Eclectic Technology

If your learners are fans of Star Wars, then these posters may find a place in your classroom. You will find not only the image above (which is on Growth Mindset), but also an image of The Dark Side, otherwise knows as a Fixed Mindset.

In addition, there is a poster 8 Mathematical Processes of Jedi Masters, as well as one on Standards Based Gradings (an assessment tool). To go directly to a page that allows you to download the images click here.

Check out this visual using the quote "Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude." Consider printing out a copy and putting on the wall, reminding students that with time and effort they will improve!

Carol Dweck has been studying mindset for many years, and this post shares information from her work. There is a discussion on growth mindset and fixed mindset as well as a discussion on how a growth mindset can help one learn (which also shares information from some of her research).

This is followed by a list of 25 ways to help students develop a growth mindset. Five are listed below.

* Acknowledge and embrace imperfections.

* View challenges as opportunities.

* Follow the research on brain plasticity.

* Value the process over the end result.

* Provide regular opportunities for reflection.

What would happen if your class or your school chose one suggestion a week and had it become a part of the school culture? Would students learn more about growth mindset and be more willing to take risks? To understand that everyone fails at different points in their life, but they have the ability to move on (and potentially share information about people who have failed and led a successful life)?  What are your thoughts on this subject?

And remember to click through to the post to see all 25 suggestions (as well as links to additional resources).

Learn why it is important to stretch your brain, to try new things (and to fail) and to continue to try and improve. Learn about our "Lizard Brain"  (also known as the amygdala),an important component of our brain that impacts how we learn, but the learning is related to the time when humans hunted in the wild. This part of the brain holds us back in many ways, and although it once protected us now it tends to hold us back.

What can we do about this? The video explores this and discusses some of the ways we can "dance" with this "Lizard Brain" and move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. For more information take the time to watch this video.

We want our students to become lifelong learners? To become a lifelong learner it is essential to have a growth mindset. This post begins with a discussion of Carol Dweck's work on growth and fixed mindset, and moves on to provide 25 practices that help to foster lifelong learning. Five of the practices are listed below. There are an additional twenty in the post and each is explained in more depth.

* Begin with the end in mind.

* Create your own learning toolbox.

* Try new things on a frequent basis.

* Keep a "to-learn" list.

* Improve your memory.

Where does growth mindset and maker education meet? Jackie Gerstein had created a great visual (see above) that looks at areas where both of these concepts come together.

Would you agree that valuing effort is a part of growth mindset and maker education? How about failure being approached as interactive?

Learn more about these intersections on two resources listed in this post and click through for a larger version of the image above or for a typed copy of the list.

As teachers many of believe it is important to teach students about growth mindset. This research provides additional information about the value of doing this. Quoting the last paragraph from this article in Time:

"The takeaway: How we’re predisposed to think about problems changes the way our brains handle them. Beyond the abilities we’ve inherited, the most important factor in achievement may be believing that it’s within reach."

If you are interested in more information on growth mindset search for the term in this Scoop.it. There are quite a few articles and videos that are appropriate to share with students.

Who knew that the Growth Mindset is just one component of the Academic Mindsets? (My answer would be "not me.") Having stumbled on this post from mimio I knew I had to share it. Learn about three other mindsets that our students need to be aware of:

* Self-Efficacy

* Sense of Belonging

* Relevance

Are these mindsets you use in our classroom? How might you incorporate them? What will your students think about them? 

Click through to read more.

Do you teach your students about growth mindset? Is this a topic of discussion with other staff in your school? Jackie Gerstein has shared three excellent resources in this post that focuses on growth mindset.

She has created an infographic (image above) that looks at fixed mindset and growth mindset, showing how a student may identify based on their mindset.

The next step was putting the infographic into ThingLink and creating links to over 15 resources. Here is the link: ThingLink version of the infographic.

There is also a slideshow that provides additional resources (although some may be repeated in the ThingLink). The slideshow is split into four sections:

* Mindsets

* Historical Background

* The Educator with a Growth Mindset

* Teaching the Growth Mindset to your Learners

Since this post is based on a workshop she provided it is a great resource to share with teachers at your school (or other teachers whom you know). Make sure to check out the resources for students. You may find yourself creating a poster to help your students learn more about growth mindset.

The concept of growth mindset is often discussed in schools. Research shows that a students' mindset plays a role in how well they do at school. This post provides "4 belief statements that underlie student performance." Each statement is listed below, but click through to the post to learn more about the meaning behind the statement.

1. “I belong in this academic community.”

2. “My ability and competency grow with effort.”

3. “I can succeed.”

4. “This work has value for me.”

There are a number of links in the article and you may want to read the article located in EdWeek (published in Sept. 2013). This article looks at how our language as teachers impacts each student. Our words are important and we may not be aware of the words we use are impacting our students.

Also consider scrolling down and reading the comment by Tom Vander Ark. He discusses two areas that are forgotten in the discussion of mindset (and he includes grit here also) - the ability to transfer knowledge between content areas (an important component in Common Core) and "domain knowledge and skill." He provides suggestions on what we might try in our classrooms.

