Day 76: The Secret to Success May Be in the Words We Use

Helping Kids Create a Dynamic-Learning Mindset

Those of us who work with children or who have children of our own have been in a situation where a child has shut down and declares, "I'll never be good at this."

Typically, we adults empathize with the frustrated kid because we know that learning something new can be frustrating.  So what do we usually say? "Don't worry, you'll get it. You're smart!"

We say this because we know it's true: The child will get this because they've figured things out before.  However, when we say things like "you're smart", we are actually doing more harm than good.

In his book Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives, Peter H. Johnston makes a compelling argument to be careful about how we respond to kids.  Johnston explains that when we say things like "you're smart", research shows that we are actually telling kids you are either smart or you are not.  We are reinforcing what Johnston and Carol Dweck call a "fixed mindset".  This is a state of mind from where the phrase "I'm not good at this" comes.  Kids (and adults) believe that you either get it or you don't when research actually suggests otherwise.

Johnston suggests that the words we use can help kids change their mindset to more of a "dynamic-learning" mindset, where the possibility of learning and getting better at something drives us to keep at something that is challenging.  Instead of saying "I'm not good at ________", we should be teaching kids to think "I'm not good at this yet."  Doing so will reinforce many positive outcomes:

• Kids will take more risks with their learning;
• Kids will not be afraid of failing;
• Kids will discover that learning is mostly an experience in not knowing at first.

To underscore these outcomes, Johnston cites a study by Dweck of children and fixed versus growth mindsets.  Researchers had two groups of students take a "non-verbal-reasoning" test.  One group of children was told after taking the test, "This is your score.  It's a very good score.  You must have worked hard."  Researchers told the other group of students, "This is your score.  It's a very good score.  You must be smart."

Next, both groups of students were told that the next day they were going to take more of the tests but that they could choose the next one.  They could take an easy one, like the one they already took, or one that is more challenging but one from which they might learn more.

We would expect the kids who were told they were "smart" would have a boost in their self-esteem and take the challenging test.  However, only about one-third of the "you-must-be-smart" group took the challenging test.  

On the other hand, more than 90% of the "you-must-have-worked-hard" students took the challenging test (p. 12).  Furthermore, the "worked-hard" students did better than they did on the first test.  And the "you-must-be-smart" kids?  You guessed it - they did worse than they did on the first test (p. 13).

Such a small difference in language can have profound effects on how kids see themselves as learners and how we adults can help create a foundation for success.  I highly recommend parents and teacher read Opening Minds.

Day 75: Painting to Rediscover the Joy of Reading

There are moments when even the things that brings joy and happiness into our lives gets a little too familiar.  It happens at our jobs, at home, or with our everyday routines.  This sometimes happens to readers too, especially young readers. We forget why it is we love reading - our excitement dwindles and we stop looking forward to picking up a good book.  

Recently, 2nd graders in Mrs. Ley and Mrs. Baker's class stepped outside of their routine in order to reconnect with their love of reading.  With the help of Mrs. Wendt, students created paintings inspired by the book Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney.  The book is a story about a woman who wanted to bring joy and beauty into the world by planting lupine, a beautiful purple flowering plant.  The excitement of painting generated by the students helped rekindle their love of reading.

Finding a unique way to reconnect to the joy of reading taught us that sometimes we need to break free from the routine to help ourselves remember to find joy in the things that we do everyday.

Day 74: Roger, 5th Grade Student

Fractions Were the Worst Thing in My Life.

"I couldn't get anything right.  I didn't understand it.  It was confusing.  I felt like I would never catch up and that I failed myself."

Many of us can relate to the feelings Roger, a 5th grade student in Mrs. Humm's class, felt about fractions.  When we don't understand something, it can affect us in different ways.  If we know it is important to understand something, yet find ourselves constantly not "getting it", it can make us feel very defeated as learners.  This is where persistence pays off.

Roger worked with Mrs. Humm to keep at it when it came to understanding fractions.  "Mrs. Humm found a way to make it easier.  [For example], I always thought you had to subtract the denominators from each other.  Like 1/5 - 2/10 would be 1/5.  She said not to subtract the denominator and that cleared up everything.  That one thing opened the door for me."  After that, Roger felt confident about the work he was doing with fractions.

Lessons like these stick with us as we continue to grow as learners because we proved it to ourselves that we can set goals for ourselves and achieve these goals.

Day 73: Dana Humm, 5th Grade Teacher

Kidblog:  Why my students enjoy blogging about their reading with total strangers.

I have learned that no matter how enthusiastic, energetic, funny, or entertaining I try to be, I will never be completely “cool” in the eyes of my students.  It’s something about the fact that I am the one assigning work, giving out homework, and nagging about forms that are due that make me seem almost like a second mom.  Do I think my students like me?  YES!  Do they want to blog with me about the books they are reading?  NO!

