It's all about a Growth Mindset

What's a Growth Mindset and 

how do I teach it?

So first, let's start with some background.  It's an idea founded by Dr. Carol Dweck from Stanford University.  A fixed mindset is the idea that things are the way they are.  You're born good at something or not.  There's no room for growth.  A growth mindset is the idea that you can develop ability through hard work and effort.  You can become good at anything, if you work hard enough.  If a student has a growth mindset, they build confidence, perseverance and ultimately success.

So I've been doing some work with my kids on changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.  I thought I'd share some of the things I've done.

So in my class I started with quotes.   I found a lot on Practical Savvy.  I put up quotes like:

1. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did. Mark Twain
2. It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. Confucius
3. It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. Walt Disney
4. It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein

I gave each group of four kids one quote and had them discuss it.  Then they separated and formed new groups.  They shared their quotes, their groups thinking and what it has in common with the other quotes.

After that, I explained the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset.  I then gave them an activity where they took fixed mindset thinking and turned them into growth mindset.  You can find that activity here.  

I then put up posters showing how to change fixed mindset thinking into growth mindset.  I made them with nice frames.

Another activity is to have them research successful people who had to overcome obstacles to get where they were.  People like Walt Disney, Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs.  You can find that activity here on TeachersPayTeachers. 

Best of all I created a Growth Mindset Fun set of lessons!  If you want this:
Research, Quick pre-assessment- pick a side, Read aloud possibilities, The Most Magnificent Thing, Neuroplasticity, Activity: Your Brain!, Activity: Let’s make a neuron!, Successful People and Their Struggles, For the teacher: Moving from Person Praise to Process Praise, and the Change Your Mindset posters- 11 separate png’s  (This bundle includes my previous products:  Fixed vs. Growth Mindset Activities and Change Your Mindset: From a fixed to a growth mindset posters)

I've created lots of growth mindset lessons and activities to be the most successful with my kids. I hope you find them useful too!  Here's the Big Bundle (save $$) for everything growth mindset: Growth Mindset posters, activities, research project and digital tool!  Are you looking for some digital writing prompts that explore growth mindset?  Here is the easiest way to do this with the kids:  Growth Mindset Writing Prompts: Google Activity You get 40 inspiring quotes that support growth mindset. These are all quotes by famous people. This is a Google Drive activity or you can just print and use them.  

One more thing!  As a teacher, I want to be sure I'm framing my feedback using growth mindset. Am I using process praise (praising the effort) such as "You must have worked hard on that!" or person praise (praising the student) such as "You're so smart."? 

Process Praise & Process Feedback

Things to do everyday, often, or as applicable

Think about whether or not you did these things...

• Process Praise-Praising the work or effort of the student, which led to the result/outcome e.g. “You really studied hard for your math test and your improvement it.” 
• Provided feedback when students struggled despite strong effort 
• Provided feedback when they struggle and need help with strategies
• Provided feedback when students made progress toward a learning goal
• Provide feedback when students succeeded with strong effort 

So that's where we are right now.  Funny, the other day, a student said," Miss, E--- has a fixed mindset!  He said he can't do it and he hasn't even tried!"  So I asked, "What would be a better way to say it?"  She said, "He could have said, I'm worried I won't do well but I'll try my best."  Something is sticking!!

             







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Growth Mindset Dollar Deal for Small Business Saturday!

It's Small Business Saturday
and a chance to win $10 for TPT!!

It's #smallbusinesssaturday!     

Google Drive Growth Mindset activity- usually $4 but it's $1 today!!!  Just for you!!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-Google-activities-and-research-report-2727197

I have lots of $1 deals in my store, LisaTeachR's Classroom, but this one is special!  It's one day only so head on over there asap! Support your local small business today!

AND you can win $10 for TeacherPayTeachers!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

TPT sale: Growth mindset, Close Reading, Team Building and classroom decor sets on sale!!

It's time for the TeachersPayTeachers sale!

Here are some great products from my store!

Growth Mindset

Is your school doing  more and more with technology?  Here is a Google drive activity about growth mindset.  It had two quick activities and a report for the kids to do!  If not techy yet, I have other products for Growth mindset for you.

Close Reading Guides

Have you read Rain, Reign by Ann M. Martin?  It's an amazing book about Rose.
She was diagnosed with high functioning autism, which some call Asperger's Syndrome. She lives with her father and her dog, Rain. She loves homonyms, prime numbers and Rain.  It's a deeply moving book.  I also have guides for many more: The One and Only Ivan, Wonder, Fish in a Tree and many more.

Back to School Team Building Activities

Looking to build trust and community in your classroom?  I hope these activities help you build that environment where your students feel loved, secure and supported.

