Whole Child

Dr. Annette VanAken

Developing Growth Mindset Through Communication: Considering the Whole Child Tenets

Reflecting on a Growth Mindset

Foundational to mindset research is the premise that there are differences in human qualities and these differences can have substantial effects on the individual’s cognitive, behavioral, and overall well-being (Gucciardi et al., 2015). Dweck (2017) asserts an individual’s mindset can influence successful achievement outcomes as it transforms the individual’s psychology resulting in life changes. Having a growth mindset does not mean an individual can do or be anything, or that with proper motivation or education everyone has the capacity of becoming the next Mozart or daVinci. However, individuals with a growth mindset do believe the individual’s full potential is unknown. The limits of the individual are impossible to foresee given time, training, passion, hard work, and perseverance (Yeager & Dweck, 2012; Dweck, 2017). Bandura’s (1994) psychological concept of self-efficacy aligns with a growth mindset as he asserts individuals with high beliefs in their capabilities approach complex tasks differently than people with lower self-efficacy beliefs. Challenges are handled as tasks to be mastered rather than be avoided (Bandura, 1994).

Educators have the critical goal of supporting students’ acquisition of knowledge and skills to reach their unknown potential and become productive members of society. While curriculums and methodology approaches are available to support educators in addressing this goal, gaps within them require educators to have a deeper understanding of how distinct variables influence successful outcomes. Differences in human qualities, specifically mindset is one variable garnering much attention in educational research over the past decade. Opposing views of mindset suggest a fixed idea in which individual human behaviors and

intellectual abilities are unchangeable (fixed mindset) or a malleable mindset, indicating that behaviors and intellect can be development (growth mindset) (Dweck, 2006). Recognition of the importance of an individual’s mindset, how they perceive their abilities and intellectual capacity, is not surprising. A growing body of literature shows that the mindset the individual holds influences their motivation and learning trajectories (Burnette et al., 2013; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). According to the literature, individuals with growth mindsets are more likely to achieve success, as they believe in their own capacity to develop through hard work, good strategies, and instruction from others (Blackwell et al., 2007; Dweck & Leggett, 1998). Likewise, their behaviors lead to successful academic outcomes, as they persist through challenges, question, and act on constructive feedback (Valentine et. al., 2004).

Why Communication is Relevant to Growth Mindset

Reflecting on the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of growth

...educators’ comments to children have the potential to influence children’s mindsets about themselves (Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

mindset is a first step for the educator in improving their practices. During this exercise, the educator should consider specific factors within teaching and their function in fostering a growth mindset. A factor of importance is the educator’s mindset as it impacts the educator’s practices which can directly influence the child’s mindset (Rattan et al., 2012; Stipek et al., 2001). Analyzing educational practices, the examination of educators’ communication with children

and the power their feedback has as a communication loop to change mindsets is necessary. Although the educator’s mindset is not directly transmitted to the child, the words and non-verbal behaviors of the educator guide the process of learning and focusing the child on their abilities and performance (Haimovitz & Dweck, 2017). Therefore, educators’ comments to children have the potential to influence children’s mindsets about themselves (Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

Reflecting on how receptive and expressive communication plays a crucial role in the intentional/planned instructional practices, as well as the responsive situational interactions with children, impacts the development of mindset is essential. From the sociocultural perspective, children construct new knowledge through their attempts to communicate with the world around them (Otto, 2018). As a social construct, communication requires the educator to engage children in a communication loop that is interactive rather than passive. Communication skills, through both non-verbal and verbal conversational means, allow children to share information about their physical, social, and psychological needs, as well as demonstrate their level of contextual understanding. These conversations are an important component in the child’s demonstration of social rules and knowledge surrounding language use and interactions as well as their understanding of the conversational content (Sims et al., 2019). In addition, research indicates the varied speech utilized (Tomasello, 2003), and the quality and amount of language used by adults relate to differences in children’s language proficiency development with long-term academic implications (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 2005). Therefore, not only does specific language during communication with children have implications for the child’s future success, but the methods in which the communication is delivered have the potential to alter their mindset.

Supporting Growth Mindset Through Daily Communication

A key tool educators utilize within their daily practices is language: non-verbal and verbal, receptive and expressive. Research indicates educators’ practices shape children’s mindsets (Sun, 2015; Canning et al., 2019; Muenks et al., 2020). Ng (2018) proposes that feedback from educators related to mindset can have an observable impact on students’ attitudes and motivations transferring to long-term outcomes. Since motivation is relevant to an individual’s intrinsic desire to learn and obtain information (Ng, 2018) and self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) educators should ensure their non-verbal and verbal language

communicates a growth mindset (Zeeb et al., 2020). The messages educators provide, through daily communication to children influence whether the child

focuses solely on their performance or if their emphasis is on their growth and development. However, prior to reflecting on specific communication experiences, an initial step in the process of effectively supporting children’s growth mindset development is for educators to reflect on their own mindset beliefs. As an educator:

• Do you believe that intellect and talent are malleable?

