Building and fostering a "Growth Mindset" doesn't happen overnight. The year began with several activities to help inspire the idea that "intelligence can be developed" and that "you can learn anything through hard work and effort!"On the first day of school we watched this video created by the Kahn Academy titled "You Can Learn Anything!"
The video really resonated with many students because they could directly relate to it. Students posted their thoughts on a sticky note which were displayed in the classroom.
Take a minute to watch the Khan Academy video to see what positive message you take away from it.
The following video was shared at another time. From this video we talked about the idea of "Training Our Brain" to accomplish things we want to learn. This happened to coincide with International Dot Day so we completed an activity where we drew on a dot something we wanted to learn.
For the first school assembly we decided to share some words that will help change your mindset. It was inspired by this TeachersPayTeachers bulletin board by Pinkadots Elementary. For the lesson students were given the Fixed mindset statements (I give Up; I'm not Good at this; This is too hard, etc) and asked to replace them with positive statements (I'll try my best; I'll keep working on this; With some effort I'll get this; etc). Then students carouselled around the room and added more statements to each others' posters.
The final step in this process was to select some phrases that would be added to some homemade speech bubbles, which would then be presented to the school during the assembly. Students worked hard and did a fabulous job presenting.
Training your brain doesn't happen overnight so we will continue the process of working towards a "Growth Mindset" throughout the year! The ultimate goal is about 'Learning' and how we can do that best!
Here are some other resources about Mindsets:
Feel like sharing your thoughts on Mindset? Please leave a comment below!
This is such a great idea! I love that they had to come up with their own positive statements and then present them at your assembly!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThe bulletin board from TpT came with positive statements. I decided that it would make more sense to have students brainstorm ideas of their own. It worked out better than I imagined. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Best,
Nancy
I look forward to reading your posts. Glad you are back at it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great way to start the year, and a mindset that will benefit kids throughout their lives. Bravo to you for leading the charge and spreading the word!
ReplyDeleteHi Ann,
DeleteI have to give credit to my Principal, Brendan Dearborn, for leading the charge. He's the one that really brought this to our attention. Hoping to see some positive results within the classroom though. Thanks for taking time to comment.
LOVE the way you involved your students. I am going to try this next fall with my new class, it will give them ownership over their own bulletin board! Thanks for the tag! :)
ReplyDeleteTheresa
Pinakdots Elementary
I believe that primary education is way more important than most people think, as it helps in building the momentum and a child’s interest towards his studies. With that in mind, it is necessary that the teachers in NYC elementary schools be well qualified for their jobs to deliver to the students. Thankfully, the teachers at my son’s school have proven to be excellent with their teaching approach (I’ve seen it myself) and I’m glad to have made the right choice for my kid.
ReplyDelete