In all of my classes I have been focusing on sending the right messages to my students. I have become more aware of the importance of this through Jo Boaler (Mathematical Mindsets) and Carol Dweck (Mindsets). Here are the messages I have been stressing.

• Speed is not important.
  Math takes time, and you want to work at a pace that leads to your understanding.
• Praise effort, not ability.
  For example, I told my statistics class how proud I was of how well they worked together and that I found their communication inspiring. I did not praise them on their scores.
• It’s OK to make mistakes.
  Our brains grow when we make mistakes, and our level of understanding can be higher after we make a mistake and figure out why it was a mistake. I told my students in my statistics class that it was OK if they made a mistake in the individual round of our Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-AT) today. What was important was that the team discussion helped to clear up the misconception.
• You must be active, not passive. You must think, not be a spectator.
  I hope it speaks for itself. It’s hard for your brain to grow if you are not exercising it.

What messages do you try to send? What messages do you avoid? Please leave a comment.

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George