This week we did a lot of work on Mindset and our growth portfolios. We stared the week with our first Math test. For some students a unit test like this is a new and daunting task, and getting your mind right before beginning is a key part of success. Before even seeing the test, students wrote bright pink stickies with a “message to their brain.” This gave them a visual reminder to turn to if they found themselves struggling or getting frustrated at any point during the test.
(As a side note, I strongly believe that traditional “testing” of skills is not the ‘be all end all’ of evaluation and absolutely must be balanced with many other forms of assessment. However, taking tests is a situation that our children will face in a variety of forms throughout their lifetime. Developing good test taking skills and a growth mindset will serve them well as they encounter this type of assessment throughout their education.)
We also began selecting work to put in our growth portfolios. Students chose one piece that they felt showed growth or that they were proud of, and did a reflection to explain why they chose it for their portfolios. They had to answer three questions in their reflection:
- WHAT? (What is it? What was the activity? What was the criteria etc.)
- SO WHAT? (Why did you choose this? How does it show growth? Why is it significant etc)
- NOW WHAT? (Where do you go next in your learning? What do you need to work on? etc.)
We will be using this reflection format throughout the year, so students will become more familiar and comfortable with the process. This week I will give them some feedback, and the portfolios will be sent home for you to discuss with your child.
I want to thank you all for engaging with your children in this process. The feedback from the station activity we did with Mrs. McCormack’s class was amazing. It seems as though you had some valuable and thought provoking discussions with your children. Here are a few comments that you shared with them about the activity:
“Thank you for sharing the videos and your thoughts with me. You can learn anything you put your mind to doing. Don’t ever give up and mistakes are part of learning”
“Thinking about our brains as a muscle that can get stronger with practice is a great analogy. The words we say to ourselves during a failure or crisis are very important.”
“Life is all about trying and learning and making mistakes and challenges. That is how we all grow our minds.”
“It is our job as human beings in this world to grow, learn and adapt to these challenges by using our resources around us at school and home,and more importantly to believe in ourselves and to know that we are part of a very positive contribution to the society and people around us. So empowering!”
“Things aren’t always easy, but if you work hard you will get there.”
Thank you for your feedback and partnership in learning about Mindset. I look forward to seeing this grow and progress throughout the year! If you are interested in more information on growth mindset, here is a link to a video of Carol Dweck speaking about her research.