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Many students believe that math ability is just fixed-you have it or you don't.

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And then there's a stereotype on top of that that says, "Oh,

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maybe boys have more of it, and girls have less of it."

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Girls are often afflicted by this stereotype,

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and a lot of them end up dropping out because they buy

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into this fixed idea that they don't have it.

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When you have the fixed idea and you experience difficulty, get confused,

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get a poor grade on a test, you go, "Oh!

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I guess it means I don't have it.

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I better do something else."

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When you have a view that math abilities are something that you can learn,

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then when you hit difficulty or even failure, you say, "Well,

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I've got to learn in a different way.

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I've go to put more into this.

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I've got to work with the teacher.

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I've got to do more homework."

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You feel that you can overcome these obstacles because it's a skill you can acquire.

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I think it's very important in this era of high stakes testing to teach students

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that the tests do not tell them about their underlying intelligence or abilities.

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The tests just tell them about their current skills in that testing situation.

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And that those tests do not tell them about their potential to learn in the future.

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Often, students-even very bright students-will get a disappointing test score

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and become discouraged about themselves.

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And actually their grades will go down as a result

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of a disappointing score on a standardized test.

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They must know that that test is not measuring their ability or their potential,

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only their current skill level in that testing situation.

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When students are struggling with math and science,

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teachers can give them more of a growth mindset,

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can teach them that the brain forms new connections every time they struggle and work hard,

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their math and science neurons are connecting up, and they are improving their abilities.

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Students are very compelled when the material is put in terms of the brain and how it works.

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Also, teachers need to tell students the truth about where they are

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and not just flatter the students who are behind or struggling and, you know,

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leave them behind and struggling and just try to make them feel good.

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Because when students know that they're behind and teachers tell them,

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"You've got to work harder than other people right now

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to make those connections," they're willing to do it.

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Students who have a fixed mindset-who think their intelligence is just fixed-don't,

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as a group, believe in effort.

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They think if you have ability, you don't need effort.

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And if you have to apply effort, it means you don't have ability.

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I think this is the worst belief anyone can have whether it's a student or a grown up,

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because everything worthwhile in life-not just math and science,

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but also math and science-requires a lot of effort

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over a long period of time to be really successful.

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If our brightest students are learning that being smart is about coasting along

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and doing well on no effort, they're not going to be our brightest students in the long run.

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Teachers often, themselves, have a stereotype of which children are good in math

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and which aren't: girls-it's not their subject, boys-it is their subject,

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and they may be conveying this to kids in math and science.

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Instead, teachers need to use the vocabulary of growing your brain,

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of working hard and forming new connections.

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They have to stay away from the language of ability and talent or gift.

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These are terms that put a label on kids

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and that freeze them-f-r-e-e-z-e, freezes them where they are.

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They have to talk the language of effort and studying and surmounting obstacles

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and learning from mistakes, and above all,

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growing new connections in math that will not convey stereotypes to students.