Learning to Learn

The idea of Growth Mindset was originated by Carol Dweck, who emphasizes the power of "not yet" when engaging in a learning process. She suggests reframing educational experiences to consider that if a skill has not been mastered, there is possibility for growth. Dweck posits that one of the most effective strategies an educator can use is to "praise wisely", and to celebrate hard work, strategies and focus (Dweck, 2014). Her ideas have been widely adapted. For a website resource to support building growth mindset in the classroom, go to : www.mindsetkit.org You have to register, but it is a simple process and there are many excellent, free resources on this site.

Teaching students to reflect is new to me. In the past I have done this by having my students set goals and reflect on progress towards those goals. This reflection has been done through conferences with me. I have also used reflection as a tool for resolving conflicts in class, as I have followed the Restorative Practices model as a followup to situations that arise between students. However, I have never had students explicitly record their reflections.

My goal this year is to incorporate more opportunities for students to record their reflections, and to start with using some general questions that students may respond to on a weekly basis. I found some general questions that I may adapt for my classroom, in the article "8 Reflective Questions to Help Any Student Think About Their Learning." This resource suggests a tweet as an exit slip, with an answer to a reflective question. I think this form of microblogging could be useful, but it depends on the age of the students, and their understanding of digital citizenship. I think that if I start the process in a more general way, I can learn to incorporate it into specific tasks with more depth as the year progresses. Perhaps these questions may be a good starting point for you also. I am also going to think about multiple ways for students to express themselves, including using video, audio, blogging and conferences.