability of the brain to change and grow over time with new experiences and practice. Students feel encouraged when educators stress that, although they may not grasp a new concept or skill immediately, they can rehearse that idea or skill over time until they achieve or perfect it. That mastery offers multiple rewards. Through perseverance and determination, the brain produces its own incentive with a dopamine release as students get closer to their goal and anticipate achievement.
Dweck (2006) describes a New York experiment where teachers told one group of students that they were smart; rather than bestowing this label on another group of students, educators instead complimented those students on their effort during a task. When given future opportunities, the first group of students didn’t engage in challenging tasks, as they didn’t want to risk their smart status. They often gave up easily, reasoning that if you have to work too hard, you aren’t clever. They were often defensive, blamed others, and cheated to do well. In contrast, the group of students who teachers praised for their efforts enjoyed challenge and continued to choose challenging tasks in the future. They appeared to be more resilient and were possibility thinkers who demonstrated perseverance and grit.
As these studies show, students benefit when educators promote a growth mindset. By encouraging students to believe that they can learn and master new learning, skills, and challenges, teachers prepare them for the task of succeeding in an ever-changing world. Emily Diehl (Mindset Works, 2002), a Mindset Works trainer, suggests these great feedback prompts to promote a growth mindset. (Visit Mindset Works, www.mindsetworks.com/free-resources, for more resources. Visit go.solution-tree.com/RTIatWork to access materials related to this book.)
When a student is struggling despite a strong effort:
When a student is struggling and needs help:
When a student is making progress:
When a student succeeds with strong effort:
When a student succeeds easily without effort:
Infusing the educational process with this kind of positive energy enables students to embrace the idea that they don’t have to know everything, they simply must be willing—even eager—to learn. That’s why the growth mindset plays such a central role in creating a learning environment that stimulates and engages learners, rather than overwhelms them.
Supporting the Social Brain
Jaak Panksepp (1998)—psychologist, psychobiologist, neuroscientist, and the Baily Endowed Chair of Animal Well-Being Science at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine—reminds us that humans need to connect, cooperate, and collaborate. Humans have a contact urge (Gopnik, Meltzoff, & Kuhl, 1999); we need both independent time and the company of others (Covey, 1989). We also need social interaction time to develop normal neurocognitive functions. Neuroscientists have discovered, for example, mirror neurons that are responsible for being able to replicate the brain state of others. As you watch someone else interact, express ideas, and otherwise engage in social exchanges, these mirror neurons enable you to pattern yourself after that person and his or her actions (Freedman, 2007). In essence, when creating a classroom environment designed to support and promote student learning, educators can accommodate students’ social brain by encouraging healthy student relationships, cultural responsiveness, and social skills.
Socialization is an important aspect of any student’s learning process and a key element of the best practices for creating a brain-friendly classroom. Still, opportunities for social development can be easy for educators to overlook. During adolescence is the key time to develop social skills and networks as the brain is undergoing reorganization that is amenable to changes (Blakemore, Burnett, & Dahl, 2010). As a result, educators must be alert to how students perform both at play and in classwork. While students often learn information by listening to lectures, watching DVDs, or working on a computer, educators fail to promote student social development when they forget to provide the kind of student follow-up discussion that is essential for developing both vocabulary
