Josh's Note: The whole purpose of me doing this was to help provide you with thoughts, resources, and things that may "make you think." Why not ask some of you to provide those same ideas to your colleagues. This year, periodically, I hope to have a guest contributor. This week it is Carolyn Hartman.
Start thinking about what you will contribute WHEN I ask you.
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As we start this school year, I have been thinking a lot about the freshman class. Many freshmen have expressed their “fear of failure” not only in their first year of high school, but throughout their time at Patrick Henry. My question is how do we help that fear and encourage them to persevere through it all?
In the YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1uijt3Ydqs) Angela Duckworth comments on the idea of how a growth mindset is the way to do it! Think about the following questions:
- How do you see your students display grit (in or out of the classroom)?
- How do you think the idea of grit impacts a student, or teacher’s, mindset?
- As it is difficult to instill the idea of grit, how do you think we can begin to do this with our students?
- Is there a way that you have found works best, to build someone up after an experience with failure?
I was thinking about the idea of "building someone up after an experience with failure" as I gave the freshmen their first science quiz this week. I was afraid of a couple kids' responses to their grades - hoping they weren't going to be mad or give up after the first quiz didn't go so well for them. I think what helped this time was to offer and even assign follow-up and chance for corrections so as to immediately say: "Here's where we are, but we aren't done. We WILL get this. We WILL do better." Teaching that "keep going" attitude through continued work together as opposed to the "O well, you obviously didnt get it, so you're done and we are all discouraged now" attitude.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of GRIT or GRITTINESS, I think of determination. Just getting the assigned task done no matter the circumstances. GRITTINESS happens in way more places than schools, but schools are a microcosm of the world and student's grittiness is more evident in our setting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contribution Carolyn.