A Case Study On Integrating Growth Mindset Into Junior Middle School Mathematics Classroom Teachin

The theory of Growth Mindset was proposed by Carol S.Dweck,a psychology professor at Stanford University,in 2006.This theory points out that students with a growth mindset believe that intelligence or ability can be increased or developed,while students with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence or ability is fixed.Research shows that even when students exhibit the same intelligence,their theories about intelligence still affect how they respond to academic challenges and,in turn,their academic performance.For those with a fixed mindset,there is a greater tendency to measure competence and give up if the judgment seems negative.In contrast,people with a growth-oriented mindset are more likely to promote skill acquisition through challenging tasks and put in the effort to overcome difficulties.Middle school is the period when students face academic challenges,so it is also the critical period for the development of students’ growth mindset.Based on the theory of growth mindset,when teachers use teaching strategies integrated with growth mindset cultivation,students tend to be more involved in class and their academic performance will be significantly improved.By reading relevant research literature at home and abroad,this study sorted out the strategies for integrating growth mindset into junior middle school mathematics classroom teaching,formed a series of teaching designs for integrating growth mindset into junior middle school mathematics classroom,and analyzed the impact of these teaching strategies on students’ mathematics learning.In this study,82 students from two classes of Grade 7 in a middle school in Hangzhou were selected as the research objects,which were divided into three stages.First of all,this paper investigates the status quo and differences of growth mindset level of 7th grade students in the form of questionnaire.Secondly,on the basis of collating domestic and foreign literature,this paper combs out the existing strategy of integrating growth mindset into junior middle school mathematics classroom teaching.Then,combined with the survey results of the first stage and the actual situation of the research object,the specific strategy of integrating growth mindset into junior middle school mathematics classroom teaching is constructed.Finally,three cases of integrating growth mindset into junior middle school mathematics classroom teaching were designed and implemented,and 10 students were selected for interview to evaluate the impact of strategies on students’ mathematics learning.This study found that:First,based on the existing literature,through the investigation results and classroom observation,combined with the actual situation of the research object and the discussion with the teacher,six strategies for integrating growth mindset into junior middle school mathematics classroom teaching are constructed around"mistakes" and "productive struggles".Specifically,they are as follows:(1)Teachers presupposed students’ possible mistakes in teaching design;(2)Teachers create a "pro-error" classroom environment;(3)Teachers’ diversified questioning promotes students’ inquiry;(4)Teachers presuppose students’ possible " struggles" in teaching design;(5)The teacher creates a classroom environment that"supports the ’struggle’";(6)Teachers link students to the "struggle" of prior knowledge transformation.Secondly,the teaching strategies proposed in this paper can promote students’mathematics learning.Specifically,these strategies relieve students’ tension and anxiety in the face of mistakes and "difficulties",help students overcome the fear of making mistakes,and students will not suspect that they are not smart enough because of "difficulties",dare to express their views on math problems,have a deeper understanding of math problems,and are willing to discuss math problems with math teachers.Thirdly,the six strategies of integrating growth mindset into junior middle school mathematics classroom teaching still have some shortcomings in the classroom implementation process,as follows:(1)Teachers end the dialogue when they ask questions to different students and get correct answers,without discussing mistakes.Through interviews,it is found that teachers mainly have two concerns,one is the class length,the other is that the teacher thinks that this topic does not involve the important and difficult points of teaching.(2)When a student has a "struggle",the teacher will not leave the student much time to think,but will choose other students to answer,or directly link students’ prior knowledge to transform the "struggle".Through the interview,it is found that teachers mainly have two concerns,one is to improve classroom efficiency,and the other is to protect students’ self-esteem.