Beyond the Grade:Motivating High Achievers

OHASSTA Conference Niagara Falls, ON

November 15, 2013

Amanda Myerscough and Kim HandS.C.D.S.B.

Deepen understanding of the role mindset plays in student metacognition

Examine strategies teachers can experiment with to support growth mindset thinking in high achievers

Collaborate with educators and share ideas and resources

Session Goals

“Famous Failures”

What appeals to you about this video?

Dr. Carol Dweck

Mindsets Graphic Colour.pdf

“People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes.” Dweck

How does this quote relate to some of your high achieving students?

What challenges might some high achieving students experience if they believe their intelligence is fixed?

What ideas resonate with you?

What ideas do you disagree with?

Read and Discuss

I can’t……….

Growth Mindset Language

YET

Student Inventory : Compare and Contrast

Student voice : through conversations/actions

Survey in folder

From Theory to PracticeDetermining Student Mindset

http://www.teachingprofessor.com/wp-content/uploads/Mindset-quiz.pdf

Avoid Challenges (Fixed Mindset)

- Differentiated instruction rating scale

- Muddiest point card

- Effective Feedback

Embrace Challenges (Growth Mindset)

Differentiated instruction rating scale

Using the diagram, rate the options on the choice board from assignments you are most comfortable with to least and justify why.

Most comfortable:

2nd most:

3rd most:

Least:

Why?

Ranking Ladder from: Graphic Intelligence – Playing with Possibilities

Muddiest Point Card

The muddiest point in ____________________ is:

To clarify this I will:

Idea adapted from: Knowing What Counts – Self Assessment and Goal Setting.

Effective Feedback

When a student has achieved a high mark with little effort, teachers can still encourage them to challenge themselves:

“Can you think of a skill to work on that might offer you more of a challenge next time?”

“This is a good result, please find the area that you most want to improve, and let’s develop a plan of action to do that.”

Give up easily (Fixed Mindset)

- Making of learning as learning:

- Test self-assessment

- Explicitly teaching skills and creating action plans (Co- constructing transferable skills & I used to … and now I…)

Persist in the face of setbacks (Growth Mindset)

Making of learning as learning

Self-assessment after a test

Explicitly teaching skills and making action plans

1. Co-construct transferable skills chart

2. I used to…. And now I…

I used to….

And now I…

I used to… adapted from Knowing What Counts – Self- Assessment and Goal Setting.

See effort as fruitless or worse (Fixed Mindset)

- Self-assessment right after a test

- Self-assessment on a rubric

See effort as a path to mastery (Growth Mindset)

Self-Assessment After Test

At the end of a test a teacher could ask students to complete the form – this could be used as an entrance card the next day.

Self-assessment on a rubric

metacognition

Ignore useful negative feedback (Fixed Mindset)

-Feedback with action plan to submit (test self-assessment with parent

signature and teacher exit card)

- Model in your class (roses and thorns)

- Celebrate risk-taking (risk-taking beads)

Learn from criticism (Growth Mindset)

Feedback with action plan to submit

Exit Card Name:Overall, my feelings about the results on my test are…   My plan for future tests is…   My teacher can help by…

Model in your class (roses and thorns)

Roses and thorns can be used for an exit card, the key is – the teacher needs to acknowledge the thorns and act on them (which also models your growth mindset).

Rose: One thing you like about the class so far:

Thorn: One thing you dislike about the class so far:

Celebrate risk-taking (risk-taking beads)

When students make an attempt to answer a question, or try something challenging… we celebrate the effort!

Feeling threatened by success of others (Fixed Mindset)

-Exemplars to make success criteria

- Anchor Charts

Finding lessons and inspiration(Growth Mindset)

Exemplars to make success criteria

Using past exemplars, set students in groups and ask the students to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the assignment, based on the success criteria.

Fixed mindset students will see that they can learn from the success of others (make this connection for them).

Anchor Charts

Have students develop anchor charts, this encourages them to use the ideas of others.

Brainstorm a list with the class T-P-S

Green paper

Complete the two questions on bottom

Share your ideas

Consolidate

On the yellow sticky write down two new things you would like to try next week with your students……

Learning to Action

Please provide us some feedback so we can learn from you and build onto our presentation for next time.

Thank you very much for your attention and participation today.

Feedback Please

Bennett, Barrie. Graphic Intelligence Playing With Possibilities. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2010.

Brookhart, Susan M. How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom. Virginia: ASCD, 2010.

Cameron, Caren et al. Knowing What Counts Self-Assessment and Goals Setting. Edited by Annalee Greenberg. Courtenay: Connections Publishing, 2011.

Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballentine Books, 2006.

Dweck, Carol S. “The Perils and Promises of Praise” Educational Leadership. 2, Volume 5: October 2007. Pages 34-39.

Holmes, Nigel. Mindset Graphic at http://www.isacs.org/misc_files/Mindset%20diagram.pdf

Sources