Classroom decor sets

Looking to decorate your room?   I always start with literature!  Here are four different sets: Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Mary Poppins. Choose the one that fits your personality and kids!

Remember to use the code OneDay for a bigger discount!

        

It's all about growth mindset!

It's all about growth mindset!

Growth Mindset bundle

Why teach growth mindset? Kids who believe they can do better, do better! They need to see the brain as malleable and growing!  We don't want our kids just giving up! We need to foster that growth mindset environment in our classrooms from day 1!

This bundle contains:
Research p. 3
Quick pre-assessment- pick a side p. 5
Read aloud possibilities p. 6
The Most Magnificent Thing p. 7
Neuroplasticity p. 8
Activity: Your Brain! P. 9
Activity: Let’s make a neuron! P. 10
Moving from Fixed Mindsets to Growth Mindsets p. 11
Successful People and Their Struggles p. 12
For the teacher: Moving from Person Praise to Process Praise p. 14
Change Your Mindset posters- 11 separate png’s

I've found these lessons to be the most successful with my kids. I hope you find them useful too!

Start your year off right!

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FREE MOTIVATIONAL RESOURCE-Learn Like a Superhero

Learn Like a Superhero!

{A Free 1st & 2nd Grade Motivational Resource}

This back to school free resource will help prepare your little superheroes for learning. 

It contains the following back to school activities. 

Leaping Tall Buildings is a goal setting resource. According to research, students are more successful when they have goals for their learning. This page can be used all year long. Students state their goal and then work from the bottom of the page to the top in order to "leap over their tall building".

Super Mistakes is a miniature book to help students realize that mistakes help us learn. Students use this activity to focus on how mistakes can lead to a positive learning experience. 

Grit, Goal, and Optimism are vocabulary pages. They are meant to teach these three words deeply in order to help them become a part of the class culture. The first time I use one of these activities, I like to complete the vocabulary page with my students. I also love to model technology, so I show my students how to use an online dictionary or thesaurus.

At First Grade Diva, I will save you time by providing creative, rigorous, and engaging lessons that you will be excited to teach. 

Time for a back to school sale on TPT!!

Hi friends!

Are you excited for the upcoming TPT site-wide Back to School Sale – I know I sure am! Head over to my store August 3-4 because *everything* will be marked down an additional 20% during the sale! That means that when you use the coupon code BTS15 at checkout, you'll actually be saving 28%! Holey smokes- that’s amazing savings!!  

I updated Inside Out and Back Again, Wonder, and The Cay.  I added more close read lessons, sentence starters and a table of contents to help you navigate through everything.

I also made a few new products for close reading:  The Fourteenth Goldfish and Fish in a Tree.

Also, if you’re interested in Growth Mindset, I’m working on a new bundle.  I hope to have it done by the sale.

Thanks for much for purchasing my products and following me on other social media outlets.  You are #eduawesome!!

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What's a Growth Mindset?

What's a Growth Mindset?

By Lisa Robles

LisaTeachR's Classroom

So first, let's start with some background.  It's an idea founded by Dr. Carol Dweck from Stanford University.  A fixed mindset is the idea that things are the way they are.  You're born good at something or not.  There's no room for growth.  A growth mindset is the idea that you can develop ability through hard work and effort.  You can become good at anything, if you work hard enough.  If a student has a growth mindset, they build confidence, perseverance and ultimately success.

So I've been doing some work with my kids on changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.  I thought I'd share some of the things I've done.

So in my class I started with quotes.   I found a lot on Practical Savvy.  I put up quotes like:

1. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did. Mark Twain
2. It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. Confucius
3. It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. Walt Disney
4. It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein

I gave each group of four kids one quote and had them discuss it.  Then they separated and formed new groups.  They shared their quotes, their groups thinking and what it has in common with the other quotes.

After that, I explained the difference between an fixed and a growth mindset.  I then gave them an activity where they took fixed mindset thinking and turned them into growth mindset.  You can find that activity here.  

I then put up posters showing how to change fixed mindset thinking into growth mindset.  I made them with nice frames.

Another activity is to have them research successful people who had to overcome obstacles to get where they were.  People like Walt Disney, Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs.  You can find that activity here on TeachersPayTeachers. 

As a teacher, I want to be sure I'm framing my feedback using growth mindset. A team of us at school are creating a checklist we could use to record ourselves in how effective we are at using feedback to challenge, praise and encourage. We'll be working on that for the next few months.

So that's where we are right now.  Funny, the other day, a student said," Miss, E--- has a fixed mindset!  He said he can't do it and he hasn't even tried!"  So I asked, "What would be a better way to say it?"  She said, "He could have said, I'm worried I won't do well but I'll try my best."  Something is sticking!!

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