DNA Is NOT Your

Destiny
Dr. Carol Fletcher
Associate Director
TRC, UT Austin
Presented at the Equity and Social Justice Conference
August 10, 2012
Pflugerville ISD
Session Objectives
Overview fixed and growth mindsets
Explore how mindset influences
student effort and achievement
Practice strategies for making
students aware of their mindset and
moving them closer to a growth
perspective
Flashback
What is the
Message?

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decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Elbow partner - What message would your
students glean from this video? How do
your students view failure?
Brief group share
Aim To Grow Your Brain by Joanne
Billingsley
Listen and see if you have had a “Teddy” in
class before
For these students, effort and ability
are inversely proportional. In their
minds, if a task is difficult and
requires considerable effort, students
assume than they lack some innate
(genetic) ability.
Have you taught a student like “Teddy” or
“Derek” before?
What if these students knew...
Your DNA is NOT your Destiny
Smart is something you GET, not
something you are.
What would be the impact on your class
environment, student success, and
achievement? What behaviors would you see
in class?
Let’s talk babies...

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 Mindset

I don’t divide the world into the weak

and the strong, or the successful and
the failures...I divide the world into
the learners and the non-learners. ~
Benjamin Barber, sociologist
Billingsley’s 5 Steps to Inspiring
Effort & Practice
Analyze core beliefs about intelligence
Present basic lessons in neuroscience
Review and summarize current,
credible research in neuroplasticity
Evaluate current research on the
effects of television, sleep, fear, and
stress on the brain’s structure and
function
Teach “brain friendly” strategies
Carol Dweck, Ph.D.
Leading researcher in developmental
psychology
Documented that mindset has a
powerful influence on a student’s
willingness to put forth effort, and
performance in school\
Categorized growth vs. fixed
mindsets
 Growth Mindset
Individuals who are perceived as
“learners.”
Believes that basic qualities
(intelligence, character, personality)
are things we can cultivate, change
and grow through effort and practice.
Look at difficult challenges as an
opportunity to get smarter and learn
something new
 Growth Mindset
Interested in getting better
Failure is thought of as a temporary
setback or opportunity to grow and
learn
Mistakes are just learning
opportunities for the brain
 Fixed Mindset
Individuals are perceived as “non-
learners”
Believes that basic qualities are set in
stone and are mostly unchangeable.
Believes intelligence, character,
athletic ability are predetermined by
genetics
 Fixed Mindset
Individuals are overly concerned
about hiding deficiencies, believing
they are permanent
Feel the need to prove that they are
smart
Will not take risks and avoid
challenging situations for fear of
failure
 John McEnroe
Won 7 Grand Slam titles, 3 at Wimbledon
& 4 at US Open
Won 9 Grand Slam men’s doubles titles
Posted best single season win-loss
record in 1984 at 96.47%
1999 inducted into International Tennis
Hall of Fame
One of the greatest tennis players in 20th
century
5 MVP awards Michael Jordan
10 All-NBA First Team & 9 All-Defensive
First Team
14 All-Star game appearances
NBA record highest regular season
scoring 30.12 ppg
Steve Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

2009 NBA Hall of Fame

1999 - Named greatest North American
athlete of 20th century by ESPN
Comparison Study

Find an elbow partne

r
Person A - reads Le
sson 2.3
Person B - reads Le
sson 2.4
 John McEnroe
Person A provides a summary to person B
Be ready to share your answers to the
following questions...
What clues reflected the “fixed
mindset”
Share classroom behaviors of a student
who has a “fixed mindset.”
 Michael Jordan
Person B provides a summary to person A
Be ready to share your answers to the
following questions...
What clues reflected the “growth
mindset”
Share classroom behaviors of a student
who has a “growth mindset.”
 Group Share
Personal experiences with a “fixed
mindset” student
Personal experiences with a “growth
mindset” student
Personal Reflection...what type of
mindset do you have?
Powerful Message for students...
 Mindset
Questionnaire

Please complete the questionnaire

Powerful Message
for Students!
Step #2 & #3: Neuroscience and
Neuroplasticity
You can CHANGE your BRAIN!
London Cab Drivers vs. Bus Drivers
Stroke victims
 Dr. Merzenich’s
Monkeys
Pay Attention
Both Groups had on headphones with music
and device that tapped their fingers.
Group A: taught to pay attention to finger
tapping sensation.
Group B: taught to pay attention to
headphone sounds
 Dr. Merzenich’s
Monkeys
Pay Attention

Group A: when finger tapping rhythm

changed monkeys rewarded with sip of juice
Group B: when sound of headphones
changed monkeys rewarded with sip of juice
 The Results
After 6 weeks the brains were
compared
Group A: dramatic increase in brain
region that responds to sensory input
Group B: expansion of the brain’s
region that handles sound
What can this teach
students?
Both attention and repetitive practice
are needed to “change your brain!”
Recall how you learned to text
message on your phone, drive a car,
ride a bike...
#4 How does experience change
brain structure and function?

Lack of sleep impacts brain

functioning - REM needed to
consolidate newly learned information
“I need to sleep on it”
Sleep survey
TV and video games alter brain
structure
How many scenes last for more
than 2 sec?

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decompressor
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 Fixed Mindset = fear

Recall what we discussed about

students who are afraid to take risks,
try new things, push themselves to
failure
What behaviors do you see in
students who fear exposing
themselves to failure?
 Combating Fear
How do we help our students
to combat their fears so they
don’t interfere with learning?

What is the biology of fear?

 Brain Biology - Fear
isn’t all just in your head
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Adrenal Glands

Blocks functioning of
prefrontal cortex and Adrenaline
prioritizes response to threat
Fears students feel
at school

With your elbow partner, list 5 fears

you think your students experience
Complete this task with students and
have them share
 Common Student
Fears
I might fail, even if I try
I will look stupid if I ask a question
I am not “smart enough” I will be bullied because
I’m not cool
I will disappoint my parents
I will be asked to read aloud in class
I will have to do a math problem in front of the class
 How can teachers combat this
fear of rejection/fixed mindset?
Examine your own mindset
Praise effort, not ability
Consistently emphasize that high standards
can be achieved with hard work
Your brain can grow and change with practice
like any other muscle
Failure is an opportunity to learn
 QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Now What?

Let everyone
R.I.S.E.
 R.I.S.E
Reframe Evaluative Activities
Class exercise instead of verbal ability
Problem solving instead of math test
Chemistry check instead of chemistry
test
Check for understanding instead of test
 What Does this
Mean for YOU?
Reframe Evaluative Activities
Elbow partner - share what you
could do in your classroom to
achieve this
Group Share - state your grade level
and/or content area
 R.I.S.E
Identity Inoculation
Multiple Identities Activity
Elbow Share
Group Share
Diverse Portfolio Awareness
 R.I.S.E

Shaping Student’s Mindset

Teach and discuss the two mindsets
Reinforce the ability to change
attitudes from fixed to growth
 R.I.S.E
Educate students on Mindset, Stereotype
threat and neuroplasticity
Examine your classroom culture/messaging
Attribute test anxiety to stereotype threat not
ability
Focused attention and repetition is key
Mistakes are learning opportunities for the
brain
Smart is something
you get, not
something you are!