I reviewed the New Tech Rubric for fifth graders. Being that my students are 3 and 4 years old, they are at the beginning stages in most areas. For most of my students, my school is the first school environment they've experienced. Therefore, structure and routine is very important to establish. They are learning many skills for the first time, so some of them are not willing right away to try new things. However, that changes quickly when they see other children excited about a new task. One of the best things about having a multi-age class is that the younger students begin to want to do what the older students do.
I was inspired by Carol Dwek's TED Talk: The Power of Yet as a parent, as well as an educator. I'm guilty of encouraging my sons to make all A's because for one, I know they can do it. Two, I guess we've been conditioned to believe that an "A" symbolizes excellence. But, I'm inspired by Dwek's research into "growth mindset" vs. "fixed mindset." I really want my biological children, as well as my students, to always put maximum effort into learning, especially when it comes to taking on new and challenging tasks. I also want them to know that it's really not about the grade, but what you've learned. This is what I understood "growth mindset" to be after listening to the Talk. I never want them to feel like they have failed at something and there's no hope, but simply to know that they have not arrived at that point "yet." This lets them know that they can still get there with perserverance and hard work; and will excel as a result. I will definitely be mindful of "the power of yet" when interacting with All children.
Early childhood classrooms lend themselves to many ways of providing students with opportunities and experiences that can foster a growth mindset. Centers or stations is one of these opportunities. Centers/Stations give students a chance to engage in various activities daily, allowing them to be challenged in many ways. They are really challenged when they are encouraged to spend time in areas that are not their favorite areas. One Center that comes to mind is the Art Center. Students tend to approach coloring pictures on a coloring sheet with little to no reservations. However, some of my students shy away from drawing their own picture of something because they want it to look exactly like the real thing. Trying to draw your own picture of a house is definitely going to grow the brain's capacity more than just coloring in a house that has already been drawn for you.
I love this......."Are you not smart enough to solve it, or have you just not solved it yet?"
Hi Tieraney,
ReplyDeleteI want to suggest that you view the 2nd grade New Tech Rubric in our folder for Unit 4 instead of the 5th grade folder. You can also view it by clicking this link to the New Tech website. https://32dkl02ezpk0qcqvqmlx19lk-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/NTN-Agency-Rubric-2nd-Grade-.pdf
In looking at the second grade rubric with your students in your current fall pbl unit where would you say most of them are? I like to use this rubric with early childhood as less of a student assessment tool and more of a planning reflection tool. I look at it to ask myself where along this trajectory are my students currently and what opportunities for this am I providing students to grow in this area. It always leads me to consider possibilities for my current and future pbl planning. I am glad that you found Carol Dweck's TED Talk video to be helpful to you in understanding and encouraging a growth mindset both in your students and in your sons. I know as a mother it can be tricky to find a balance between promoting challenge and growth and risk taking while also wanting to ensure our children receive positive outcomes in terms of scores and grades that impact their futures. You shared many connections of growth mindset to your own classroom practices with your preschool instruction such as centers/stations and the many ways you challenge students to go beyond their current comfort level. Your art station example is an excellent one where instead of coloring an already drawn picture you are challenging students to draw their own. This moves students from consuming to creating and as many ways as we can provide students with motivation and encouragement to generate new thought and apply new learning we are helping promote a growth mindset. Like you I loved the quote, "Are you not smart enough to solve it, or have you just not solved it yet?"
Thanks,
Dawn