Mindset as Context for the Internet of Everything

mediaX 2014

Stanford University

“Well-being and Productivity in a Globally Connected World”

Learner or Non-learner?

“I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures… I divide the world into the learners and non-learners.”

-- Benjamin Barber

You don’t see unmotivated babies!

Yet many of the things we do are turning people into non-learners.

How do we make sure people remain learners?

Mindsets Matter

Fixed Mindset: Intelligence is a fixed trait

Growth Mindset: Intelligence can be developed

Mindsets Matter

Math Achievement Blackwell, Dweck, & Trzesniewski (2007)

72.072.573.073.574.074.575.075.576.076.577.0

EnteringAcademic

Year

Fall Year 1

Spring Year 1

Fall Year 2

SpringYear2

FixedGrowth

growth mindset

fixed mindset

Mat

h G

rad

es

How Do Mindsets Work?

Mindset Rule #1

Fixed Mindset:

LOOK SMART AT ALL COSTS

Growth Mindset:

LEARN AT ALL COSTS

Mindset Rule #2

Fixed Mindset: IT SHOULD COME NATURALLY

Growth Mindset: WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY

Mindset Rule #2

Fixed Mindset: IT SHOULD COME NATURALLY

Growth Mindset: WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY

Mindset Rule #3 In the face of setbacks…

Fixed Mindset: It’s about meHIDE MISTAKES & DEFICIENCIES

Growth Mindset: It’s about learningCONFRONT MISTAKES

& DEFICIENCIES

After Setback

Fixed Mindset: “I’d spend less time on this subject from now on.”“I would try to cheat on the next test.”

Growth Mindset:“I would work harder in this class from now on.”

“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”

Blackwell, Trzesniewski and Dweck, 2007

Moser et al., 2011

Mindset Rules

Fixed Mindset

1. Never look dumb

2. Don’t work hard

3. Run from difficulty

Growth Mindset

1. Learn

2. Work hard to learn

3. Learn from mistakes

CreativityO’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013

Mindsets predict:

1.Performance on a creativity task

2.Lifetime creative achievement

CreativityO’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013

• Most artists and supposed creative types just copy someone else. They adjust, tweak a little, but overall, it’s just the same thing...”

 

CreativityO’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013

•“But some people have some inherent quality that lets them see the bigger picture and do something truly creative.”

•“But some people work to a point that lets them see the bigger picture and do something truly creative.”

Creativity: Originality RatingsO’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013

Corporate MindsetsA Culture of Genius or a Culture of Development?

“When it comes to being successful, this company believes that people have a certain amount of talent, and they can’t really do much to change it.”

Creativity & Innovation In Organizations:Murphy, Chatman, Kray, & Dweck, 2104

Corporate Mindsets

Risk-Taking In Organizations:Murphy, Chatman, Kray, & Dweck, 2104

Corporate Mindsets

How are mindsets fostered?

Mueller & Dweck, 1998; Kamins & Dweck,1 999; Cimpian, Arce, Mueller & Dweck, 1998; Kamins & Dweck,1 999; Cimpian, Arce, Markman, & Dweck, 2007; Gunderson et al., 2013. Markman, & Dweck, 2007; Gunderson et al., 2013.

Praise:Messages About What We Value

• Intelligence Praise: “You’re really smart, talented, good at…”

• Process Praise: “You worked hard, tried good strategies, took on a big challenge, stuck to it, improved…”

Intelligence vs. Process Praise

• Mindset: Fixed vs. Growth• Non-learner vs. learner

After Difficult Task:• Not resilient vs. resilient

• Baby Praise

What to Praise

• Effort, struggle, but not just effort…

• Strategies, choices, decision-making process

• Choosing difficult tasks, persisting, capitalizing on mistakes

• Learning, improving

Yesterday’s vs. Tomorrow’s Praise

• You did that so quickly and easily. That’s impressive!

• You did that so quickly and easily. I’m sorry I wasted your time. Let’s do something you can learn from.

Encouragement

Sohl-Dickstein, Paunesku, Haley, & Williams, 2014, in prep.

Growth Mindset Encouragement

• Khan Academy online learning

• N = 265,082

• Growth-mindset encouragement vs. controls

Correct Answers Post-Treatment*

Corrective Feedback

Kenthirarajah, Haimovitz, Walton & Dweck, 2014, in prep.

Growth Mindset Incentive Systems

O’Rourke, Haimovitz, Ballweber, Dweck, & Popovic, 2014

Brain Points

Rewarded the use of effort, strategy, and progress.

Increased…

• Overall time played

• Strategy use

• Perseverance after challenge

• And most important…

Distribution of Players Who Persisted for 30 Minutes

Do we convey that certain abilities are more fixed?

And does this affect who participates in a field?

Female representation in STEM subjectsLeslie & Cimpian, 2014

...and minority students too.

A Field’s Mindset?Leslie, Cimpian, & Meyer, 2014

• When it comes to [computer science], the most important factor(s) for success ..

• are motivation and sustained effort; raw ability is secondary.

• is a special aptitude that just can't be taught.

Mindsets & Representation

• Correlation between field’s (fixed) mindset and female representation in STEM:

(r= -.64)

• Predicts Africa-American representation as well.

Changing Mindsets Directly

What else can be done?

The brain is a network of cells (neurons)

The cells communicate through chemical messages

Math Grades(Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck)

Transforming the Meaning of Effort and Difficulty

• “Probability, I was just like, ‘I don’t get this at all.’ But I was just like, okay, I’m going to do this . . . I want to do this because it’s so hard.”

Is it ever too late?

High School InterventionEffect on GPA

Students in Bottom Tercile

N=531

Community College Course DropoutStudents Who Withdrew From Developmental Math

N = 288

High-Quality Public 4-yr. University:Who Maintained a Full Course Load?

N = 7,342 N = 356

School/Community-Based InterventionNative American Students

Stephanie Fryberg

• Quil Ceda and Tulalip Elementary School on Tulalip Reservation

• 90% Minority

• School was always in the bottom 5% of the state

• Culturally relevant

• Parent involvement (TV program)

• 6 hours a day growing your brain

• Students’ mistakes, confusion, and struggles help teachers grow their own brains

After 1-1.5 Years

• Kindergarten and 1st graders: Lead the district in oral reading fluency

• 2nd -5th Grade Literacy and Math: Many are showing 1.5 to 2 years of growth per year

Growth Mindset…

Can be about other domains:

•Health

•Willpower

•Relationships

Thank you!