Lesson 1 - Mindset and Prior Knowledge Orientation Overview (PDF)

The New Science of Learning - Lesson 1 - Mindset and Prior Knowledge Orientation Overview: Our attitude towards learning is perhaps the most important thing helping, or hindering, our own learning process. A major finding of psychology in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and which didn’t become widely known until the early to mid-2000’s, is an idea commonly referred to as “mindset.” Two basic mindsets, as defined by author and psychologist Carol Dweck, describe two very different ways of viewing intelligence: ● “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success--without effort. They’re wrong.” Dweck, C.S., (2008). Mindset. ● “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work--brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.” Dweck, C.S., (2008). Mindset. Another aspect of this lesson focuses on the importance of prior knowledge (i.e. what you already know) in learning new information. “The human brain is constantly looking for connections. Connections help you to use prior knowledge to build bridges to new material, creating a more meaningful understanding of the new material. (NSL, P. 11) In this lesson, you will examine ideas behind why prior knowledge is important and why having a growth mindset may make the difference between performing well and performing poorly. Goal of the lesson: To understand how mindset and prior knowledge can limit or extend one’s learning. Performance Criteria: ● You will be able to describe how you learned things in the past, including a sense of which learning strategies have been most effective for you and why. ● You will be able to list the three critical features of maintaining a growth mindset. ● You will be able to list what knowledge you possess that is relevant to your courses. ● You will be able to describe what actions you need to take to develop specific skills and knowledge sets for your courses. Readings: P. 11-12 (1 page) - Connections With What Has Already Been Learned P. 56-70 (14 page) - Chapter 5: Patterns and Learning P. 85-98 (14 pages) - Chapter 7: Mindsets Towards Learning Video: Eduardo Briceno: The Power of belief - mindset and success (Watch minutes 2-3 & 5-6) Link here or here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc  Exploration (Homework): ● Read the book and watch the video listed above. ● Homework to turn in: ○ Think of something that you already know how to do well. For homework, write about how you became good at that thing. What is the evidence you have about doing this? Document all of the steps and strategies you used to learn that knowledge or skill. ○ Identify one of your classes that you are most concerned about. ■ Write: What are the most important forms of prior knowledge you need to succeed in this course? Describe confidence level for each? ■ Write: Where can you go or what resources can you access to fill gaps in your prior knowledge? Who can help you find those resources? At start of next class: Conceptual Formation (5 minutes) Instructor provides specific prompts to students as handout or on board/overhead. Students write responses to the prompts on 3x5 cards. Prompts: - Why is developing a growth mindset important? - In what ways can we become more aware of the mindsets we hold? - What are the kinds of prior knowledge that professors expect you to have? - What are the range of resources you can draw from to fill in gaps in prior knowledge? Students pair up, discuss their observations or completed logs via the prompts. Application (10 minutes) Pairs form groups of 4 or 6 and discuss interesting results/ideas that came up in pairs. Closure (7-12 minutes) Validation (5-7 minutes) Whole class share out of big ideas and themes. These go on board, overhead or into a google document shared with class. Self-Assessment Reflection (2-5 minutes) Write a response to the following prompt: - What is the most important thing you learned about mindset and prior knowledge from your homework and today’s discussion?