One thing I've already prepared for next year is a slideshow of mindset,
failure, and mistake quotes. I plan to show this power point during transition
times, passing periods, or maybe on days where we have challenging lessons.
Last year, my students regularly used #growthmindset when they were struggling on concepts or problems. I would also write #growthmindset on the bottom of tests/quizzes or class problems. The students also would call me out when I said something with a fixed mindset. (ME: "Oh, I'll never get my old computer to work with this projector, I give up!" STUDENT: "Fixed mindset, Ms. Laster, keep trying!")
For something new, I've toyed with the idea about creating a "Growth Mindset" digital badge for my students. They would need to watch videos, reflect on mindset, and demonstrate how they've shown a growth mindset in our class and in another area in their lives. It hasn't happened YET...but I still have
Ideas shared with our faculty and what I've tried...
- Guide the students through the 4 steps to changing mindset. (The example I shared with our faculty and students was my first attempt at Wii Zumba--definitely heard my fixed mindset voice then!)
- Present students with brain research and its potential to grow.
- Provide students with role models of individuals who have succeeded because of a growth mindset. (love the Michael Jordan failure commercial)
- Provide opportunities for students to reflect on their growth mindset experiences (student blog example and teacher blog about the "Power of Yet").
- Model your own growth mindset.
- Praise for strategies, effort and processes instead of for intelligence and ability.
- Create a Failure Quote wall in your classroom.
Quotes about failures & post-its of mistakes & how teachers/kids learned |
Giving Feedback
- “You really studied for your test, and your improvement shows it. You read the material over several times, outlined it, and tested yourself on it. That really worked!”
- “I like the way you tried all kinds of strategies on that math problem until you got it.”
- “It was a long, hard assignment, but you stuck to it and got it done. You stayed at your desk, kept up your concentration, and kept working. That’s great!”
- “I like that you took on the challenging project. It will take a lot of work – research, designing the machine, buying the parts and building it. You’re going to learn a lot of great things.”
I'm still looking for ideas, and I'm still learning and growing. Using scoop.it, I continue to curate blog posts and articles I find using #HowToLearnMath.
Any other ideas to share?
What are you doing in your classrooms to help change your students' mindsets?