Thursday Thoughts March 19
What an amazing day you had today! I'm just sorry that I missed it. Thank you to those who sent me pictures. I was proud to share them with my principal colleagues. Quite frankly, I couldn't tell who was having more fun, the students or the staff. One of the many things that I love about being a Mustang is the way we can put the FUN back into teaching the fundamentals. I know the children enjoyed dressing up and were excited to see you dress up as well. Your love and dedication to our students is unparalleled and I know they will remember fun days like this for years to come.
Staff Spotlight
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Rachna Saxena. Rachna originally came to Medlock for a long term sub job during Mrs. Gallagher's maternity leave. A few weeks later, Ms. Plummer had a vacant assistant position in her classroom and Rachna graciously accepted the position. Initially, the transition in personnel was a bit difficult for some of the students. This resulted in the students physically acting out a little more than usual. There were a couple of times that I thought she would throw in the towel, but she did not. Rachna hung in there and formed a bond with the class. It has been wonderful to learn how the students now respond to her positively. When she is with students, one of the first things that you will notice is her bright smile. I am thankful for the assistance that Rachna is providing to Ms. Plummer's class and appreciate the way she cares for our students.Mindset Moments: Showcasing Student Growth
By Kriscia Cabralon March 5, 2015
Take time to reflect on student learning and create “Mindset Moments.” To learn more about mindsets in the classroom, and especially the difference between fixed and growth mindsets, please check out my earlier post on this subject, "New Year, New Mindset."
Once a week I highlight a picture book that deals with perseverance and a growth mindset connection. After the read-aloud, we discuss the character in the story, the challenges they faced, and how they used a growth mindset to persevere and grow. Below is a small collection of stories we've read this year for this purpose.
This week I wanted to take the focus off of the characters that we read about, and move it to my students and how these lessons apply to them in their daily lives.
I asked students to think about the growth mindset and all that we have learned about it so far. I asked them to share what they know with the class. I got responses that included:
After the partners worked with each other for a short while, I called upon students who had an example in mind to share their stories with the class. I posted a sentence starter on the board for those who needed more prompting.
I asked students why it is important to share and learn from each other’s mindset moments. We discussed how we can go to each other for help. I also talked about how important it is to celebrate the success of others and learn from their experiences.
I wanted to keep the mindset moment energy flowing through our room. To do this, I created a poster using chart paper. I then asked students to take a moment and write down their moments on a sticky note. They could then post growth mindset moments whenever they experienced one and we could share and celebrate as a class.
Students took a few moments for some quiet think time, and then grabbed sticky notes and went for it. Not every student had something to share. Those students were encouraged to take a sticky note and write about what they are going to learn and do better.
After a few minutes of reflection time, students shared their moments with the class and then stuck them on our poster. It was empowering for them to voice their growth and exciting for us to see a peer face a challenge and succeed.
It would be great to have students type up their mindset moments and create a book that documents how much they have grown throughout the year.
What might you do with your students growth mindset moments? I’d love to hear more ideas!
Once a week I highlight a picture book that deals with perseverance and a growth mindset connection. After the read-aloud, we discuss the character in the story, the challenges they faced, and how they used a growth mindset to persevere and grow. Below is a small collection of stories we've read this year for this purpose.
I asked students to think about the growth mindset and all that we have learned about it so far. I asked them to share what they know with the class. I got responses that included:
- “Growth mindset is when you keep trying even when something is hard.”
- “It’s when you want to keep learning even when you know a lot already.”
I asked students why it is important to share and learn from each other’s mindset moments. We discussed how we can go to each other for help. I also talked about how important it is to celebrate the success of others and learn from their experiences.
I wanted to keep the mindset moment energy flowing through our room. To do this, I created a poster using chart paper. I then asked students to take a moment and write down their moments on a sticky note. They could then post growth mindset moments whenever they experienced one and we could share and celebrate as a class.Students took a few moments for some quiet think time, and then grabbed sticky notes and went for it. Not every student had something to share. Those students were encouraged to take a sticky note and write about what they are going to learn and do better.
After a few minutes of reflection time, students shared their moments with the class and then stuck them on our poster. It was empowering for them to voice their growth and exciting for us to see a peer face a challenge and succeed.
Plans for the Future
The mindset poster will be hanging in our room indefinitely. I plan to expand the poster when our first one runs out of room. There is so much power behind seeing other students' accomplishments in a strong visual representation. In our first attempts to share, it started as only a few voices willing to speak. By the end of our time, however, students were leaving to go home with a pack of sticky notes thinking about their growth mindset moments that they wanted to share!It would be great to have students type up their mindset moments and create a book that documents how much they have grown throughout the year.
What might you do with your students growth mindset moments? I’d love to hear more ideas!
Technology Tidbits
http://www.funenglishgames.com/writinggames.html- a range of free activities, resources and practice exercises related to writing letters, stories, newspapers, debates, advertising and instructions.
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