Mindsets Lesson

We are now almost done with the first term of the LEAP class. To be honest, it has been much harder than I expected. I was not naive going in - I knew that teaching this class would be extremely challenging - but I had not anticipated the extent of the students' inability to manage their impulses, so everything takes a lot more time than I had expected.

We spent the first couple of weeks just getting comfortable with each other and the class, then the next month working through information on strengths. They took the StrengthsExplorer to identify their top 3 themes, and we did some activities with that. In analyzing the results of the StrengthsExplorer, we found something really fascinating: namely, that my class's top strengths were Relating, Competing, and Caring. This explained so much about the behavior issues and about the kids generally. They talk and they compete, but they are also empathetic. Hence, lots of talking in class, often in loud tones to be heard over one another, which makes it tough to engage them in lessons or keep order in the classroom.

Our assistant principal immediately recognized those strengths in himself and spent the next class period talking with the students about how he had used those strengths to find success at school after not doing well in previous years. He talked about playing the game of school - showing up, competing, following the rules, and taking care to make teammates instead of enemies.

Now, finally, we have turned our attention to Mindsets. We discussed Fixed and Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck) and talked about where those mindsets come from and why they're important. The students took a mindsets "quiz" to help them see where they currently stand.

The assistant principal came again today and shared a great story about an opportunity he had to participate in harvesting a whale with an Eskimo tribe. The students were really engaged in the story and were fascinated by these little people with next to nothing who had used their ingenuity to find ways to survive in very harsh environments. They were able to make some connections between the story and what we had learned about mindset.

We then played a game I invented, in which each student (in groups of 5) was given a different tool: a pair of coffee stirrers, a straw, a plastic fork, a plastic spoon, or a plastic cup. Each student was then given a plastic cup and a bowl of candy (Skittles) was placed in the center of the table. They were then challenged to fill their cups with Skittles using only the tool I had given them. There were a lot of shouts of "This isn't fair!" as those with straws and coffee stirrers tried to get Skittles one at a time into their cups, while the people with cups simply dipped their cup in and filled their other cup with what they had scooped out. They were able to connect this with the Fixed Mindset - that sometimes we think we're stuck with the tools/skills/circumstances we've been given.

Then we played another round of the game in which students had an opportunity to "level up." If the students with straws and coffee stirrers got one Skittle out, they could earn a fork. If they could get 3 Skittles with the fork, they could earn a spoon. If they could get 6 with the spoon, they could earn a cup. The students worked really hard to get to the next level so they could get more Skittles. We then had a great discussion on how this related to Growth Mindset. They even made connections to their Strengths - that those were among the tools they could use to "level up" in life.

We ended the day by watching a video called Never, Ever, Give up:

Though at first some commented on how "fat" he was, I proposed that the video was NOT about losing weight and to try to figure out the real meaning of the video. They loved this video and were really amazing in figuring out what it meant. One of my most challenging students said it's about believing in yourself. They realized that it's about believing in yourself, finding others who believe in you, not accepting negative messages, making the choice to change - they got it all. It was a very powerful experience with these young seventh graders. I was so glad to be there.

This is a really challenging experience, but when I have days like today it is completely and totally worth it!

Curriculum Mapping

We're another meeting in to the planning of the course, which will be called LEAP (Learning Experiences for Academic Progress). I'm actually starting to get really excited about teaching this course, and thought I'd jot down some of my ideas here.

First, I'd like to make "Taking the LEAP" our theme for the year. Many of these students may be afraid to try new things because they fear failure or have been ridiculed before or they just don't think it'll make a difference. I want to help them be brave and try things that will help them experience joy and success. Along with that, we will be (hopefully) taking an overnight field trip to the district's wilderness camp to engage in problem solving and trust exercises as well as some nature therapy and private reflection. I'd like to have the students spend some time on their own writing a letter to themselves about their dreams and goals and how they'll get there.

The first few days will be spent setting up a democratic classroom environment in which the students help me set up the rules and expectations, as well as the consequences. We will also choose a medium for reflection (blog, vlog, etc.) and practice using it. I want to make sure that my students get quite a bit of exposure to technology in order to help narrow the digital divide.

Our first unit will examine how the brain learns and works and the idea of a growth mindset. Students will take the Strengths Explorer to find some things that they are good at, and we will brainstorm ways to develop their strengths and use them to succeed in school and in life. They will then make digital stories about their lives, their strengths, and the goals they have for the future.

The second unit is about adolescence and why it can be so hard. We'll talk about brain development, decision making, drugs, and stress and explore some great, healthy ways to reduce stress, including yoga, art, and time in nature (this is when I'm hoping to take them to the camp). Students will sign up for a day to present a way that they like to reduce stress in a healthy way and we'll all try it.

I've got an outline for the rest of the class, but that's about where I am right now. I just need to integrate the LEAP theme into each unit and start fleshing out the lessons. We also got access to Leigh VandenAkker's curriculum, Techniques for Tough Times, which I would like to scavenge, as well as the Why Try? curriculum that our school counselors have so that I can know when I might invite them in to work with my class. I also plan to take my students and any interested parents on a field trip to my university, hopefully with a former student and current Student Success coordinator with a backstory similar to that of these students as our tour guide to help them realize that college is possible.

Teaching the Tough Kids

I stumbled upon this great resource today from one of my favorite educational websites. Definitely timely, and addresses what I know to be true: that forming a bond with the kids early is going to be the most important thing.

It begins...

Today, I was asked to plan and teach a course at a local junior high school for students who are severely at risk--academically, socially, at school and at home. I have to admit to being completely overwhelmed and intimidated by this, while at the same time hungering for the opportunity to make something of a difference. But I fear that I will be inadequate. All the pedagogical and psychological training in the world doesn't necessarily prepare you for an experience like this, and I certainly haven't had all of the training in the world.

I outlined the course within minutes, knowing exactly what I want these kids to understand about themselves and about the world and about learning. But my primary concern is getting their buy-in: helping them feel that they are safe with me, that what we do together matters, that they can in fact effect change in their own lives. And I simultaneously understand that we can talk about things at school, but that doesn't change what they're going home to. This just seems like such a monumental task.