Think "I Can"

As I continue on my path this week, there was a large focus on creating a growth mindset for students. A growth mindset is believing you can do something and not giving up on yourself. As teachers, it is our role to help set the stage for our students to have this mindset. 

In class this week, we learned about Math Daily 3 which is a framework that includes three different components to a lesson. It was not till after the class until it hit me.. this helps forms a growth mindset! The three components include starting a lesson with (1) Math by Myself, followed by (2) Math with Someone, and (3) Math Writing. So in short, a lesson starts by an individual review of past concepts where it may make them feel confident in their abilities. After reviewing on their own, students then move to doing an activity in partners where they will be learning a new concept and can use each other to push themselves and learn from mistakes. Lastly, the students complete a question by writing about their understanding of solving similar questions to express their understanding. This lesson framework is a great model to work from as it allows students to be independent but also using student centred learning. By starting with something that the students are familiar with, it helps them gain confidence before they gradually learn a new concept so that they believe in themselves with an "I can" attitude. 

After completing the online modules this week, there was a common theme of teachers playing a key role in how students think and apply themselves. As teachers, we need to speak wisely to our students. Praise should be given to a student who demonstrates working hard so that they continue to challenge themselves and learn from their mistakes. Telling students that they are "smart" praises them for the wrong reason. There was a video that showed students being praised for hard work wanting to work on a challenging question whereas those praised for being smart chose to work on the easy problem. Those being praised for being smart may feel pressured to continue to get the right answer. They then may avoid challenging themselves so they take an easy route where they have a smaller chance of making a mistake and can get to the right answer quickly. Therefore, it is our role as teachers to show to our students that we believe in them and tell them we are confident in their abilities so they can be confident in themselves. If we show them that we are confident in them and appreciate their hard work, they will continue to push themselves during their learning process. 

Therefore, it has come to attention how much of an impact teachers have on how students perform. Using our words wisely to encourage our students and creating an environment to promote a growth mindset by welcoming mistakes will help our students grow and continue on an upward path to learning. A story that came to my mind as I reflected on this week was The Little Engine That Could. When faced with a challenging obstacle, the train believed and told herself the classic line, “I think I can, I think I can” resulting in her getting over the hill. This is a great example of perseverance and having a growth mindset to overcome challenges and trying hard to achieve their goal.