Changing Mindsets and Motivation for the Basic Writer

Christine Helfers from Mesa Community College presented on the mindset research of Carol Dweck and Patrick Sullivan concerning how it relates to the Basic Writer. Helfers asked, "What would improve student attitudes toward learning while providing interesting content for student reading and writing activities? She encouraged participants to read Carol Dweck's book, Mindset: The new Psychology of Success. She claims that Google Books contains most of the chapters for free for those who don't want to purchase a copy. For those who want to test your mindset, go to Carol Dweck's Web site.

Teachers and students need to learn to hear the fixed and the growth mindset. Then we can recognize we have a choice. Just transforming thinking from "I can't do it," to "I can't do it yet," indicates I can do it. Students need to identify steps or actions toward the growth mindset. Here is the link to Dweck's TED talk titled The Power of Yet. Please view it to learn how the simple word "yet" reframes the situation for students who are still needing to work more to achieve a particular level of achievement. Students learn they are not failures, but that they have a choice to continue on to achieve. Now they can identify a step or action toward success.

Helfers mentioned to us that Habits of Mind and Mindset are similar. After doing a little online research, I found Habits of Mind rubrics for K-12 school systems using Common Core. As a college instructor, please consider what relates to the college classroom and what does not.

In addition to improving student mindset, building motivation for learners is essential. In Helfer's developmental writing classroom, she uses short writing activities and assignments. I believe these are beneficial because success in small assignments build student efficacy. Here are some she suggests:

• Freewriting
• Interviews
• Visual invention work such as creating posters on how to reach goals
• Discussion questions from Mindset research
• Chapter questions from reading materials

A way to build even more motivation is in the larger writing projects. Helfers creates essay units developed on themes that encourage positive thinking in the minds of the students. Here are some topics she suggests;

• Grit mini-essay based based on Angela Duckworth's research: TED Talk
• Successful person they know after reading or listening to Dweck and doing an analysis paper
• Career exploration possibilities to help students build toward an ultimate goal.
• SMART goal setting essay
• Character sketch of a person who positively influenced you. She suggests people like Malcom Gladwell.

When we comment on student work, she encourages us to incorporate mindset principles into our response practices. Don't just say, "Good work." Be specific. Commend effort, but write what is effective to encourage students where they are doing well, and point out specific areas where improvement is needed.

Later I spent some time meeting with Christine Helfers, I asked her what she uses for a developmental writing textbook. She does not. She uses free sites on the Internet for grammar support. The bulk of her class consists of students writing drafts, and then she edits the drafts and returns them to the students. Students learn best when seeing their own errors in writing and having them identified and having the opportunity to correct these errors.

I was drawn to Helfers' ideas since these relate so well to what I was taught at Northern Arizona University in the Composition training I had in graduate school. We read chapters from Mina Shaugnessy's Errors and Expectations, Peter Elbow's Everyone Can Write, and many others. All in all, I found the presentation very stimulating to challenge me in the way I approach basic writing here at Yavapai College. I encourage you to do the same.