interacting with students:
We want our students to know that we are their biggest supporters, and we want them to have trust in us. Goodwin and Hubbell share many great ideas that we, as teachers, can utilize in our classrooms every day: meet students at the door, look them in the eye when talking with them, share things about ourselves, ask questions, and use “sparkle”, etc. (Goodwin & Hubble, 2013). As differentiated-instruction expert Carol Ann Tomlinson states, “In a sense, the teacher is continually auditioning kids in different settings—and the students get to see how they can contribute in a variety of contexts” (Tomlinson, 2013).
1) Interact with students everyday
I was really struck by the differences between fixed and growth mindsets. Upon reflection, I realized that I often have a fixed mindset. I have since childhood. I tend to be a perfectionist and have a fear of failing. I remember when I was a child and was trying to learn how to ride a bike. My dad was helping me, and the first time he let go, I fell. He said to me “it’s ok. Let’s try it again” – to which I responded “I’ll never get this! I’m not smart enough to learn how to ride a bike” and I stormed into the house.
I know that I need to work on changing my mindset to a growth mindset so that I am able to help my students develop a growth mindset as well. How can I model the behavior, if it is one I do not currently apply to myself?
Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success has some impactful ideas regarding fixed and growth mindsets that I found interesting and helpful. She states “Believing that your qualities are carved in stone — the fixed mindset — creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over” (Dweck, 2008). I think that a lot of students fall into this mindset. And focus too much on their mistakes and downfalls. It is our job as their teacher to switch this thinking over to the growth mindset – which will reignite their self-confidence and have them become excited about learning, rather than being afraid. “This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way — in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments — everyone can change and grow through application and experience” (Dweck, 2008).
I got to thinking about activities I could use to help students make this switch. Since I ultimately want to work with first grade students, I had children of that age in mind. I thought of an activity where the students would write down and draw three things that they are good at, and three things that they want to improve on for each specific subject. They would then work in groups and talk about their strengths and areas of improvement, and get feedback from their fellow students. This activity gets the students working together, provides feedback, and also helps shift their mindset. I can, as their teacher, observe each group, and help steer them in the right direction if a fixed mindset starts to creep in. “As you begin to understand the fixed and growth mindsets, you will see exactly how one thing leads to another—how a belief that your qualities are carved in stone leads to a host of thoughts and actions, and how a belief that your qualities can be cultivated leads to a host of different thoughts and actions, taking you down an entirely different road. When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world — the world of fixed traits — success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other — the world of changing qualities — it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself” (Dweck, 2008).
In my "Little Red Hen" lesson, the students are self-directed after their formative assessments on what they need to accomplish. After that, they will work on their own on the word jumbles activity. They need to work on their own for at least 15 minutes before they can seek help from either a fellow classmate, or me as their teacher. I want them to have ample opportunity to think on their own and see all that they can accomplish. This will encourage them to try and do their own thinking before consulting others. I really like the idea of a “catch” and “release” (Tovani, 2011), so after they have completed their 15 minutes of individual work, I will “catch” them with my observations while walking around the classroom. This will help provide immediate feedback on their completed task. I will then “release” them by forming groups – making sure that each group has at least one of each learning style incorporated in the group. In these groups, they will then begin working on their “Little Red Hen” Theatre activity. After another 30 minutes, and the completion of their Theatre presentation, I will “catch” them again and then “release” them by putting them in a larger group by using “Favorite Animal Sounds”, where they are grouped by their favorite animal sound in the story. At this time, they will collaborate together and work on one specific part of the story: Beginning, middle and end. Again, during this group time, I will walk around to answer questions, ask questions, and assess student needs. After a final “catch” and “release”, the students will work individually creating their own version of “The Little Red Hen.”
1) Interact with students everyday
- Greet students when they come in
- Don’t just ask questions, call on students to answer a question
- Make time for interactions (ex: during independent work time)
- Don’t forget nonverbal communication (smile, high five, pat on head or back
- Learn students names quickly
- Create opportunities for students to share interests and talents (writing prompts, show and tells, class presentations)
- Provide and pay attention to student learning choices
- Encourage studnets to make personal connections to classroom material
- Just ask!
