Mindsets
in the Classroom - Strategies in the Classroom
Susan Keller, EdD
Tarpon Springs Middle School
Students were selected by the reading teacher in Summer
Bridges. Students had completed fifth grade and were entering sixth grade. The
Summer Bridge reading curriculum included Achieve 3000; this program provides
the opportunity for students to read a passage at their level and answer
comprehension questions that include inferences as well as providing details to
support responses. These students were identified by the teacher after her
observation of one week of the Summer Bridge session. She identified these
students as having learning challenges in the classroom. Challenges included
completion of activities, accuracy of performance of activities, participation
during whole group sessions, and ability to follow processes and procedures in
the classroom
Day 1
Preassess-
What does your brain look like?
Have students complete an activity about the brain. Discuss
and share individual productions as a group. What did we all include in our
“brain activity?” Share something you know you are very good at; share
something you know you are not very good at but would like to be good at. We
will be talking about your mindset and how it will impact the outcome of what
you attempt.
Day 2
Building
a neuron network. Discussion of the brain and the difference between a fixed
and growth mindset.
Discussion: What is a neuron? What is the function;
examples? What is a network? How might this information impact “new learning?”
How might this knowledge help you change your mindset when you encounter a new
task? How might this knowledge help you change your mindset when you encounter
a challenging task?
Day 3
Video
clip “Millionaire Mindset” and Motivation
View video and discuss the “message” pertaining to learning.
What does the presenter mean by “just do it??” How might “millionaire mindset”
change the goals and approaches to new learning?
Activity: Write a short reflection or draw a picture on your
“millionaire mindset?” Your goals-dreams for yourself.
Day 4
Interview
with students individually referencing what they wrote/draw on “millionaire
mindset.”
Questions include: Describe what you portrayed in response
to this activity. How might you begin to reach this goal-dream? What might your
approach be as you strive for your dream? How might this “mindset” impact your
approach to learning new task? What are your thoughts on how mindset may change
your performance in the classroom?
Day 5
Observation
in the classroom of students during group and independent activities.
Impressions and conclusions:
Although the time with these students was limited,
interviews and observations noted an improvement in focus and tenacity in
approaches to activities in the classroom. The identified students were diverse
in their learning needs. It was noted, however, discussions and activities
improved their understanding of learning and they were able to make the
connection that “mindset” could improve their learning outcomes.
The discussions helped to develop a “common language” with
the identified students. It was surprising how receptive all students were to
growth mindset; they appeared hopeful and motivated to take on challenges as
noted in observations as well as pursuing dreams as noted in student
interviews. This factor would be essential in establishing the growth mindset
culture in the classroom.
These observations and interviews have significant
implications for students identified as eligible for the exceptional education
program. Establishing a mindset that learning is positively impacted by how one
thinks about their potential and ability will likely result in improved student
performance. Steps to developing the
growth mindset for the students, teachers, and families can create a learning
environment that celebrates diversity and growth for 100% student success.
Posting in 2 chunks since the blog will only allow so many words within an individual post.
ReplyDeleteMINDSETS IN THE CLASSROOM LESSON PLAN
MS. HOLE – 7th GRADE CIVICS – 2014/2015
BACKGROUND: This lesson was presented to 7th grade Civics students during our “Back to School/Getting to Know” you activities during the first 3 weeks of school. Not all of the activities were completed due to time constraints in the schedule. However, students are now well aware of the importance of a growth mindset, and I have seen a huge difference in their attitudes and efforts in class when compared to years past.
DAY 1
Bell Work – Title – “Helping Hands” – Answer the following questions on your bell work paper.
1. What is your favorite school subject? Why is it your favorite?
2. What is you least favorite school subject? Why is it your least favorite?
3. What is something you are really good at? Why do you think you’re so good at it?
4. What is something you are not so good at? Why do you think you’re not so good at it?
5. What is at least one thing that makes you unique or special?
Discuss Bell Work responses. During discussion, put an emphasis on the question… “Do you think you were born with these talents (or lack of talents) or do you think these talents developed over time (or you’ll never improve)?”
Helping Hands – Use responses from the bell work to create “Helping Hands”.
1. Trace your hand.
2. On the Palm write your Name (Use color – Decorate)
a. Thumb = Favorite School Subject
b. Index Finger = Least Favorite School Subject
c. Middle Finger = Strength (What are good at?)
d. Ring Finger = Weakness (What are you not so good at?)
e. Pinky = Special/Unique
3. Cut out your hand, and tape it to our “Helping Hands” Wall. – These hands will serve as a reminder throughout the year that we all have strengths, weaknesses and unique qualities that make us different, but if we work together and put in the effort, we can achieve anything.
