The Amazing Power of "Yet"

So how do we nurture intrinsic motivation and a growth mindset in ourselves and our students?  I just reread an Edutopia article from 2014 that reminded me of the power of our words and how they impact our own thinking and the motivation of our students.  Although this article focuses on high school writing, the author stresses the power of the teacher, value of the kind of feedback we give, and the payoff of engagement and ownership.

Here is a glimpse of the content in the article that I found powerful:

"Carol Dweck’s Mindset also made me question the feedback I was giving. Dweck found that praising students for intelligence actually made kids less likely to take academic risks because, on some level, they feared losing the label of "smart" if they did poorly. And since avoiding academic risks means avoiding learning, praising students' intelligence eventually impaired their success in school (and life happiness as well, since they felt intelligence was out of their own control). Students praised for working through difficult material wanted to show they could do so again, with the cumulative effects of long-term academic success, confidence in trying situations, and happier outlooks. Dweck called these mindsets fixed and growth, and started a movement to instill growth mindset in students. She has also talked about the amazing power of yet. She argues that we do a disservice to students by giving them only positive feedback on their writing. Although we don't want to crush their dreams, they can handle -- and even need -- room for growth and mastery. Hence the power of yet: "Your sentence structure does not yet match the tone you are trying to achieve." Yet allows negative feedback while also transmitting trust that they will get there." 

The power of "yet" has implications for how feedback is provided to students in all subjects as well as the way we think about professional growth!  Our students may not be achieving where we want them to be...."yet"!  But we will get there with the right mindset, attitude, motivation, and support!  

Check out the article for additional suggestions on providing feedback that promotes ownership and engagement!

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/intrinsic-motivation-growth-mindset-writing-amy-conley?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow