Category Archives: Growth Mindset

Blogging to learn and assess

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Inspired by our own faculty blog and wanting to try something new with my unit on Jane Eyre this year, I decided to have me students blog about Charlotte Bronte’s novel as they read it.  With support and guidance from Christina Ditzel, my sophomore students launched their own “Jane Eyre” blogs last semester.

My hope was that their blogs – shared with a group of three other students – would be a way for them to engage with the challenging book and make personal connections to the story. I also saw the blog as a substitute to the traditional reading quiz, which can historically be experienced and perceived by students as a stress-inducing “game” to win.

The blogs were successful in many ways. They gave students a platform and audience for their writing, they encouraged students to be reflective and by nature forced students to process what they read, they allowed students to be creative, and they equipped students with some useful digital media skills.

Even though, unfortunately, these blogs were still viewed by some as a chore, most were grateful for the opportunity to show their understanding of the book in their own words and in a new way. They also ultimately found the blogs less stressful than traditional reading quizzes. I will definitely be having by students blog more in the future.

As we move toward a more innovative and progressive curriculum, I feel called to continue to closely look at all of my assessments. Yes, there will always be a place in the classroom for quick, formative, low-stakes assessments. But if they require any significant amount of time, it seems to me that they must be more than just “assessments;” they should be treated as rich learning experiences in and of themselves. Journeys of knowledge, not just products of knowledge. My assessments still need a lot of work.

I also feel called to deepen my engagement with students on their learning journeys. Too often I pay them the longest visit only once they’ve reached the final destination of submitting their work.

The other day, the English education leader Carol Jago tweeted: “The Latin root for assessment is assidere, to sit beside. It’s the best seat in the house for any teacher.” I know that my sophomore bloggers, especially my reluctant and struggling writers, might have had better learning experiences had I made more time to sit beside them.
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If you want to learn more about my pedagogical rationale and the expectations I established for their writing, you can read about it here in a piece I wrote for the February issue of California English.

Growing brains in Algebra Honors

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My Algebra Honors students had a test last Friday on systems of equations in 2 variables.  We had done a lot of work on this chapter and I knew that I didn’t want to assign them more of the same types of problems on our review day Wednesday.  Instead I had the class work in groups of 3 and I gave each group a sheet of paper with two word problems written out.  I told them that they had 50 minutes to solve these two problems using any strategy they wanted.  They just had to justify their answer with math.  I told the class that they are expected to explain their problem to the class toward the end of the period.

What I didn’t tell the class was that the problems involved 3 variables (an Algebra 2 concept) and that we hadn’t learned how to solve systems of equations in 3 variables.  Instead I told them that I believed in them and I knew they would be able to solve them. 
The students got to work solving the problems.  As I walked around the groups I loved seeing all of the different strategies the students used.  One group solved their problems on the white boards and every time they got stuck or realized they made a mistake they would start solving it again without erasing their work.  They labeled each try as a “take” and would refer back to what they did before to help them figure out where they made mistakes.  Finally “take 6” was successful and they were so proud of themselves for figuring it out.  
They labeled their final, correct work as “Holy Ground” and they were so proud of themselves.  
As this group worked I would hear them say things like “we’ve never solved equations with 3 variables before…I’m not sure how to set this up but I know Mrs. Schooler wouldn’t give us a problem we couldn’t solve.”  I also heard a lot of comments about how their brain was growing from the mistakes they made!  The groups for the most part worked without my help.  At times if a group was really stuck I asked them some questions to get them thinking about the problem in a different way 
and that was usually sufficient to get them working again.
As students presented their answers it was fascinating to see how almost every group solved both problems but even better was that not one group solved them the same exact way.  

The students listened to each group present and they would exclaim that they hadn’t thought of solving it that way or telling another group they were impressed at how they approached the problem.  


I surveyed the students after class asking them what they thought of the two problems and what approaches they used when they got stuck.  Here were some of their responses:


“When we got stuck we would look back to see where we went wrong and we listened to each other’s advice.” 
“Whenever we got stuck we would try a new strategy but left the old strategy on the board in case it helped us.”

