Did you know that September 15 is “International Dot Day”? I did not either until I learned about it this week. International Dot Day is a celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, as demonstrated in the book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. The Dot is the sweet story of a little girl named Vashti who struggles through art class until through the combination of teacher support and encouragement, and her own perseverance, she triumphs in her own unique way.
I’ve been thinking about teacher encouragement this week after reading an interesting article from The Atlantic entitled, “How to Motivate Students to Work Harder”. The article shares some recent research on the power of teacher encouragement in student achievement, tying it in to Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset and other recent work on the psychology of learning. Studies have shown that student performance levels increase when they perceive that their teachers have a genuine desire for them to succeed. Similarly, when teachers encourage their students to work hard because they know they are capable of meeting higher expectations, student achievement also rises.
Of course student performance is complicated, and there are many factors at play including socioeconomic status and racial background. But in some ways it’s very simple. Like a dot on a page. If we as teachers can begin to reframe our feedback and encouragement with the growth mindset in mind, and communicate to our students in ways that demonstrate to them that we really, genuinely, want them to succeed, and that they have the capability to meet high expectations, then we have the power to continue to bring growth and achievement into their lives. Like Vashti’s art teacher was to her, so may we be to our students.
I’ve been thinking about teacher encouragement this week after reading an interesting article from The Atlantic entitled, “How to Motivate Students to Work Harder”. The article shares some recent research on the power of teacher encouragement in student achievement, tying it in to Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset and other recent work on the psychology of learning. Studies have shown that student performance levels increase when they perceive that their teachers have a genuine desire for them to succeed. Similarly, when teachers encourage their students to work hard because they know they are capable of meeting higher expectations, student achievement also rises.
Of course student performance is complicated, and there are many factors at play including socioeconomic status and racial background. But in some ways it’s very simple. Like a dot on a page. If we as teachers can begin to reframe our feedback and encouragement with the growth mindset in mind, and communicate to our students in ways that demonstrate to them that we really, genuinely, want them to succeed, and that they have the capability to meet high expectations, then we have the power to continue to bring growth and achievement into their lives. Like Vashti’s art teacher was to her, so may we be to our students.