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Enhancing language learning by fostering a growth mindset in a blended learning environment
At some point in their careers, foreign language educators have encountered students who boldly proclaim, "I don't want to be in this class" or "Why do I have to learn (pick the language)." Unfortunately, we have all faced these students at some point. Part of the problem is that students don't have a choice but to study a foreign language in order to graduate. In Texas for example, students are required to complete at least two years of a foreign language to graduate high school, and most Texas universities have the same requirement. (Title 19 part 2 Ch 74 Subchapter B Rule 74.11: High School Graduation Requirements ). Despite the graduation requirement, many students still feel overwhelmed by learning a foreign language and resist from the start. They enter the classroom with a fixed mindset. Overcoming that mindset is key to their success, but little to no emphasis has been placed on building a growth mindset in the foreign language curriculum.
The importance of a growth mindset
What exactly is a fixed mindset, and why is it so detrimental to the success of a language learner? According to Carol Dweck, a fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence is static and limited. Individuals with this mindset believe there are inherent limits to their intelligence and learning capabilities. In contrast, Dweck defines a growth mindset as the belief that intelligence can be developed through effort and learning (Dweck, 2015). By understanding these definitions, foreign language teachers can recognize the critical importance of fostering a growth mindset in their students.
Why is it so important to tackle the fixed mindset of a second language (L2) learner? That’s easy. You can’t teach someone who doesn’t want to be taught and who believes they can’t learn. A growth mindset is important in education as it encourages resilience and a focus on learning and improvement. In language learning, this mindset helps students persist through challenges encountered in L2 acquisition. According to Dweck, “People in a growth mindset don’t just seek challenges, they thrive on it. The bigger the challenge, the more they stretch.” (Dweck, 2016) And in L2 learning, students need to stretch to be successful.
ACTFL Standards and the need for a 6th C
Currently, The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) does not place a great emphasis on the growth mindset of the foreign language student. Its focus is on world literacy standards, real-world applications, and 21st-century skills. The standards serve as a roadmap to guide L2 learners in their educational journey. Educators follow this roadmap as well to help guide them when planning lessons. ACTFL named 5 goal areas for students and educators to follow in this educational endeavor. The goals have been dubbed the 5 Cs. (2021)
Communication
Culture
Connections
Comparisons
Communities
As foreign language educators, we are all trained to follow the guidelines set by ACTFL but in this case, I think one important C is missing: Change. The change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset in our students needs to be addressed if we want our students to be successful L2 learners.
How to address the 6th C
How do we as educators implement the 6th C? By doing what we’ve always done to prepare teaching our students but this time we’ll do it by intentionally building in activities and using encouraging language to foster a growth mindset in our students. How? One way is by creating assignments that will give students small wins that help bolster their self-confidence in the target language. Another is to identify students with fixed mindsets and begin using encouraging words and praise each time they are successful in the classroom. Using the phrase, “not yet” encourages the student to believe that it’s just a matter of time and effort before they are able to master the assignment or lesson. Dweck found that the power of yet made a huge difference in the way students, especially students with a fixed mindset, felt about their ability to learn and master a subject. (Dweck, 2014). Addressing the 6th C will take time and effort on the parts of both students and educators but it will be well worth it in the end when students begin to respond with a growth mindset and believe that they can and will learn the target language.
Psychological barriers
The fixed mindset is the primary psychological barrier we have to overcome to be successful in our endeavors to teach L2 students. During my first year of teaching at a new school, I encountered a young lady who boldly approached me on the first day of class and declared, "I'm not good at Spanish. I don't want to be here." Sadly for her, she did not have a choice. I’m sure any number of you have had similar experiences with a student or students telling you that they are not good at learning languages. These students come to your classroom already defeated and will do as little as possible in your class to be successful. Why? They believe they can’t learn, so why try? These types of negative psychological barriers are detrimental to all of our efforts to teach a foreign language. No matter how well we follow the curriculum and abide by the ACTFL goals, we will not be successful with students stuck in a fixed mindset without adding the last C to our planning and teaching. I believe that the change from a fixed to a growth mindset is the key to the success of any language learner.