I also asked the students how they felt after class.  Here’s what they said:


“I felt accomplished and proud of myself because I got to figure out a hard problem without the teacher’s help.  I also felt proud of my group because we worked really hard together to solve it.”
“I felt very challenged but in a good way.”
“I felt like I understood the problems a lot more after hearing how each group solved it.” 

I was so proud of my students.  They were given challenging problems to solve and were successful in solving them.  They made connections to what they knew about systems of equations in 2 variables and applied it to 3 variables.  This is a reminder to me that I need to always remember that my students are capable of so much and that if I am to prepare them to be strong mathematics students I need to give them more problems like this so I can help their brains grow.

Shooting for the Stars

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On the first day back from Christmas break I decided to jump start the math brains of my Algebra 1 with Math Lab students.  I gave them the following problem:
You have 10 fewer quarters than dimes and 5 fewer nickels than quarters.  The total value of the coins is $4.75.  How many of each coin do you have?
I didn’t tell them until we were almost finished that this is an Algebra 2 Trig problem.  To solve it you need to write and solve a system of three equations with three variables.
I gave them about 10 minutes to work with their group without any help from me.  They could use any method – I even brought in some coins for those that need to “see” it.  You can see some of their efforts on the papers below.  A few solved it by “guess and check.”

After 10 minutes, I started prompting them with the following:
            Which do you have more of: quarters or dimes, nickels or quarters?
            Write an equation that relates the number of quarters and the
                    number of dimes.
            Do the same for nickels and quarters.
            Define variables for the number of each of the coins you have.
            What is the value of one quarter?  What is the value of all of the
                    quarters you have?
            Do the same for dimes and nickels.
            Write an equation that represents the value of all the coins you have.
We ended up finishing the problem together on the board.  And I think most of the students understood the steps and why it worked.
When we finished, I asked them why they thought I chose this problem for today.  They said:
            To get our brains going again.
            To show us that struggle is ok.
            To have us make mistakes and get the synapses firing.
            To encourage us to stick with a really hard problem and not give up.
Yay!  Growth mindset is sinking in!
Notice I didn’t tell you the answer.  Can you figure it out?  I believe in you!  You can do this!

FlipGrid – Take 1

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Last Monday, I used FlipGrid in class for the first
time.  I first heard of this app from the
English Department when they used it for the National Day on Writing.  As well, people in some of the ed chats I
follow on Twitter have recommended it as a way to engage students and to allow
them to have their voices heard.  So I
thought I would give it a try.
In my Algebra 1 with Math Lab class, we watched Carol Dweck’s
10-minute video “The Power of Believing You Can Improve” as a part of our
continuing discussion on growth mindsets. 
I asked the students to write down three take-aways as they
watched.  Then I gave them about 20
minutes to use FlipGrid to create a short video with their response.  I told them they could work with others, but
they had to stay on task.  OK, that didn’t
work.  While few of the videos were focused
and addressed the prompt, others were just down-right silly.  I realize now they needed more direction.
So I’m going to try it again this coming week as a review
tool for the Chapter 5 Test.  Here’s my
plan:  Students will work in pairs to show
and explain how to solve inequalities.  Each
pair will have four different questions to answer.  My hope is that by explaining how they
arrived at their solutions and by watching others do the same they will gain
confidence in their ability to solve these types of questions.  I also plan to review their videos before
making them visible to the class.
I’ll let you know how it turns out.  Stay tuned for my follow-up blog post “FlipGrid
– Take 2.”

Bring on the Challenge!

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This post is a bit of an update from a prior post of mine in which my attempt to foster a growth mindset through challenge majorly failed (to say the least).  Fast forward two chapters and my students and I have evolved.  After listening to their concerns, I changed my testing strategy.  I didn’t want to give up on the challenge, but I realized I had perhaps done too much too soon.  As a compromise I gave the students two options for the Chapter test:  [1] Take a standard test with fairly expected problems or [2] Complete an application-style test which consists of one large-scale real-life problem that would be different than anything they had seen but which would use the concepts taught in the chapter.  The carrot?  Option [2] would be completed in groups of 2-3 and have use of any and all resources (internet, books, notes, you name it).  Option [1] would be completed individually with limited resources (calculator and study guide).