• Do you view academic challenges and mistakes as opportunities for children to learn and develop their brains?

Often educators respond yes to these questions, however, the experiences, lessons, and communication they provide children may not align. Take the next step and explain how you communicate this in your daily messages to children. Spending time reflecting on all components of teaching might prove valuable to both the educator and their students, as the educator’s mindset and mindset practices are correlated (Canning et al., 2019; Muenks et al., 2020).

In general, Sun (2015) suggests that growth mindset educator’s practices include:

• teaching for understanding

• asking students to explain their thinking process regardless of whether they had the correct answer

• providing feedback to deepen student understanding of the topic, evaluating, praising the process of learning, explanations of thinking, the process towards the goal

• providing opportunities to revise thinking and/or work

• engaging the child in developmentally appropriate, explicit discussions about why mistakes are important, and struggles are part of the learning process

Through communication, the educator can create an environment where children understand that challenges, mistakes, and effort, are part of the learning process.

Following an examination of the educator’s own mindset, an introspective investigate of their methods for engaging with children in non-verbal and verbal communication loop should occur. Critical to this investigation of the communication loop is the educator’s ability to motivate children (Haimovita & Dweck, 2017; Rege et al., 2020). Simply possessing a growth mindset does not mean this is transmitted to another individual. Motivating the child through communication to view themselves as a person with limitless potential will require the educator to create a social environment in which children thrive. Within the educator-child exchanges the feedback, dialogue, and non-verbal communication need to convey the message that challenges, perseverance, mistakes, struggles, and effort are part of the process of developing and reaching goals (Hooper et al., 2016; Dweck, 2017). The conversations should focus on and acknowledge specific strategies and growth in learning, therefore demonstrating the educator’s belief in the child’s ability to succeed. For these communication exchanges to be effective in supporting the child’s development of a growth mindset, the child needs to be actively engaged in the communication loop (Lewin & Gold, 1999; Haimovita & Dweck, 2017) and the educator needs to consider how the child is receiving and interpreting the interactions (Hattie et al., 2016). Thus, mindset is constructed in an interaction process (Zhang, 2022), denoting the power of the communication loop.

Growth Mindset, Communication, and the Application to the Whole Child Tenets

Mindset is essential to the healthy well-being of the child as it shapes the learning and motivational processes (Yeager & Dweck, 2012). The educator plays a critical role since their direct and subtle communication can influence the child’s mindset (Yeager & Dweck, 2012). By using communication effectively, the educator can support a child’s growth mindset. This requires the educator to reflect on their interactions with children to convey a belief in the child’s unknown potential. Children are naturally inquisitive; however, it is possible that some children lose this innate mindset explaining why a child becomes fearful of challenges (Haimovitz & Dweck, 2017). Yet, through explicit and intentional communication, the growth-minded educator has the opportunity to support the child’s belief that their abilities and intellectual capacity are unknown. Through communication, the educator can create an environment where children understand that challenges, mistakes, and effort, are part of the learning process. Therefore, changing the child’s

approach and self-confidence when facing them (Boaler & Dweck, 2016). Growth mindset educators use effective communication practices to interact with children in meaningful ways. Likewise, the growth-minded child understands that active engagement is expected during learning. Feedback given is only part of the communication loop as the child given the feedback expects to receive, respond, and then participate in a process of building and expanding the discussion. To encourage growth mindset development, the

Whole Child (cont.) and effort, are part of the learning process. Therefore, changing the child’s approach and self-confidence when facing them (Boaler & Dweck, 2016). communication loop should be process and learning-goal-focused rather than Growth mindset educators use effective communication practices to interact with children in meaningful ways. Likewise, the growth-minded child understands that active engagement is expected during learning. Feedback ability and performance-goal-focused. given is only part of the communication loop as the child given the feedback expects to receive, respond, and

Research indicates children that with then participate in a process of building and expanding the discussion. To encourage growth mindset are performance-goal-focused—fixed development, the communication loop should be process and learning-goal-focused rather than ability and mindset—who receive feedback on performance-goal-focused. Research indicates children that with are performance-goal-focused – fixed mindset, mistakes, tend to view their mistakes who receive feedback on mistakes, tend to view their mistakes as failures (Kamins & Dweck, 1999) often succumbing to helpless responses (Elliott & Dweck, 1988). While the growth mindset environment creates a safe as failures (Kamins & Dweck, 1999) space where mistakes are part of learning, thus children grow to be more resilient when facing setbacks and challenges (Elliott & Dweck, 1988). often succumbing to helpless responses (Elliott & Dweck, 1988). While the growth mindset environment creates a safe space where mistakes are part of learning, thus children grow to be more resilient when facing setbacks and challenges (Elliott & Dweck, 1988).

