Tackling Growth Mindset: Let's Not Even Go There Yet!

This fall, I introduced Growth Mindset to the School Success class that I teach every-other day.  I wasn't quite sure how to go about it since it is such a big idea, so I broke it down into multiple steps for the students.  In fact, I didn't even start talking about the words "growth" or "mindset" for the first  few weeks.  Instead, I started with introducing three concepts, one at a time, the first of which was perseverance.

We used (and still use) this word.  A lot.  We started with two popsicles with the following laminated signs attached to them:

I read a series of social scenarios to the students, and they needed to determine if perseverance was shown or not.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly they seemed to catch on to the concept.

Next, we read two different books with a theme (among many) that included perseverance: The Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan and Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen  The students surpassed my expectations and began to make personal connections with the books and shared examples of how the characters showed perseverance.  

The students shared a personal experience that they felt showed perseverance and shared it with the class.  Next, they talked about something they have not yet accomplished but would like to, why they will need to persevere, and the steps that it will take for them to reach their goals.

Finally, we ended with a few hands-on activities to demonstrate perseverance.  The first activity was a "marshmallow lick" in which students licked marshmallows (obviously), and stuck them to their foreheads.  They needed to cross a line and tag their teammates to continue until the teams finished.  They LOVED this activity.  It went quicker than I anticipated, which was fine because then we had more time for learning!  The second activity was something I did when I was younger: making butter.  Again, we divided the students in to groups, placed heavy whipping cream in seal-proof containers, and told them to shake it.  They were clueless, never having made butter the old fashion way.  They were surprised to find the end result, and even more surprised to find that they were able to spread it on fresh bakery bread!  Finally, the students did a ball bounce activity.  Each member of the team needed to bounce the small rubber ball into a cup several feet away.  This one was tough, but they rocked it, and EVERY student completed the goal.  Incidentally, it turned out to be a good lesson in teamwork and cheering each other on.

Next week, I'll share about our second concept: making mistakes.