Last chapter, when I first implemented this approach, 8 out of my 80+ Algebra 2 students went for the application style test.  Each of those students worked their tails off in the 45 minute period but all ultimately figured it out.  It was a small success!  This chapter, an amazing 23 students opted for the more challenging test, 11 being from my Period 4 class which had originally shown the most resistance to challenge and the idea that to truly grow one must struggle.  Again, it was a 45 minute period filled with sweat, hustle and adrenaline and again they all got to the end and correctly solved the problem.  This is remarkable considering that in this chapter, where we covered systems of equations and inequalities, I took my own risk and gave them a linear programming problem.  While related to systems of inequalities, I didn’t teach this method and these types of problems are complicated even when taught well.  It just goes to show that if we set our expectations high, our girls will rise to the challenge.

I feel like we’ve started a revolution in the Math Department and it’s so exciting.  When students make mistakes I celebrate and tell them, “your brain just grew!”  I regularly hear my students telling each other, “I believe in you!  You’ve got this!  Growth Mindset!”  While they are gently mocking me with these statements, I have to believe that some of these ideas are sinking in.  And now, I see them choosing challenge over predictability.  It’s awesome and exciting to be part of it.

Finally, I leave you with some encouraging feedback from a unit evaluation I gave immediately following today’s test.  Yes, I’m focusing on the positives (and no they weren’t all positive) but the balance of positive to negative comments is shifting and I’m riding that momentum:


I love doing challenging problem, like the performance task.

The group test really helped open my mind on the chapter and I get to view things differently.

Keep challenging us

I am starting to have a better growth mindset and open to challenges.

the performance task was kind of hard, but it made me work harder

Women of Heart, Courage, Faith, and GRIT!

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Before you begin reading, predict the numbers that complete this equation.

        Intelligence =_____% effort vs.  _____% ability*



Consider this quote from Michael Jordan: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot. . .and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan (1997 Nike commercial)

     What are mindsets and how do they affect our classrooms? What are ways we can build a growth mindset within our classroom? What are some ways to help students adopt a growth mindset? As I continue to research and read, these questions appear to urgently be in need of answers and more importantly transformed into daily classroom practice in every classroom beginning in preschool.  As I write this blog, I think about how the world watched an entire global celebration of grit and growth mindset during the summer Olympics in Rio. Bring it on!

The growth mindset confirms that intelligence can be developed, and expertise can be built by 
means of deliberate practice.

      Back in August I read about teachers allowing their students to struggle to help them understand that learning often times involves struggle and failure; however, with continued effort and perseverance the likelihood of success increases. One of our own teachers, Amanda Jain, actually experimented with this idea during one of her exams. The problem I see is, if one teacher focuses on grit, the students will be influenced while in that particular teacher’s classroom. For a genuine shift to occur, the students need consistency over time and within different contexts. The idea of a school-wide campaign on grit appeals to me and what the mission of the CSJ’s represents. 


       In August, our department started a “How to Learn Math For Teachers” course constructed by Jo Boaler, a Stanford University Maths professor. Through the continuing discussions we have about the growth mindset, the idea of grit was also apparent. It led many of us to a TED talk video from Angela Duckworth about grit and her findings of how it was such a key factor in student success. As a department we have discussed what grit means to us and how we could apply that in our classroom to help make our students more successful. 

Have you used the idea of grit in your classroom this year yet?

       My focus for grit in the classroom is on building their stamina and confidence in their own abilities, as well as building cognition. My job is to give them tools and skill sets to do the very best they can and to not feel overwhelmed/ready to quit before they even begin. I model grit as often as possible for my students, and have found myself on many occasions using it myself. Often times, I find myself overwhelmed with all of the things I have to do that have nothing to do with planning quality lessons. I also am overwhelmed with continuously trying to differentiate my craft so that I meet all of the individual needs of every student. I to feel like giving up some days due to the fear that I will fail the monumental task entrusted to me, but know that I need to push on and push through (use grit) because the job I have is so very important. 

       Teaching reeks stress and havoc as a result of juggling so many priorities, and yes, they all are priorities that all need our time and attention. Right now. And faster is better. The reality is that our accelerated pace truly does not serve anyone (teachers and/or students). It is not how fast students master learning but rather their persistence, grit, and effort they put forth along with the right menu of teaching strategies. The growth mindset of a teacher contributes greatly to his or her responsiveness to the needs of students. Let us all step back, take a deep breath, be reminded that teaching is the most noble of all professions. We are truly the fortunate who can call themselves teachers. Thanks for stopping by and strengthening some neurons.