Application Application

Intentional and Situational Communication Supporting Growth Mindset Through Daily Communications General Supportive Communication Traits

! Pay attention to the child’s response and how they are receiving and interpreting the information ! Engage in dialogic feedback activities to enhance learning ! Communicate at the child’s level of understanding and scaffold discussion to support higher levels of learning ! Support children in their thinking through issue rather than telling. ! Avoid controlling or commanding communication ! Do not make assumptions about what children might know about learning, pragmatics, or other behaviors ! Communication supports interactive discussions ! Communication demonstrates value of learning and development by showcasing growth ! Actively engage in discussions regarding characteristics of growth mindset learners ! Discuss how learners, try, work hard, meet challenges, persevere, make mistakes, ask questions, and see opportunities

Hard Work/ Meeting Challenges

Purpose

! Communicate how to reach goals and objectives.

Open Discussions

! Refrain from simply telling children how to reach goals and objectives. Demonstrate your belief in their ability to achieve through actions and interaction in the goal planning process for achieving success.

! Utilize questioning to support continued effort rather than leading questions that directly supply the answers.

Perseverance ! Communicate that effort is part of the learning process.

Praise ! Communication should specifically connect to objectives, tasks, goals, strategies.

Mistakes ! Messaging supports perseverance and understanding of what was learned as part of the process. ! Give opportunities ideas and avoid controlling or persuasive appeal (Zhang, 2022).

! Look for opportunities to discuss the child’s effort.

Acknowledge perseverance or remind the child that this is an expect part of learning.

! Respond with strategies and additional opportunities to improve the situation/learning experience.

! Praise the actions that connect to the child’s efforts, perseverance, and other behaviors, that led to movement in learning. Make the communication clear and explicit. General communication such as, good job, well done, and super often produces a fixed mindset (Haimovitz & Dweck, 2017).

! Have children discuss how and why struggle, effort, and various emotions such as frustration are expected and useful components of the learning process (Hooper et al., 2016).

! Provide feedback that supports the process instead of the child’s ability.

! Allow many opportunities for practice and feedback.

Questioning ! Questioning accompanied with clear feedback, encourages further inquiry and lead to progress towards goals. It should help children know they are able to learn at high levels and support how to get there (Boaler & Dweck, 2016). ! While lower-level questioning (e.g. yes/no, single word response) is often used with children. Follow the lower-level question by asking children to rationalize, justify, and describe the response.

! Open-ended questions should be progress focused rather than performance focused contributing to the child’s progress in understanding.

! Model how asking questions supports understanding and can lead to progress in addressing challenges.

! Acknowledge children who use questions when faced with challenges (Campbell et al., 2020)

Paralinguistics ! Communicate through verbal and non-verbal language how learners expect to be active in the conversation. ! The volume, tone, expression, pauses, and gestures used during conversations communicate to the child your belief and can play a motivational role. Often educators use a correcting or controlling tone when asking questions (e.g.

What should you have done instead?) without realizing the message this communicates to the child.

! Give children the time to think, process, problem solve, ask questions, and respond.

Pragmatic/Social Rules

! Listen and respond to the message the child is receiving. This responsiveness is a foundation for building the relationship and active engagement in the communication loop.

! Communicate how the learner listens, speaks, interacts, and behaves during a conversation. ! Discuss, model, and acknowledge critical social rules such as making eye contact, taking turns, engaging in a communication loop following rules for listening, speaking, and social interactions.

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Dr. Annette VanAken is an Associate Professor of literacy and early childhood education in the College of Education at Concordia University Chicago. Prior to joining Concordia, Dr. VanAken spent 19+ years in the classroom as an elementary educator, teaching grades Pre-K through 8th grade before earning her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. Her interests include: early learning environments and assistive technology to enhance early learning experiences, early mathematics and literacy, as well as project-based learning.