DAY 2
Famous Failures Matching Game – Smart Board
1. Display quotes about failures famous people have had (Walt Disney, Abe Lincoln, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling, Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Dr. Seuss).
2. Then, have students match the person with the “failure quote” OR guess who the people are and then reveal them with the smart board shade tool.
3. After reveal, discuss the importance of effort, practice, dedication, perseverance and mindset to reach goals and success.
Roadblocks to Academic Success
1. Bell Work – Title – “Struggles” – Answer the following question on your bell work paper. What class or classes have you struggled with the most (now or previously)? Why do you think this is?
2. 4 Corners – Students will join the corner that most applies to their struggle.
a. Procrastination, Organization, Study Habits, or Time Management – This corner is for students who might have difficulty sitting down to study, or even knowing what/how to study.
b. Disengaged in Delivery (BORED) – This corner is for students who might really dislike a class or find it “boring”.
c. Lack of Academic Support or Lack of Growth Mindset – This corner is for students who might not have support structures at home to provide additional support preparing for tests or finishing homework. Or, for students who think, “I’ll never be good at _________ because it’s just the way I am.”
d. Not Familiar with Content/Lacking Skills – This corner is for students who might be in a course that requires them to write, read or do other work that goes beyond their current ability”.
• Once students are in their corners, they should discuss the following…
o Why did you choose this corner? Give examples of how you have struggled with these areas.
o What can you do to overcome this area of difficulty?
DAY 3
ReplyDeleteCompare and Contrast Growth vs Fixed Mindset
1. Growth vs Fixed Mindset video (1:15min) – Use this video to introduce Mindset https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JycfeoVzg
2. Students will use Carol Dweck’s Mindset website to complete the following… http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/themindsets/index.html
a.) Word Maps – Fixed Mindset, Growth Mindset
b.) Venn Diagram – Compare and Contrast Fixed vs Growth Mindset
3. Ben Underwood – Blind – Defies the odds with a growth mindset. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLziFMF4DHA
Wrap up – Show…
1. The Pursuit of Happyness Clip (2:15min) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZb2NOHPA2A
OR
2. Mindset – The New Psychology of Success Clip (7:07min) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eiJM5y6-9A (End at 4:15min OR mute at 4:29-4:40 and 5-5:11.
DAY 4-6
The Pursuit of Happyness – Students will complete the following before, during and after the movie as a wrap up to our study of Fixed vs Growth Mindset. Permission slip needed.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How does Will Smith’s character (Chris Garner) demonstrate a growth mindset in The Pursuit of Happyness? Give at least 3 specific examples from the movie to support.
1. Before watching the movie: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
a. Make a list of things that make you happy. (Try to think past basic stuff like “my cell phone”)
b. What goals do you have for your future?
c. How do you plan to achieve these goals?
d. What are you currently doing to achieve these goals?
e. What challenges might you face in reaching your goals? How do you plan to overcome these challenges?
f. How can your MINDSET affect your success in reaching these goals?
2. At the end of each class: Draw a picture that represents what happened in the story that day. Then, write a summary that explains your picture AND summarizes what happened in the story (complete sentences).
3. After watching the entire movie: Answer the essential question in complete sentences.
a. How does Will Smith’s character (Chris Garner) demonstrate a growth mindset in “The Pursuit of Happyness”? Give at least 3 specific examples from the movie to support your answer.
OBSERVATION/CONCLUSION
Initially students responded with hesitation (and a fixed mindset), but by the end they seemed more motivated and confident in their ability and potential. The seed was planted… “You can, and you will…. with lots of practice, effort and perseverance.”
Lisa Stavropoulos
ReplyDeleteI think that I might have approached this assignment in a totally different way then what was expected. Yet, my outcome is what I wanted.
First, I had everyone of my students create a long term goal setting pennant that would be revisited at 2nd semester.
Secondly, at the beginning of each unit, I developed unit scales and at the bottom of this scale was short term goal that each student needed to create for each unit of study. They needed to approach this from how can I improve my learning gains.
Next, after each unit test students were asked to reflect on "how they studied and how they could do things differently. Instead, why did I fail. This was shared with the whole class.
Finally, at the beginning of the year my students were given a pre test on 3 units of study. They had to take the post test on the same units of study in October.
Here are the results on class average for pre and post tests:
period 1 pretest 60% post test 81%
period 2 pretest 42% post test 58%
period 3 pretest 57% post test 78%
period 4 pretest 57% post test 76%
period 5 pretest 52% post test 76%
period 7 pretest 56% post test 72%
The students have a better outlook on what they are looking to achieve. Instead of dwelling on how I failed, they are more focused on how can I improve because I can.