* Depending on your mindset:  
Fixed mindset = 35% effort vs. 65% ability
Growth mindset = 65% effort vs. 35% ability





A Week of Inspirational Math

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After almost six weeks of slogging through the first two
chapters of the textbook, I decided to take a break with my Algebra 1 with Math
Lab class and do a Week of Inspirational Math. 
I wanted to apply and share with my students some of what the Math Department
is learning in Jo Boaler’s How to Learn Math for Teachers class.  The resources are on her website www.youcubed.org.  Each day we watched a short video and followed
it up with a discussion.  Then we did a
hands-on activity to illustrate the video’s message.  The topics included:

  • how our brains grow and change
  • how we see numbers and patterns differently
  • how our brains grow when we make mistakes
  • the importance of having confidence in your ability
  • the importance of visualizing math
  • that speed is not important, but deep thinking is

For me, this was an important activity to do with this
particular class.  These are our students
who struggle with math.  It has never
come easy to them and often they don’t feel very smart.  At the end of the week, I asked for their
input.  I found their comments very
encouraging:

Through the week of
inspirational math I learned a lot about myself and that my brain is ever
growing and changing and I can always improve my brain, and it is important and
ok to make mistakes because it helps my brain to grow and change.
It made sense that
they said that making mistakes is a learning opportunity because it gives our
brain a chance to grow. I learned that I should always take my time and get the
better grade, instead of rushing & making careless mistakes and getting
points taken off. I feel now that when I make a mistake, it grows my brain
more, which makes me more happy.
I feel like now that
I’ve watched those videos that I can have a better attitude towards math and
try my best at doing it as well.
I learned that I like
to visualize or draw things, more than just doing all of the math in my head.
It helps me understand what’s happening.
I guess I didn’t know what to expect heading into the
week.  But now seeing the impact it has
made on several of the students, there will definitely be more Weeks of
Inspirational Math in our future!

We Will Rise

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I recently watched CNN’s We Will Rise video.  (You can watch the trailer by clickinghere).  

In the video First Lady Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, Freida
Pinto, and Isha Sesay travel to Morocco and Liberia where they meet young women
who are overcoming various obstacles to get an education and improve their
lives.  These young women are fighting
for the right to an education so they can have the opportunity to better
themselves and their communities.  The
video highlights the stories of a few young women including Raphina in Liberia
who wakes up every morning at 5am to clean the house, bathe her little
brothers, prepare food for the household and go to market all before attending
her first classes of the day.  The only
time she has to study is at night with a flashlight from 9-11pm.  The video also talks about Fouzya in Morocco
who is the first girl from her village to obtain a college degree.  She discusses how in her community there is a
lot of gender discrimination and girls are not thought of as needing an
education.  The role of girls is to be in
the home and many parents do not prioritize their daughter’s education.

Despite the obstacles these young girls face, they
prioritize their education.  They embody the
growth mindset and are well aware that they need to continue with school in
order to have the opportunity to change the trajectory of their life.  They are passionate about learning and do not
want anything to keep them back from achieving their dreams.       
While many aspects of this video inspired me what really
left an impact was toward the end of the video when one of the girls asked
Meryl Streep what advice she had for the girls. 
This is what Meryl responded with:
“I’m not sure I have advice for the girls here. I think within each
one of them, the young women that I have met, have such strength of purpose. It
all exists within each of you. It is already there. And you just have to reach
in and access it. Because in my own life, I know that losing heart is the most
dangerous thing. You can put any obstacle in front of me and I’ll jump over it.
But when I lose heart, you lose everything. And so, you take your strength from
your friends, from that one person in your life who has said you are capable…You
only need one.”

Meryl’s words reminded me how powerful our words are to our
students.  I thought about how important
it is to share with our girls that we do believe in them.  We know they are capable.  We are setting the bar high for them because
we know they can achieve it.  As
educators we need to show our students that they have a strength of purpose
within themselves and they do not have to struggle alone.  We are here to support them.