Whole Child

Dr. Jenna Nelson

Finding Academic and Social-Emotional Balance: Supporting Gifted and Talented Learners

Gifted and talented learners are a population of students that possess complex social-emotional and academic needs that require support and fostering within the scholastic context. Educators must attend to the social-emotional and academic needs of gifted and talented learners to ensure that the needs of the Whole Gifted Child are met. Utilizing the Whole Child tenets, I discuss the Illinois Association for Supervision

and Curriculum Development (ILASCD) Whole Child

Tenets and contemplate how the tenets of supported and challenged can be used to support gifted and talented learners. Additionally, I discuss implications for teachers and administrators to consider to best support the socialemotional and intellectual needs of the Whole Gifted Child.

What is Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)?

Gifted and talented education (GATE) programming in elementary, middle grades, and high school classrooms educate exceptional children who demonstrate ability/ abilities (e.g., language, mathematics, artistic, etc.) that are well above the norm for their age. The purpose of a GATE program is to challenge high-ability learners in both regular classroom settings and in accelerated programs.

GATE services are designed to allow for the constant development of the gifted potentials of gifted and talented learners as they move through their years in school. Through GATE programming, educators and administrators are able to support gifted and talented students by providing them with educational experiences that will foster their cognitive, affective, and motivational growth and, ultimately, educate the Whole Gifted Child.

Defining Gifted and Talented Students The National Association for Gifted

Children (NAGC) (2010) defines gifted students as individuals who demonstrate exceptional aptitudes to reason and learn. This includes students who have shown competence—documented performance or achievement in the top ten percent or rarer—in one or multiple domains in relation to national and/or local norms (e.g., language, mathematics, science, intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership) (NAGC, 2010).

Although students are compared against state and local norms when assessing their aptitudes in the various domains previously noted, it is important to acknowledge that giftedness is not a one-size-fits-all description. In fact, it is a misconception that giftedness is a trait that some individuals possess and others do not. Gifted children do not all look or act alike; they have diverse characteristics that ought to also be considered by educators in an effort to help all learners reach their full potential and achieve to the best of their ability in GATE (NAGC, 2019). Additionally, since all gifted learners are not the same, it is important to consider the multi-dimensionality of gifted students to understand how we can educate the Whole Gifted Child to ensure that every learner feels supported and challenged in our GATE classrooms each day.

Why is it Important to Support the Whole Gifted Child?

To attend to the importance of educating the Whole Child, the NAGC Board of Directors created the Whole Gifted Child (WGC) Task Force to “present knowledge and research about the diversity of gifted children, their needs, development, and the importance of providing alternatives for their ongoing growth in school, home, and community” (NAGC, 2018, p. 2). The goals of this task force were the following: pinpoint what the field of GATE already knows about the multidimensional nature of gifted students, understand elements that may affect gifted students’ experiences, and conceptualize recommendations for stakeholders for how to develop the social-emotional, educational engagement and achievement, health,

and well-being of students identified as gifted and talented (NAGC, 2018).

The ASCD Whole Child approach to education strives to “prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow by addressing

students’ comprehensive needs through shared responsibility of students, families, schools, and communities” (ASCD, 2013). To address this call, ASCD (2013) developed five Whole Child Tenets for promoting longterm student success—healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on the Whole Child tenet— supported —to highlight how educators and administrators can actively work to support the Whole Gifted Child. settings. Profoundly gifted children experience their emotions and social development in a way that can significantly differ from neurotypical children” (Davidson Institute, n.d., para. 2).

On an emotional level, gifted students tend to experience frustration as their intelligence is ahead of their physical and emotional development, causing these learners to lack the skills needed to cope with their emotions (Davidson Institute, n.d.).

Supported

“Being gifted is part of an individual’s identity and, as such, does not only apply to academic According to the Whole Child Tenets, the tenet, supported, requires that “each student has access to personalized learning and is supported by qualified, caring adults” (ASCD, 2013). Understanding the socialemotional needs of gifted and talented learners is vital to being able to support these learners both intellectually and academically. The asynchronous development of gifted children make this understanding vital as

“their growth, academically, emotionally, physically, or socially, is not uniform. Profoundly gifted children in particular may be intellectually operating at a 10th grade level at age 9 but have

not mastered riding a bike or handwriting at the same time” (Davidson Institute, n.d., para. 5).

On an emotional level, gifted students tend to experience frustration as their intelligence is ahead of their physical and emotional development, causing these learners to lack the skills to cope with their emotions (Davidson Institute, n.d.). Therefore, it is vital that educators are mindful of this reality when working with gifted learners to ensure that the socialemotional needs of these learners are supported within the classroom context.

