The concept of mastery motivation and mindsets was first developed from the work of Carol Dweck. This research is the basis of our Growing Sound album, Tough Stuff. New research just published in Psychological Science (Moser, 2011) expands on this important subject.

The research question is simple: Why are some people so much more effective at learning from their mistakes? Everybody screws up. It’s what happens after we screw up that makes all of the difference. Do we brush the mistake aside for the sake of our self-confidence or self-esteem? Or do we investigate the error, seeking to learn from the screw up? Moser’s research shows a distinct difference in brain response with each of those strategies. The first reaction is called error-related negativity (ERN) which appears about 50 milliseconds after a screw up and is believed to originate in the anterior cingulate, an area in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that helps monitor behavior, anticipates rewardes and regulates attention. This neural reaction is mostly involuntary, an inevitable response to almost any mistake. The second signal known as error positivity (Pe) arrives anywhere between 100-500 milliseconds after a mistake and is associated with awareness. It occurs when we pay attention to the error. This and other recent research suggests that people learn most effectively when their brains do two things: 1) there is an initial higher reaction to mistakes (higher ERN); and 2) a more consistent Pe signal.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH US IN EARLY EDUCATION? Dweck’s research at Stanford distinguishes between people with a fixed mindset who would maintain that intelligence is fixed and that there is not much you can do to change it; and those with a growth mindset who believe that you can get better at almost anything if you work at it. And it turns out that mindsets are determined in early childhood and have a lot to do with how adults communicate with young children. Particularly with how adults frame effort and mistakes. Research has shown that praising intelligence not only harms motivation, but also learning and performance. If a teacher says, “Sean, you did that puzzle so fast, you’re really smart,”  the teacher believes she is being supportive and Sean feels good for the moment. However, if the consistent message is that when things come fast and easy it means you are smart, when the child encounters a challenging task that takes time and effort, she may conclude that maybe she isn’t smart. As a result, the child avoids challenging tasks and quits challenges that take effort. She associates effort and mistakes with failure. She develops a fixed mindset. She begins to believe that it is more important to look good than to master something. So our message is to help children develop a growth mindset by PRAISING EFFORT NOT INTELLIGENCE. Help children associate effort and mistakes with learning not failure. Every mistake is an opportunity to learn if the teacher praises effort (thereby raising the Pe).

Research has shown a consistent and powerful effect of mindset on learning. These attitudes and styles toward learning are developed early and persist throughout life. Your communications about effort set the course for children’s academic trajectory.

So be mindful of your messages and help your children have the tools and mindset to be successful in school and in life.

Back in the late1960s, Walter Mischel conducted a simple yet famous research project on delay of gratification.  Children could eat a marshmellow/cookie immediately or wait and get more treats later.  Some delayed gratification and others did not. A newly published follow-up (40 YEARS LATER!) with some of the same individuals revealed that the differences remained; and those who delayed gratification in childhood were more likely to continue that behavior in adulthood.  Furthermore, brain imaging showed key differences for high-delay and low-delay groups in two parts of the brain: the prefrontal cortex (the site of executive functions and more active in high-delayers) and the ventral striatum (an area linked to addictions and more active in low-delayers).

A related article by Adele Diamond, a neuroscientist in British Columbia, appears in the August 19 issue of Science, and is an outstanding discussion of executive brain functions and how educational interventions can enhance these functions.  I think it should be a must read for all teachers.  By the way, that issue of Science (arguably the premier journal in all of science) is entitled, “Investment in early childhood” and contains 12 extremely important articles that should inform professional practice, public policy and practical parenting.  Children, Inc. has several copies, so if anyone is interested in reading these articles please post a comment on the blog.  If there are individual articles you are interested in, the table of contents is listed below.

Interventions Shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4 to 12 Years Old – A. Diamond and K. Lee; Preschool can improve the abilities to pay attention, follow directions, and function in a group—skills that underlie future success in school and life.

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions? Resolutions are goals we set for ourselves and January might be the perfect time to help preschoolers learn to develop goals of their own. Learning to set obtainable goals is a valuable lesson for children of all ages. Preschoolers may not be able to write down their goals but they sure can draw them.

It might be helpful to help children differentiate between goals and wishes. Help them see that wishes can sometimes be goals if they are obtainable. Making a goal is easy if you take it one step at a time…..just like in the song Up the Mountain.

Step 1- Identify the goal and write it down, or have younger children illustrate their goal by drawing a picture that represents what they want to achieve.

Step 2- Talk about all the steps you will need to complete to reach the goal.

Step 3- Help children brain storm and problem solve around the goal. For example, if a child wants to learn to juggle, they might check out books from the library and find ways to save for lessons.

Step 4- Help children set a time frame for reaching the goal. It might be helpful to celebrate small successes along the way. You can write the goal on the top of a mountain and chart the steps as you reach the top and the goal.

When children make goals and reach them they are learning to believe in themselves and gain confidence. Every journey begins with a single step.