There are times when we run out of steam and feel little to no creativity...and this infographic provides some quick and easy ways to move ourselves towards a more creative space. The post provides the 27 ideas as a list (which some folks may prefer). As you read through you might also think of sharing some of these with students, especially if you are going to have a conversation about growth mindset.

What happens when a fixed mindset is moved to a growth mindset? Gerstein states a growth mindset leads to  "focusing on what can work rather than what is not working. This is not to devalue the obstacles that teachers face. It becomes about noting where change is possible and making some small changes in teaching.  Small changes often result in larger, more systemic change."

She then goes on to explore teacher agency and provide strategies for teachers to "gain and increase their agency."

For education to change teachers must also be open to change, and the strategies are suggestions to help teachers gain their voice and become empowered.

Jackie Gerstein shares her thoughts on what beliefs a growth mindset facilitator will have. From my experience we seem to have a growing number of learners whom may struggle with growth mindset. As an educator you may find some suggestions that you could incorporate into your classroom.

The data shows that learners whom have growth mindsets do better in school. But how do we know which learners have growth mindsets and which have a fixed mindset. PERTS (the Project for Education Research that Scales from Stanford) has a mindset kit (in beta form) that is available at no cost. In it  you will find lessons that you can use with your learners. The website states that the mindset kit is a "free, online resource designed to help educators and parents learn about adaptive academic mindsets, learn practices that promote these mindsets, and download activity ideas."

You will also find a survey that you have learners take (and you will receive a report with the final score).

Are you interested in teaching your learners about growth mindset? This is a great tool, and they welcome feedback as they will continue to add resources to this site. Take some time to  explore this site.

The infographic above is geared to elementary students. Research shows that if we teach students about their brain, and about growth mindset and fixed mindset it makes a difference. Consider sharing this with your students and have them answer the questions. Some may find that they are holding themselves back based on their mindset. Students could share strategies that they use when they find themselves falling into areas of a fixed mindset.

Jackie Gerstein shares a number of posts she has written that discuss growth mindset as well as an interview with Carol Reiley, who is publishing a book, Making a Splash, which is designed for children to learn more about growth mindsets (as well as parents/teachers). Along with the great image (shown above) that compares growth mindset and fixed mindset there is an interview with Carol Reiley as well as two short video clips.

You can also check out her website, GoBrain, to learn more the book and to find a larger version of the visual and information on growth mindset.

If you are interested in Maker Education this post from Jackie Gerstein is worth checking out. She provides three visuals, all of which are also put in ThingLink, so each has great resources linked to the image.

The three images are:

* Educator as a Maker Educator

* Perfect Storm for Maker Education

* A Making Reflection (designed for students this could be used in a variety of ways)

There is also a slideshare The Mindset of a Maker Educator that provides links to a range of materials.

How can you, as an educator, help students develop a growth mindset? This infographic from Jackie Gerstein provides provides a  look at:

* "the common beliefs of an educator who promotes a growth mindset"

* "common beliefs of an educator who promotes a growth mindset"

She also discusses the need for a teacher to become a coach when we look at mindset, providing a link for additional information that you may find helpful, as well as links to some of here previous writings on mindset.

Do you discuss growth mindset with your students? Do you also discuss what a fixed mindset is? In this post Jackie Gerstein provides her insights into these areas, and also talks about the grwoth of what she defines as a "toxic mindset" where a students might think:

• Mediocre is often good enough for me as long as I get the work done.

We are fortunate that she has also provided a "Personal Accountability and Reflection" series of questions, which is shown in the infographic above, and also listed in the post. Below are two of the questions.

• Did I work as hard as I could have?

• Did I regulate my procrastination, distractions, and temptations in order to complete my work?

These are great questions to use with your students. How do you think  your students would answer them? Would they acknowledge how they are working accurately?

How can we help nurture a growth mindset? New research has been published shows that providing as little as "30-minute online intervention can spur academic gains for many students, particularly those with poor grades."

Learn more about the programs that were offered and about the gains that struggling students made based on the online intervention.

Carol Dweck is known for her research on growth mindset and this post provides up-to-date information that may make you consider creating a short presentation and discussion with students about the value of hard work and effort as well as various study techniques. It is important to remember that students of all ages need to be educated that they are able to learn.

Grit, persistence, determination, growth mindset...there are many buzzwords in education today that focus on similar ideas. This post is actually from NPR. (You could hear the interview on their website. The link is at the end of this post.)

It explores the concept of grit and how the term has come to enter the field of education.

Do you think grit "a better predictor of success than IQ or other measures"? Can "grit" be taught? Can you develop a school around the concept of grit? Will teaching students about growth mindset change make a difference in their education? These and many other ideas are addressed in this post.

To go to NRP to hear the article: http://www.npr.org/2014/03/17/290089998/does-teaching-kids-to-get-gritty-help-them-get-ahead

This chart looks at the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset by looking at eight areas:

* Desire

* Evaluation of situations

* Dealing with setbacks

* Challenges

* Effort

* Criticism

* Success of others

* Result...

You may want to share this with students or other teachers at your school.