- Tune in to their moods, needs, interests, and capabilities
- Listen
- Invite feedback on your teaching
- Personalize student feedback
- Converse
- Reveal some of yourself to your students
- Develop a persona
- Don’t be overly serious all the time
- Model enthusiasm for learning
I was really struck by the differences between fixed and growth mindsets. Upon reflection, I realized that I often have a fixed mindset. I have since childhood. I tend to be a perfectionist and have a fear of failing. I remember when I was a child and was trying to learn how to ride a bike. My dad was helping me, and the first time he let go, I fell. He said to me “it’s ok. Let’s try it again” – to which I responded “I’ll never get this! I’m not smart enough to learn how to ride a bike” and I stormed into the house.
I know that I need to work on changing my mindset to a growth mindset so that I am able to help my students develop a growth mindset as well. How can I model the behavior, if it is one I do not currently apply to myself?
Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success has some impactful ideas regarding fixed and growth mindsets that I found interesting and helpful. She states “Believing that your qualities are carved in stone — the fixed mindset — creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over” (Dweck, 2008). I think that a lot of students fall into this mindset. And focus too much on their mistakes and downfalls. It is our job as their teacher to switch this thinking over to the growth mindset – which will reignite their self-confidence and have them become excited about learning, rather than being afraid. “This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way — in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments — everyone can change and grow through application and experience” (Dweck, 2008).
I got to thinking about activities I could use to help students make this switch. Since I ultimately want to work with first grade students, I had children of that age in mind. I thought of an activity where the students would write down and draw three things that they are good at, and three things that they want to improve on for each specific subject. They would then work in groups and talk about their strengths and areas of improvement, and get feedback from their fellow students. This activity gets the students working together, provides feedback, and also helps shift their mindset. I can, as their teacher, observe each group, and help steer them in the right direction if a fixed mindset starts to creep in. “As you begin to understand the fixed and growth mindsets, you will see exactly how one thing leads to another—how a belief that your qualities are carved in stone leads to a host of thoughts and actions, and how a belief that your qualities can be cultivated leads to a host of different thoughts and actions, taking you down an entirely different road. When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world — the world of fixed traits — success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other — the world of changing qualities — it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself” (Dweck, 2008).
In my "Little Red Hen" lesson, the students are self-directed after their formative assessments on what they need to accomplish. After that, they will work on their own on the word jumbles activity. They need to work on their own for at least 15 minutes before they can seek help from either a fellow classmate, or me as their teacher. I want them to have ample opportunity to think on their own and see all that they can accomplish. This will encourage them to try and do their own thinking before consulting others. I really like the idea of a “catch” and “release” (Tovani, 2011), so after they have completed their 15 minutes of individual work, I will “catch” them with my observations while walking around the classroom. This will help provide immediate feedback on their completed task. I will then “release” them by forming groups – making sure that each group has at least one of each learning style incorporated in the group. In these groups, they will then begin working on their “Little Red Hen” Theatre activity. After another 30 minutes, and the completion of their Theatre presentation, I will “catch” them again and then “release” them by putting them in a larger group by using “Favorite Animal Sounds”, where they are grouped by their favorite animal sound in the story. At this time, they will collaborate together and work on one specific part of the story: Beginning, middle and end. Again, during this group time, I will walk around to answer questions, ask questions, and assess student needs. After a final “catch” and “release”, the students will work individually creating their own version of “The Little Red Hen.”
growth_mindset_activites__assignments.pdf | |
File Size: | 75 kb |
File Type: |
Fixed-Mindset - A belief that aptitude is something innate and not developed thought effort.
Growth-Mindset - A belief that reinforces the importance of effort and its link to achievement.
Growth-Mindset - A belief that reinforces the importance of effort and its link to achievement.
References
Dweck, C. (2008) Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballantine Books. Kindle Edition.
Goodwin, R. & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Metoyer, M. (2012, October 10). Growth vs fixed mindset [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JycfeoVzg.
Tomlinson, C. (1999) The differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tovani, C. (2011). So what do they really know? Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Dweck, C. (2008) Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballantine Books. Kindle Edition.
Goodwin, R. & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Metoyer, M. (2012, October 10). Growth vs fixed mindset [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JycfeoVzg.
Tomlinson, C. (1999) The differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tovani, C. (2011). So what do they really know? Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.