Success versus failure and the “not yet” principle

The other day I came across two interesting videos, one by Dr. Michelle Thaller, a NASA astrophysicist, and the other by Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist best known for her groundbreaking work in motivation, specifically, the growth mindset. For some reason, I listened to them one after the other, and a light bulb went off in my head. One of the ongoing challenges I have faced is getting students to stop focusing so much on their grades. They seem to attach such significance to them, including their self-esteem,  confidence, and whether they are a “success” or “failure.”  They don’t even have to earn a failing grade to feel like a failure. I know all of you can probably think of a student who considered their 89% a failure because it wasn’t higher. How can we counsel these students and help them see that a grade doesn’t define them?

That’s where these two videos come in. Dr. Thaller shares her experience of not thinking about her work, defining her as a success or a failure.  She is an experienced researcher who is now focusing on communicating and educating the public about science. Due to her exposure to young people, she found she is commonly asked questions like, “How did you become a success,” and “How did you overcome failure?”  The reality is, as Dr. Thaller eloquently points out – we are both. We succeed and fail all time. But our society is so focused on being successful that failure is seen as unacceptable. What if we could change that message? What if we could send a different message to our students? What if mistakes and failures (real or perceived) are just opportunities to learn and grow?

As I pondered these ideas, I viewed the next video by Dr. Dweck, who spoke about “the power of yet, or, more specifically, the power of “not yet.” Research confirms that the student’s mindset significantly impacts learning. Dr. Dweck defines mindset as how learners perceive their abilities, and she found that this plays a crucial role in motivation and achievement (Dweck, 2015). A growth mindset is not about effort, although effort certainly plays a role. Instead, it is about what students believe about their ability to learn that allows them to move into challenges with a willingness to explore, try, fail, and learn. We see this dynamic in our students every day, especially in this COVID situation where in-class teaching suddenly shifted to online learning. Some students rolled with the change, adjusted, and figured out how to navigate things to keep learning. In other words, they had a growth mindset and trusted their ability.  Other students moved into fear, panic, or resistance and have struggled in their learning in this different format.

Effort Versus Learning

In the 1970s, during my teacher education undergraduate studies, we were learning a new approach to teaching. This approach aimed to decrease competition and increase teachers' awareness and attention to the affective domain. In other words, we needed to explore and check-in about how students were feeling. I have come to believe that this approach has contributed to a generation of students who believe the effort is all that matters. Show up, and you get a star. Try, and you get a trophy, and everyone wins. Somewhere along the way, effort replaced learning. I have lost count of how many times I sat with a student to discuss the fact that they were academically failing, to which their repeated responses were, “But I’m trying,” or “I’m doing everything I can.” 

 The Not Yet Principle

This is where Dr. Dweck’s idea about “not yet” comes in. Instead of perpetuating that passing equals success and failing equals failure, what if, for those students who are not passing, we use the term “not yet” instead of “you failed.” I agree with Dr. Dweck that as teachers, we have the ability and opportunity to change the message and help students move from seeing themselves as failures to considering that they simply have “not yet” learned what is needed. More time is required, although not necessarily more effort.  Think about it. How often have we said to students, “Great effort,” or “I know you tried your best.” These messages continue to reinforce effort over learning. What if, instead of posting their grade as 62%, they receive a “not yet?” We may help students not see themselves as failures, but rather encourage their belief in their ability to learn and work with them to help them get there.  I learned long ago that what I say and how I say it to students has a significant impact on how they see things. Next time you hear a student say, I just can’t get this, or I have never been good at (fill in the blank), have them say instead, “I just can’t get this – yet.”  This seemingly inconsequential word has such potential to help students shift their mindset about their ability to learn.

 

References

Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck. October 9, 2014

https://youtu.be/hiiEeMN7vbQ?list=WL&t=134

Dweck, C. (2015) Carol Dweck Revisits the 'Growth Mindset'. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html?cmp=cpc-goog-ew-growth+mindset&ccid=growth+mindset&ccag= growth+mindset&cckw= %2Bgrowth%20%2Bmindset&cccv=content+ad&gclid= Cj0KEQiAnvfDBRCXrabLl6-6t-0BEiQAW4SRUM7nekFnoTxc675qBMSJycFgwERohguZWVm NDcSUg5gaAk3I8P8HAQ

 How success and failure co-exist in every single one of us | Michelle Thaller. March 14, 2018 https://youtu.be/p1xntUXRhSE?list=WL&t=2

What is growth mindset. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.renaissance.com/edwords/growth-mindset/

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