#5. Mindsets

This blog post is #5 in a series of 6 posts and focuses on the role of mindset in student learning and achievement and its impact on student self-esteem and achievement.

Growth Mindset in the classroom is about the concept of “Growth Mindset” in the school, which Carol Dweck proposed. The idea is that every student enters the classroom with a different mindset, with some being motivated to learn while others feel discouraged. First, a fixed mindset is when students believe their basic qualities and intelligence are fixed traits and don’t believe they can develop them through effort. Second, a growth mindset is when students believe they can develop their abilities through hard work and dedication.

An assessment framework for inclusive education: integrating assessment approaches explores diverse assessment practices used by teachers in New Zealand who teach students with high needs, including criterion-based, normative, ipsative, and self-assessment. The authors propose an assessment framework to support teachers in using a range of assessment approaches to document student learning and outcomes. They argue that using a narrative assessment focus, which combines different assessments to narrate student learning, can result in better learning conditions for students with high needs. This framework is meant to help teachers understand how different assessment approaches can assess student learning outcomes and facilitate learning. The purpose of assessment, rather than the approach, is the framework’s focus, and teachers are encouraged to use a range of approaches for different purposes. The article Cultural Bias in Assessment: Can creativityassessment help?, discusses the issue of cultural and background biases in standardized and alternative assessments. Standardized tests are normed based on the knowledge and values of the majority groups, leading to biases against minority groups regarding gender, race, language background, and culture. Although considered more culturally fair, alternative assessments are not entirely fair either. The article suggests incorporating creativity assessments into traditional tests and alternative assessments to reduce bias as they are normed in individual cultures. The article also mentions the cultural biases in the interpretation and meaning of words in assessments and the impact of language on test-takers understanding and interpretation of test questions. It is well documented that cultural biases in assessment lead to inaccuracies in test scores and limit access to educational and career opportunities for minority groups.