Educational Excellence
Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset: Look Fors
in a Differentiated, Response Classroom (Part Two)
· Expectations
o Teacher expectations are high for ALL
students.
o Students and teachers believe in the
ability to develop intelligence.
o Potential is recognized through discussion,
questions, and responses.
o Teacher provides many opportunities for
students to think for themselves.
· Questioning
o Students are given many opportunities to
respond to and ask higher level questions.
· Higher
Level Thinking
o Instructional strategies that
nurture/promote higher level thinking are embedded in everyday instruction
(concept attainment/formation,
interpretation, reasoning, problem solving, evaluating).
· Acceleration
and Enrichment
o Individuals and groups are given
opportunities to excel beyond grade-level expectations in content areas.
o Opportunities for enrichment occur through
application of and reasoning with content, guest speakers, mentors,
and technology.
o Instruction consists of differentiated
strategies to reflect the intellectual processes of high-potential learners.
· Classroom
Environment
o A growth mindset culture exists.
o Learning stations and/or anchor activities
are evident in classroom.
o Room arrangement is conducive to group
work.
o A variety of student work samples are
displayed.
Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci
Intentional Instruction
Collaborative Community
I’m just gonna leave this right here.
Do YOU recognize your own greatness? Well, you should. OWN IT. So if you’re sitting there thinking, “Cathy, I’m not the kind of person who brags about myself!” I hear you. And this isn’t about saying these things out loud, saying, “See, look how great I am!” I mean you totally could though. Like I said, OWN IT. It’s more about naming these Q.O.G.s (Qualities of Greatness) to ourselves - we accept them in ourselves - and in the observation of others. THIS IS HARD, people. But I’m gonna drop some truth on you...we cannot begin to impact change on the world and the people we touch in our lives, or the kids we work with if we can’t even do it for ourselves. Mind-blown. I know.
So, over the summer, practice saying this to yourself, “I am great.” Then, when you feel good there, take it a step further...and be specific about what is great about you (compassionate, brave, patient, positive, funny, flexible, risk-taker, etc.) Keep going. Your list is endless.
I hope you all have an amazing summer, doing whatever makes your heart happy. You deserve it. RELAX. RECHARGE. And be ready to REIGNITE when we come back.
Nurture on,
Cathy
*Staff Shout Outs*