At the beginning of the year the first thing I did was ask the students if they thought one’s ability to learn new things was set at birth or if could be developed and increased over time. In each class three to five students felt that one’s ability was set at birth. The rest felt it could be developed over time. After taking the survey I used “The Brain Is Like a Sponge” (Guess Box Strategy) described on pages 106-110 in the book Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci in each of my classes. After completing that lesson we discussed how “The Brain is Like a Muscle” (page 118 in the book Mindsets in the Classroom). We also discussed the fact that someone who really works hard (stretches his brain) and earns a “B” is actually accomplishing more than a student who earns an “A” without expending any effort. After completing the aforementioned activities all of the students except one adopted a mindset mentality towards learning. Many of the students were even open to doing away with the traditional grading process and replacing it with one that rewards “progress” towards mastering a particular skill. Throughout the semester I continually reinforced the concept of the brain as a muscle that will experience growth if used and atrophy if not used. At the end of the semester I showed the students another sponge in water and a sketch of what it looked like before it was immersed to visually remind them of the earlier example.
ReplyDeleteI also briefly previewed literature terms with the students in order to activate students’ background knowledge prior to giving the literature terms pretest this year. The post-test is given at the end of the year so I do not have the results yet but I do know that the overall pretest scores looked better than last year’s overall pretest scores. Students also completed a interest inventory and questionnaire at the beginning of the year that asked them about their interests in life, their self-perceived strengths and weaknesses regarding language arts, and what I could do to help them as well as what they could do to help themselves improve this year. Based on their interest inventory answers, their pre-test scores, and their FCAT reading scores I created learning groups within each class. Differentiated lesson plans were (and are) used based on student mastery of the lessons. For example, in order to master new vocabulary words some students need to write the definition for each new vocabulary word, a sentence using each word, and a synonym and antonym for each word (Cornell Notes format). Other students only need to write the definitions and sentences to master the words. Student feedback is very important when trying to differentiate instruction. For example, many students reported that working in a group and writing a short story using each of the ten vocabulary words helped them learn the words and retain their meanings better than any other method. Vocabulary stories have become a regular practice in my classes and I make sure to place the students in groups where their respective abilities complement each other. Another example of differentiated instruction involved providing alternate ways for students to do their assignments. During our fable projects students could use power-points, give oral presentations, or written assignments. During the literature terms teaching projects student pairs could decide how to divide up the project, whether to use a power-point, oral, or written presentation. If one partner was shy he or she could create the quiz and the partner could give the oral presentation.
CONTINUED
Continued...One of the hardest ideas to get the students to understand is that getting something wrong is a learning tool. One student who was new to my class took a test and earned a 55 percent on it. When I complimented him on the test he looked at me and said, “But I failed. That’s an “F” isn’t it?” And I said, “But you just joined the class and you got more than half the answers right!” He looked puzzled as he said “Yeah… but…” And I said, “So, you’ve master more than half the lesson before I’ve even had time to work with you. You really tried to do well on it, didn’t you?” He nodded and then I went over the idea of using test results as a tool to know what you have to work on instead of viewing it as a measurement of failure or success. He seemed interested in the idea but skeptical of it at the same time. That is not surprising. It requires a whole new “mindset” – for teachers, students, and parents. The hardest thing I’ve found, on my end, is remembering to not say something like “You’re so smart” instead of “Wow, you really worked hard on developing the characters didn’t you? Good job!” Remembering to offer specific praise for the effort involved needs to become a habit (and that will take practice on my part).
ReplyDeleteRegarding the impact of the Guess Box Strategy, it was a success. All, except for one, of my students totally accept the concept of the brain as muscle and they agree that they should be recognized for the effort they put into learning. They agree that a “B” earned as a result of hard work means that child exercised his or her brain and thus, is more valuable than an “A” earned with little effort (since the brain was not exercised).*
The interest inventory was also a successful strategy. It gave me important information about the students likes and dislikes, their self-perceived limitations and strengths, and what help they wanted me to give them in particular areas. This was useful in planning lessons, developing student groups, and developing relationships with the students.
What I have learned: Reinforcing the Growth Mindset and the idea of the brain as a muscle, along with providing specific feedback is crucial to helping the students maintain motivation and a positive outlook - especially when they are struggling.
*(However, in every class, after agreeing that the aforementioned “B” is more valuable I am met with a chorus of “Yes, but try telling my parents that!” - We see our students every day and can remind them and reinforce the idea of a Growth Mindset. We do not see the parents often. Perhaps, we should put a little story or quote (like the one from Michael Jordan) in each newsletter.)