Enter Kidblog:  a website that safely lets students blog about books with total strangers!  Ok, not total strangers.  Currently my students are blogging with students at Columbus State Community College.  The college student and my 5th grader read the same book and then blog weekly to each other about what they read.  They ask each other questions about the book, answer questions from previous blogs, and talk about themselves.  (The whole time I get to monitor their posts to make sure they are appropriate and withhold any personal information).  The quality of writing and book analysis that comes from my students when there is a real-world purpose for it is phenomenal (not to mention that they get to use the laptops!)  I even find my students using their newfound audience to talk about other books they are reading and to make new book suggestions.  It is nice to see them engaging as real readers over real books.  Now if only I were as “cool” as their book buddies!

Student Blog:

“March 7, 2013 at 10:32 AM

Hello again you should get a chinchilla their so cute! I agree about how Jay is selfish. The book Hoot is really good im really far in it. Its probably going to be like Lost and Found a book that you never wished ended. You should read it its an awesome book. Ya I agree never knowing what happens next in a good book is what makes a book so good. Thats what happens in Hoot if I leave off at a good part I just wanna keep reading on. If I were Melissa and I knew the secret then I wouldn’t tell anyone even if I trusted a friend not to tell. Because like what happened in the book everyone was only telling friends they trusted,and then thats how the secret got around. Because every one just had to tell one of there close friends who they trusted. What would you do if you knew RAY and Jays secret? hmm would I tell melissa the secret if I were Jay? I think I would because Melissa seems like she could keep a secret, but like what happend in the book I think I wont tell Melissa my secret ,but I would because Ray even said he felt good to tell someone so maybe I would tell Melissa my secret. What would you do?

I do think that the whole school is going to find out. Because its getting around really fast, and sooner or later the whole school is going to tell because it is a cool secret. So yes I think the whole school is going to find out. Their going to get in trouble probably by there parents. I cant wait to hear back from you. Bye!!!!!!!!!”

Day 72: Mrs. Hall's 3rd Grade Writers

Persuasive 3rd Graders

Recently, students in Mrs. Hall's class worked with our Literacy Coach, Mrs. Wendt, and explored the genre of persuasive writing.  Students learned that there can be power in words, especially in a well-written persuasive writing piece.

Here are a few new understandings Mrs. Hall's students have learned:

• "There's a lot of steps, like revising your work."
• "You have to use good words to get people to read it."
• "You need to use words like 'finally', 'first', 'second', 'third' and 'in conclusion'."
• "The conclusion is important and you need to use the word 'should' in your conclusion."
• "You need at least three ideas to support what you think."
• "You need to get your reader's attention by having a strong opening."

Check out the hall display outside of Mrs. Hall's room for more persuasive writing!

Day 71: Reflecting on Math

Doing my taxes helped me understand kids who sometimes struggle with math.

I don't know what got into me.  One beautiful, cold January morning, I decided to begin working on filing my income taxes.  I didn't know it would take me 5 solid hours, which made me regret even starting on the task.  However, I found myself thinking the same thought  the entire time: This must be what kids feel like when they don't get math.

I can't count how many times I was frustrated and didn't know what to do next.  I crumpled paper, grumbled, and got up just to get away from the problem.  Midway through, I began to keep track of all of the things I had to do just to get through my math problem:

• Got up/moved around
• crumpled paper
• bent paper clips
• worked out math on scrap paper
• asked a question on Google
• looked up two forms on the IRS website
• talked to my wife 
• played Angry Birds online
• searched for child care documents
• used a calculator
• got a drink of water
• ate lunch
• took a break by checking Google News 
• reorganized personal files

Looking back at the list shows me that I like to have the chance to get away from the problem to give my brain a break and that I needed lots of tools to complete the task (one other tool I didn't mention was that I used an online tax prep service to "tutor" me through all of this).

When I think about my experience, I started to think, "This is probably the same way kids are feeling sometimes."  Also, look back at all of the things I needed just to be successful on my math problem.  It helped me understand just how important it is to give kids access to tools and allow them enough time to be successful with their math problems.  

Day 70: Learning about Bullying through Opera

"Brij Closed"

On Friday, March, 8th, Opera Columbus performed The Three Billy Goats Gruff for students at Hilliard Horizon Elementary.  The trio of opera singers have been working with Mrs. Romine, our music teacher, and some of our building's finest singers.  Through amazing music and singing, the show taught us about bullying, how we can deal with it, and why people sometimes bully.  Here is a description from Opera Columbus:

Bring opera into your school and teach students about the  effects of bullying with an operatic version of the well-known story of The Billy Goats Gruff set to music by Mozart, Donizetti, and Rossini. With Opera goes to school! your students have a chance to share the stage with professional opera singers. An after-school game of hide and seek is ruined for three billy goat friends when a big bully blocks a bridge, preventing them from being able to go home. Each of the goats chooses how to deal with the conflict, but in the end, all three learn that compassion turns a would-be adversary into a new friend.

Check out some clips from the performance! 

Opera Columbus at Hilliard Horizon ES from HZN165 on Vimeo.

Opera Columbus at Hilliard Horizon, part 1 from HZN165 on Vimeo.