What are some of the most common psychological barriers contributing to the fixed mindset we see in the foreign language classroom?
The belief that they are incapable of learning a foreign language is a significant barrier for many students. Those with this fixed mindset genuinely believe they cannot succeed. How can we counter this belief? By instilling in our students "The Power of Yet" (Dweck, 2014). By emphasizing that they do not know how to do something "yet," we convey that with time and effort, they can achieve goals they initially thought were beyond their intellectual capabilities.
Fear of participation. Many students struggle with participating in oral conversations or presentations in front of their peers, and this fear and anxiety significantly increase when required to do so in a foreign language. To address these issues, it is crucial to understand the underlying fears. In 1986, Rudy Berdine, a professor of marketing management at California State Polytechnic University, identified the most common fears leading to avoidance of classroom participation. Despite being published several decades ago, his findings remain relevant and continue to hold true today. Berdine introduced the following list of the most common reasons students avoid classroom participation (Berdine, 1986).
Fear of being ridiculed by other students.
Too many students in class watching and listening to them.
The classroom setting/environment is not a safe space.
Age, relevant experience, and maturity of the student.
Student interest in the subject.
How can we combat the fear of participation? One effective approach is to create a safe classroom environment where students understand that mistakes are expected and integral to the learning process. Encouraging students to speak and make errors alleviates the anxiety associated with perfection, gradually increasing their willingness to participate. Additionally, fostering participation through small group activities, where students are encouraged to assist each other, is another effective tactic for enhancing classroom engagement.
Lack of motivation /No interest in the subject. As previously mentioned, students are required to take a foreign language in school, leaving them with no choice in the matter. They often feel compelled to learn a subject in which they have little interest or desire. Consequently, they can’t see the value learning a second language will bring them in the future.
They contend that they will never need to use a foreign language in their future adult lives. While this argument may have been more challenging to refute in the past, the world is undergoing rapid change. The United States has experienced a significant influx of migrants crossing its borders at an alarming rate, including a substantial number from Spanish-speaking countries and diverse regions worldwide. This surge has exponentially increased the likelihood of our students encountering individuals who speak foreign languages.
In contrast to Europe, where children often learn multiple languages due to close proximity to neighboring countries, the United States historically had less urgency for language acquisition, being geographically isolated between Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. However, recent global shifts have heightened the necessity and motivation for learning foreign languages in our increasingly interconnected world.
While there may be numerous barriers impacting language learning, such as lack of self-confidence, fear of participation, and disinterest in the subject, these three are among the most significant hurdles to address in fostering a growth mindset in the foreign language classroom.
Creating a significant learning environment (CSLE)
Keeping these psychological barriers in mind, how can we incorporate a growth mindset (the 6th C) into a demanding curriculum that embraces ACTFL’s 5 Cs? I believe this can be achieved by incorporating activities in our lessons that enhance student self-confidence by “creating a significant learning environment” (CSLE) in which we give the learner choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning experiences/opportunities (COVA)” (Harapnuik, 2017).
Enhancing the creation of a significant learning environment in the foreign language classroom is achieved through adopting a blended learning approach. This method combines traditional teacher-led instruction paired with technology, thereby enriching the educational experience of the student. Students benefit from both direct guidance from the teacher and the interactive tools provided by technology, fostering a more dynamic and effective learning process.
To implement COVA in foreign language learning, educators can integrate activities that boost student self-confidence and encourage ownership of their own learning. COVA emphasizes providing learners with choices in how they approach and demonstrate their learning, fostering ownership of their educational journey, and empowering them to express their voice through authentic learning experiences. Within this framework, students engage in activities that allow for incremental successes, which not only enhance their sense of accomplishment but also substantiate their learning outcomes. This approach encourages active participation and deeper engagement in language acquisition.
