John Fenlon explains how to use assessments as a way to develop growth mindset, and make a shift away from the usual fixed mindset nature of them.

1. How can we change the associations and expectations
that students have concerning assessments ?
Change the experience of assessments:
TOP 4 TIPS:
Make them:
1. More commonplace.
2. Low stakes:
• No grades.
• Students track scores.
• Only progress matters – have they improved on last time?
• Praise effort – not attainment.
3. Prove to students they are making progress:
• Use the same questions over and over.
•Reward progress with merits and shouting from the rooftops.
4. Distributed learning – use the same quiz 1 week, 1 month etc later

2. Upcoming Challenges?Albert and Bernard just become friends
with Cheryl, and they want to know
when her birthday is.
Cheryl gives them a list of possible
dates.
May 15 May 16 May 19
June 17 June 18
July 14 July 16
August 14 August 15 August 17
Cheryl then tells Albert and Bernard
separately the month and the day of
her birthday respectively.
Albert: I don't know when Cheryl's
birthday is, but I know that Bernard
does not know too.
Bernard: At first I don't know when
Cheryl's birthday is, but I know now.
Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl's
birthday is.
So when is Cheryl's birthday?

3. Upcoming Challenges?Albert and Bernard just become friends
with Cheryl, and they want to know
when her birthday is.
Cheryl gives them a list of possible
dates.
May 15 May 16 May 19
June 17 June 18
July 14 July 16
August 14 August 15 August 17
Cheryl then tells Albert and Bernard
separately the month and the day of
her birthday respectively.
Albert: I don't know when Cheryl's
birthday is, but I know that Bernard
does not know too.
Bernard: At first I don't know when
Cheryl's birthday is, but I know now.
Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl's
birthday is.
So when is Cheryl's birthday?
Albert: I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but I know that Bernard doesn’t
know too.
All Albert knows is the month, and every month has more than one possible
date, so of course he doesn’t know when her birthday is. The first part of the
sentence is redundant.
The only way that Bernard could know the date with a single number,
however, would be if Cheryl had told him 18 or 19, since of the ten date
options only these numbers appear once, as May 19 and June 18.
For Albert to know that Bernard does not know, Albert must therefore have
been told July or August, since this rules out Bernard being told 18 or 19.
Line 2) Bernard: At first I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but now I know.
Bernard has deduced that Albert has either August or July. If he knows the full
date, he must have been told 15, 16 or 17, since if he had been told 14 he
would be none the wiser about whether the month was August or July. Each of
15, 16 and 17 only refers to one specific month, but 14 could be either month.
Line 3) Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl’s birthday is.
Albert has therefore deduced that the possible dates are July 16, Aug 15 and
Aug 17. For him to now know, he must have been told July. Since if he had
been told August, he would not know which date for certain is the birthday.
The answer, therefore is July 16.

4. Drawing Parallels: The placebo effect
What evidence for the effectiveness of mindset
is there outside of education?

5. Drawing Parallels: The placebo effect
What evidence for the effectiveness of mindset
is there outside of education?

6. Milkshakes
Exercise
Medicine (painkillers etc)
Drawing Parallels: The placebo effect
What evidence for the effectiveness of mindset
is there outside of education?

7. Milkshakes
Exercise
Medicine (painkillers etc)
Drawing Parallels: The placebo effect
What evidence for the effectiveness of mindset
is there outside of education?

8. Milkshakes
Exercise
Medicine (painkillers etc)
Drawing Parallels: The placebo effect
What evidence for the effectiveness of mindset
is there outside of education?
“What the placebo affect really is, is a powerful,
robust and consistent demonstration of the ability of
our mindsets..to recruit healing properties in the
body.” Dr. Alia Crumb

9. “What the placebo affect really is, is a powerful,
robust and consistent demonstration of the ability of
our mindsets..to recruit healing properties in the
body.” Dr. Alia Crumb
Drawing Parallels: The placebo effect
What evidence for the effectiveness of mindset
is there outside of education?
• Electrical activity in the brain was measured when
students were confronted with a wrong answer.
• Students with a Growth Mindset responded with
much higher levels of engagement and activity
than those with a fixed mindset.

10. How can we change the associations and expectations
that students have concerning assessments ?

11. How can we change the associations and expectations
that students have concerning assessments ?
Simple – Change the experience of assessments:
Make them:
• More commonplace.
• Low stakes:
• No grades.
• Students track scores.
• Only progress matters – have they improved on last time?
•Praise effort – not attainment.
• Prove to the students they are making progress:
• Use the same questions over and over.
• Start very simple so your group can make progress.
• Reward progress with merits and shouting from the rooftops.
• Overlearn – your (valid) excuse for students getting 10/10 more once!
• Even outside of assessments – give students a chance to show off how much
they have improved – give them the same question.

12. How can we change the associations and expectations
that students have concerning assessments ?
Simple – Change the experience of assessments:
Lastly – remember to role model what you want to see:
• Tell them they will get better, with practice.
• Tell them it doesn’t matter (it doesn’t count after all).
• Tell them they get another shot tomorrow.
• Ask yourself if it was worth discussing / feeding back on, is it
worth doing one more time to prove to students they have
improved?

13. Upcoming Challenges?Albert and Bernard just become friends
with Cheryl, and they want to know
when her birthday is.
Cheryl gives them a list of possible
dates.
May 15 May 16 May 19
June 17 June 18
July 14 July 16
August 14 August 15 August 17
Cheryl then tells Albert and Bernard
separately the month and the day of
her birthday respectively.
Albert: I don't know when Cheryl's
birthday is, but I know that Bernard
does not know too.
Bernard: At first I don't know when
Cheryl's birthday is, but I know now.
Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl's
birthday is.
So when is Cheryl's birthday?

14. Upcoming Challenges?Albert and Bernard just become friends
with Cheryl, and they want to know
when her birthday is.
Cheryl gives them a list of possible
dates.
May 15 May 16 May 19
June 17 June 18
July 14 July 16
August 14 August 15 August 17
Cheryl then tells Albert and Bernard
separately the month and the day of
her birthday respectively.
Albert: I don't know when Cheryl's
birthday is, but I know that Bernard
does not know too.
Bernard: At first I don't know when
Cheryl's birthday is, but I know now.
Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl's
birthday is.
So when is Cheryl's birthday?
Albert: I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but I know that Bernard doesn’t
know too.
All Albert knows is the month, and every month has more than one possible
date, so of course he doesn’t know when her birthday is. The first part of the
sentence is redundant.
The only way that Bernard could know the date with a single number,
however, would be if Cheryl had told him 18 or 19, since of the ten date
options only these numbers appear once, as May 19 and June 18.
For Albert to know that Bernard does not know, Albert must therefore have
been told July or August, since this rules out Bernard being told 18 or 19.
Line 2) Bernard: At first I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but now I know.
Bernard has deduced that Albert has either August or July. If he knows the full
date, he must have been told 15, 16 or 17, since if he had been told 14 he
would be none the wiser about whether the month was August or July. Each of
15, 16 and 17 only refers to one specific month, but 14 could be either month.
Line 3) Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl’s birthday is.
Albert has therefore deduced that the possible dates are July 16, Aug 15 and
Aug 17. For him to now know, he must have been told July. Since if he had
been told August, he would not know which date for certain is the birthday.
The answer, therefore is July 16.

15. Growth Mindset: The evidence

16. Growth Mindset: The evidence