{"id":53,"date":"2018-11-28T19:18:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T19:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-oneonta-education106\/?post_type=chapter&p=53"},"modified":"2024-06-07T15:15:03","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T15:15:03","slug":"teachers-purposes-and-beliefs","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hvcc-education106\/chapter\/teachers-purposes-and-beliefs\/","title":{"raw":"1.3 Teachers\u2019 Purposes and Beliefs","rendered":"1.3 Teachers\u2019 Purposes and Beliefs"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n\r\nOne of the main charges to teachers is to convey content to their students. Teachers need to express why the content they teach is important to learn. For elementary teachers, the necessity for students to learn how to calculate, read, and write is a given and for secondary teachers, their specific disipline is paramount. However, students and parents may not see the need for their children to study a subject past a certain point.\u00a0In order to\u00a0ground why content is important,\u00a0reflection\u00a0and creation of\u00a0a personal philosophy is essential.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nIn conveying content, teachers need to use the most effective strategies available. Different content might require a variety of approaches. Another factor to consider is if technology will enhance student understanding. Teachers with a good grasp of strategies along with a wide variety of ways to instruct students during a lesson will be more successful.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nStudents\u2019 mindsets indicate how well and how much they\u00a0<\/span><\/span>are able to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0learn. Psychologist Carol Dweck, (200<\/span><\/span>8<\/span><\/span>) defines a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>growth mindset\u00a0<\/span><\/span>as the increase in ability to learn when a learner accepts that they may improve, and this improvement will lead to increased ability to learn more. Effort is valued because effort and self-efficacy lead to knowing more and therefore having more ability to learn. Individuals with a growth mindset also ask for help when needed and respond well to constructive feedback. In contrast, individuals with a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>fixed mindset<\/span><\/span>\u00a0assume that some people naturally have more ability than others and nothing can be done to change that. Individuals with a fixed mindset often view effort in opposition to ability (\u201cSmart people don\u2019t have to study\u201d) and so do not try as hard and are less likely to ask for help since they believe that asking questions indicates that they are not smart.\u00a0 There are individual differences in students\u2019 beliefs about their views of intelligence.\u00a0 However, teachers\u2019 beliefs and classroom practices influence these students\u2019 perceptions, behaviors, and willingness to adopt a growth mindset.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n
\r\n\r\nTeachers with\u00a0a growth mindset believe that\u00a0the goal of learning is mastering the material and figuring things out. Assessment is used by these teachers to understand what students know so they can decide whether to move to the next topic, re-teach the entire class, or provide remediation for a few students. Assessment also helps students understand their own learning and demonstrate their competence. Teachers with these views say things like, \u201cWe are going to practice\u00a0over and over again. That\u2019s how you get good. And you\u2019re going to make mistakes. That\u2019s how you learn\u201d (Patrick, Anderman, Ryan,\u00a0Edelin,\u00a0&\u00a0Midgley, 2001, p. 45).\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nIn contrast, teachers with a fixed\u00a0mindset\u00a0are more likely to believe that the goal of learning is doing well on tests\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0especially outperforming others. These teachers are more likely to say things that imply fixed abilities\u00a0such as,\u00a0\u201cThis test will determine what your math abilities are,\u201d or stress the importance of interpersonal competition, \u201cWe will have speech competition and the top person will compete against all the other district schools and last year the winner got a big award and their photo in the paper.\u201d When teachers stress competition some students\u00a0will be motivated; however,\u00a0there can only a few winners so there are many more students who\u00a0believe\u00a0they have no chance of winning. Another problem with competition\u00a0as an assessment is that the focus can become winning rather than understanding the material.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nTeachers who\u00a0view\u00a0assessment\u00a0as promoting\u00a0and developing\u00a0learning\u00a0rather than as a means of\u00a0ranking students, or awarding prizes to those who did very well, or catching those who did not pay attention, are likely to enhance student\u00a0willingness to identify and correct gaps in learning and understanding.\r\n\r\nWatch this video to hear Dr. Dweck describe her research about fixed and growth mindsets.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
\n

One of the main charges to teachers is to convey content to their students. Teachers need to express why the content they teach is important to learn. For elementary teachers, the necessity for students to learn how to calculate, read, and write is a given and for secondary teachers, their specific disipline is paramount. However, students and parents may not see the need for their children to study a subject past a certain point.\u00a0In order to\u00a0ground why content is important,\u00a0reflection\u00a0and creation of\u00a0a personal philosophy is essential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In conveying content, teachers need to use the most effective strategies available. Different content might require a variety of approaches. Another factor to consider is if technology will enhance student understanding. Teachers with a good grasp of strategies along with a wide variety of ways to instruct students during a lesson will be more successful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Students\u2019 mindsets indicate how well and how much they\u00a0<\/span><\/span>are able to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0learn. Psychologist Carol Dweck, (200<\/span><\/span>8<\/span><\/span>) defines a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>growth mindset\u00a0<\/span><\/span>as the increase in ability to learn when a learner accepts that they may improve, and this improvement will lead to increased ability to learn more. Effort is valued because effort and self-efficacy lead to knowing more and therefore having more ability to learn. Individuals with a growth mindset also ask for help when needed and respond well to constructive feedback. In contrast, individuals with a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>fixed mindset<\/span><\/span>\u00a0assume that some people naturally have more ability than others and nothing can be done to change that. Individuals with a fixed mindset often view effort in opposition to ability (\u201cSmart people don\u2019t have to study\u201d) and so do not try as hard and are less likely to ask for help since they believe that asking questions indicates that they are not smart.\u00a0 There are individual differences in students\u2019 beliefs about their views of intelligence.\u00a0 However, teachers\u2019 beliefs and classroom practices influence these students\u2019 perceptions, behaviors, and willingness to adopt a growth mindset.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Teachers with\u00a0a growth mindset believe that\u00a0the goal of learning is mastering the material and figuring things out. Assessment is used by these teachers to understand what students know so they can decide whether to move to the next topic, re-teach the entire class, or provide remediation for a few students. Assessment also helps students understand their own learning and demonstrate their competence. Teachers with these views say things like, \u201cWe are going to practice\u00a0over and over again. That\u2019s how you get good. And you\u2019re going to make mistakes. That\u2019s how you learn\u201d (Patrick, Anderman, Ryan,\u00a0Edelin,\u00a0&\u00a0Midgley, 2001, p. 45).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In contrast, teachers with a fixed\u00a0mindset\u00a0are more likely to believe that the goal of learning is doing well on tests\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0especially outperforming others. These teachers are more likely to say things that imply fixed abilities\u00a0such as,\u00a0\u201cThis test will determine what your math abilities are,\u201d or stress the importance of interpersonal competition, \u201cWe will have speech competition and the top person will compete against all the other district schools and last year the winner got a big award and their photo in the paper.\u201d When teachers stress competition some students\u00a0will be motivated; however,\u00a0there can only a few winners so there are many more students who\u00a0believe\u00a0they have no chance of winning. Another problem with competition\u00a0as an assessment is that the focus can become winning rather than understanding the material.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Teachers who\u00a0view\u00a0assessment\u00a0as promoting\u00a0and developing\u00a0learning\u00a0rather than as a means of\u00a0ranking students, or awarding prizes to those who did very well, or catching those who did not pay attention, are likely to enhance student\u00a0willingness to identify and correct gaps in learning and understanding.<\/p>\n

Watch this video to hear Dr. Dweck describe her research about fixed and growth mindsets.<\/p>\n