Giving Compass' Take:

• Education Dive discusses a recent study showing how a more open-ended approach to teaching math (and a growth mindset among educators) can lead to better outcomes for students.

• The research on growth mindsets in general have been mixed, but in a subject where student enthusiasm is crucial, having teachers find more flexible techniques seems promising.

• Should investors fund more growth mindset programs? Read this article to learn the pros and cons.

Math tends to provoke strong emotional reactions in students, who usually either love it or hate it. However, research shows that these student attitudes toward math affect their performance. Fortunately, a recent survey indicates these attitudes may be improving, but for better or worse, the same attitudes tend to be influenced by those teaching the subject.

This is one reason another recent study tied the effect of teachers who pursued math education as a career with the success of students even into college. Their passion for the subject affected the trajectory of that student’s life. On the other hand, some math teachers fear math themselves, which can create math anxiety in students.

While a growth mindset has some social-emotional learning benefit in the way students approach education, recent students have not indicated that has much effect on the way they learn. However, it makes sense that a growth mindset in a teacher would have a greater effect on the way they teach. Having a growth mindset can help cut through bias and approach each student as having the capacity to learn. It also helps teachers see the value in mistakes and in a student’s attempt at thinking outside the box in order to solve problems.

Read the full article about how promoting growth mindset in teachers may pay dividends for students by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.