The social development of gifted learners can be an area of struggle as well. The social development of gifted learners can be similar to their academic development and the struggles they encounter with that domain. These learners, oftentimes, are prepared for more mature friendships at an earlier age that their like-age peers, causing them to find frustration (Davidson Institute, n.d.). To support gifted learners, it is essential that educators help gifted students socially and emotionally by supporting them in finding

“the appropriate academic outlets [...] as gifted students may find like-minded peers once accelerated, through an academic [...] experience, or by engaging with a niche interest and meeting others who share their passions” (Davidson Institute, n.d.).

Educators and Administrators: Supporting the Whole Gifted Child

Other areas of social-emotional struggles for gifted learners include areas like: perfectionism, heightened awareness, stress, or issues with peer relationships (NAGC, n.d.). It is viral that parents, educators, and administrators acknowledge these challenges and work to support gifted student well-being in these areas. In Figure 1 on the following page, you will find tips these various stakeholders can consider to support the social-emotional well-being of gifted learners.

According to NAGC (2014), giftedness is a complex phenomenon that impacts the development of the Whole Child. Therefore, it is important for educators, administrators, and other stakeholders to “work together to address the diverse academic, social, and emotional aspects of the development of children with gifts and talents” (NAGC, 2014, p. 1). Educators and administrators play an influential role in the lives and learning of gifted and talented students and it is vital for these stakeholders to foster the intellectual and academic abilities of these learners in an effort to help students reach their full potential. To assist in the education of

the Whole Gifted Child, educators and administrators must attend to the reality that “seeing the child as an individual will allow us to look beyond academics” (NAGC, 2018, p. 13) and more fully understand and support the Whole Gifted Learner. The ASCD Whole Child Tenets offer valuable insights for educators and

administrators to consider when working to fully support the Whole Gifted Child. As we work to educate the Whole Gifted Child, it is vital that stakeholders understand and attend to the individuality of each learner as a human being to ensure that their support gifted student well-being in these areas. In Figure 1 below, you will find tips these academic, social, and emotional potential is fostered and that they are prepared for various stakeholders can consider to support the social-emotional well-being of gifted learners: Figure 1 life beyond the classroom. Figure 1: Tips for Supporting the Social-Emotional Well-being of Gifted LearnersTips for Supporting the Social-Emotional Well-being of Gifted Learners

Parents

● Offer enrichment opportunities in programs and activities outside of school (Davidson Institute, n.d.). ● Provide opportunities for children to interact with like-aged gifted learners (Davidson Institute, n.d.). ● Advocate for children and support educators in meeting the needs of their gifted child (Davidson Institute, n.d.). ● Promote an understanding of the needs of gifted and talented learners (Kentucky Department of Education, n.d.) ● Collaborate with colleagues on how to meet the learning needs of gifted students (Kentucky Department of

Education, n.d). ● Encourage intellectual risk-taking and focus on student participation in learning as opposed to success or failure (Kentucky Department of

Education, n.d). ● Support perfectionistic learners in developing realistic goals and goal setting (Kentucky Department of

Education, n.d). ● Individualize discipline and lesson planning to align with the needs of a gifted learner (Kentucky Department of Education, n.d).

Teachers and Administrators

References

ASCD (2013). Whole child initiative.http://

www.ascd.org/whole-child.aspx

Callahan, C., Moon, T., & Oh, S. (2014).

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davidsongifted.org/prospectivefamilies/social-emotional-resources/

Kentucky Department of Education (n.d.). Gifted and talented children:

Addressing social-emotional challenges. Kentucky Department of Education.

NAGC (2018). Social & emotional issues. National Association for Gifted Children. https://www.nagc.org/

resources-publications/resourcesparents/social-emotional-issues

NAGC (2018). The whole gifted child task force: Report to the NAGC Board of Directors. https://www.nagc.

org/sites/default/files/key%20 reports/4.1%20WGC%20Task%20 Force%20Report.pdf

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sites/default/files/Position%20 Statement/Collaboration%20 Among%20Educators.pdf

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sites/default/files/Position%20 Statement/Identifying%20and%20 Serving%20Culturally%20and%20

Linguistically.pdf

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files/Position%20Statement/ Redefining%20Giftedness%20 for%20a%20New%20Century.pdf

Ramos, E. (2010). Let us in: Latino underrepresentation in gifted and talented programs. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 17(4), 151-153.

Dr. Jenna Nelson is an Associate Professor of of Curriculum & Instruction and Assistant Division Chair for the Division of Curriculum, Technology, and Inclusive Education at Concordia University Chicago (CUC). Her current research is on curriculum and teaching practices for supporting culturally and linguistically diverse learners in gifted and talented education.