An example of a COVA activity designed to enhance student engagement involves mandating that students allocate daily homework time to a language learning application like DuoLingo. This activity affords students the autonomy to decide when to complete the assignment, the duration of their engagement within the application, and the proficiency level at which they engage. They receive immediate feedback on their progress and earn digital rewards, which contribute to bolstering their self-confidence. Moreover, the platform operates as a content gamification site, enabling students to participate in friendly competition with their peers and thereby mutually support each other's learning efforts. They are graded for their participation time in the application and not for the level they achieve.
This approach contributes to the creation of a significant learning environment that enhances student self-confidence and fosters a growth mindset. By providing personalized learning experiences, teachers can better address diverse learning styles and pace, thereby promoting deeper engagement and academic achievement among students. This adaptive approach supports the development of students' confidence in their abilities and encourages a mindset of continuous growth and improvement.
Technology in the classroom
It is no secret that today's students differ significantly from those of previous generations, necessitating an evolution in teaching approaches tailored to meet their current educational requirements. This adaptation involves addressing students' preferences for interactive and technology-integrated learning experiences, as well as catering to their diverse learning styles and needs. By aligning teaching methods with these evolving student dynamics, educators can effectively enhance engagement, learning outcomes, and overall academic success. (Gil-Acirón, 2022).
While traditional teaching methods such as TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) and CI (Comprehensible Input) are effective in promoting language acquisition, adding a technology component enhances the student's overall experience and increases engagement. Moreover, technology is playing an emerging role in modern language classrooms, enhancing traditional methods and providing new opportunities for engagement and personalized learning.
How can we as foreign language educators integrate technology in the classroom? Educators can use content gamification platforms such as Quizziz, Kahoot, and others effectively to complement teacher-led instruction and meet the new requirements of today's students. These tools offer students immediate feedback and the ability to correct mistakes while remaining engaged in the learning process. Furthermore, they provide an engaging and interactive method to reinforce classroom lessons directly aligned with topics covered by the teacher, as the content is curated by the instructor. This approach not only enhances learning retention but also makes the educational experience more enjoyable and interactive for students. Equally important, language learning platforms such as QTalk and Voces Digital provide online curricula that can be customized to meet individual students' needs. These platforms expand educators' teaching possibilities by offering low-preparation lessons, many of which are automatically graded.
For example, QTalk is my preferred language learning curriculum for elementary students due to its unique symbol-based program, and the intuitive nature of the lessons. This innovative tool enables foreign language teachers to teach the target language intuitively and aligns with ACTFL goals, requiring minimal prep time for effective, fun, and interactive lessons. Initially skeptical of a symbol-based program, I became an enthusiastic advocate after a year of teaching with QTalk. The program's results were astounding, especially among emergent readers. Additionally, QTalk builds confidence in learners and encourages active participation. By demonstrating clear progress, it fosters a growth mindset and establishes a strong foundation for ongoing educational development. Observing their own progress and taking pride in their achievements has a profound impact on students' learning journeys.
Wrapping it up
Foreign language educators frequently encounter students resistant to language learning, often due to a fixed mindset. Overcoming this mindset is crucial for their success in acquiring a second language. Despite graduation requirements, many students feel overwhelmed and resistant from the start. Integrating a growth mindset, as described by Carol Dweck, into the language curriculum can significantly improve learning outcomes. A growth mindset encourages resilience and a focus on learning, which helps students persist through challenges.
While ACTFL outlines five critical goal areas—Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities—adding a sixth goal, Change, to foster a growth mindset is essential. Addressing psychological barriers such as fear of participation and lack of motivation is key. Creating significant classroom environments that empower students through choice, ownership, and voice (COVA) in their learning processes can foster a positive learning experience.
Activities like using language learning applications with gamification elements can enhance engagement and self-confidence. Blending traditional teaching methods with technology supports varied learning styles and promotes interactive learning experiences. By adapting teaching methodologies to include fostering a growth mindset and integrating technology, educators can better prepare students for success in an increasingly globalized society.
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