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ODE Extra Credit
Your Words
Matter to Others’ Mindsets
By Steve Gratz
Over the past few weeks at the Department, I've been overhearing the
chatter of my colleagues getting their children ready for the return to
school. Some of my co-workers are methodically getting their children
up earlier and earlier in preparation for the first day of school. Many
took full advantage of Ohio's sales tax holiday. And several shared how
excited they were about finally getting back into a routine.
As a teacher, I relished the start of a new school year. Being a
teacher of agriculture, I worked throughout the summer visiting
students and discussing their supervised agricultural experience (SAE)
projects with them and the upcoming school year with their parents. My
goal was to visit every student three to four times per year. I have
many fond memories eating dinner and visiting with students and their
families. A couple of my favorite visits were to the Kain and Carpenter
families — both were livestock farmers, and we always had great meals
and conversations. On the first day of school, I already would have
visited all the incoming freshman enrolled in my classes. The impact of
home visits is amazing as you get to see the dynamics of each student’s
family and a glimpse of what home life is like for the student.
Aside from reminiscing on my formative days in the classroom, I want to
share how teachers’ words and actions impact students’ lives. One of my
professors at The Ohio State University, Dr. Lowell Hedges, taught us a
simple rule that I borrowed: Don’t prevent the teacher from teaching,
and don’t prevent others from learning. A negative comment from a
teacher can create a barrier to learning. Throughout my career, I have
had countless students reminiscence about statements I made to them
that were impactful in their lives. I’m sure many of my former students
could share examples of when I was less than positive too. Too late in
my career, I learned the lesson of how powerful the words of teachers
are to students. The power of words matters not only to students and
teachers — it is just as impactful to those you supervise, colleagues
and family members.
Not to get too academic, but I want to share with you my frame of
reference, so excuse me while I get a little nerdy. In her book,
“Mindset,” Carol Dweck looks at the difference between people with
fixed and growth mindsets, how one trumps the other and what you can do
to adopt the right one. Dweck shows how success in school, and almost
every endeavor, can be influenced dramatically by how we think about
our talents and abilities. “Mindset” is a great read, and it uncovers
how great parents, teachers and managers can put this idea to use to
foster outstanding accomplishment.
To explain a little further, people with fixed mindsets believe talent
is everything and your qualities are carved in stone. Characteristics
such as intelligence, personality and creativity are fixed traits
rather than things that can be developed. If they’re not gifted with
the ability to do something, people with this mindset think they’re
doomed to fail. Their skills seem to be written in their genes, just
like their looks, which is why they never try to improve. Who you are
is who you are, period. Conversely, people with growth mindsets believe
your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through effort.
Whatever they want to achieve is theirs for the taking, as long as they
work hard for it, dedicate themselves to their goals and practice as
much as they can. People differ greatly — in aptitude, talents,
interests or temperaments — but everyone can change and grow through
application and experience.
Apart from our parents, teachers play major roles in how our mindsets
turn out. A bad teacher might tell a D student that he’ll never amount
to anything, whereas a good teacher would encourage him to study more
and do better on the next test.
David Scott Yeager and Dweck (2012) showed that students who believed
(or were taught) that intellectual abilities are qualities that can be
developed (as opposed to qualities that are fixed) tend to show higher
achievement. Yeager and Dweck also showed that believing (or being
taught) that social attributes can be developed can lower adolescents’
aggression and stress in response to peer victimization or exclusion
and result in enhanced school performance. They conclude by discussing
how psychological interventions that change students’ mindsets are
effective and what educators can do to foster these mindsets and create
resilience in educational settings.
As the new school year begins, take the necessary time to use your
words appropriately and make sure you are encouraging a growth mindset.
The power of your words can have a positive impact on those who you
associate with and encourage a growth mindset. Conversely, the wrong
words, your tone and body language can strain relationships, cause
stress, shut down communications and support a fixed mindset.
Take a moment to watch Dweck’s Ted Talk on the power of believing that
you can improve and then share in the comments what you can do
differently as you interact with students, parents and colleagues this
school year.
Dr. Steve Gratz is senior executive director of the Center for Student
Support and Education Options at the Ohio Department of Education,
where he oversees creative ways to help students in Ohio achieve
success in school.
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