Guest blog by: Michelle Howell, Librarian/Media Specialist for Union Elementary STEAM and Demonstration School in Gallatin, TN
As a librarian, I encounter every learner in my school on a weekly basis. I keep my lessons fun and the atmosphere in the library is positive. I encourage the learners at my school to read – obviously – and I also encourage them to make things, experiment with coding and robotics, and explore different activities to find things in which they are interested. There is a lot that happens every day, and I want to help ensure that my learners not only get academic support from me, but also the social and emotional support that they need to grow and develop as successful learners.
As I talk with the learners in my building, I try to get to know them as fellow human beings. With a bit over 500, however, that can be challenging. I have been looking for a way to uplift the young people I work with when I see they are having a tough day, to celebrate the successes that they have, and just to generally encourage them to keep trying their best at all times, no matter what that looks like for them.
Enter my friend, Kristina Holzweiss, a librarian I connected with while she was writing the book “Hacking School Libraries.” I saw her post about Inspired Minds and how she uses their products at her school, and I knew this is how I wanted to encourage my learners!
My plan is relatively simple. I will use the Inspired Minds hand-off cards within my building as encouragement, praise, and confidence boosters, simply signing the back with You Matter. Just a quiet note letting learners know that they are seen and they are loved. The second part of the plan is to get the booster sets, and to choose learners from each grade each week, take their pictures, and share them with our school family via our Facebook page and also on Twitter, and Instagram. As a bonus, each picture will be printed and framed and sent home to their families.
I am truly excited to use these fabulous SEL tools with the learners at my school! I believe they will be a wonderful addition to our school!
We all know the language of teachers possesses the power to inspire or injure, to heal or humiliate. Language sets the academic and emotional climate of the room. The greater awareness of the relationship between the language of the teacher and positive learning outcomes, the greater chance we have of getting the climate just right.
So, we have to ask ourselves: “Does my language optimize learning, achievement, relationships and emotional intelligence?”
Among all the ways teachers communicate their intentions to students, let me focus on one specific type of language that I believe activates a student’s sense of worth and boosts confidence. That is the language of hope.
A Personal Story
Let me illustrate what I mean by the language of hope with a personal example.
Five years ago, when my youngest daughter was in ninth grade, she was a pretty typical high school student – she found great interest in some areas, less so in others, accelerated when necessary, and coasted when possible, doing all that were asked of her, and happily said little to her parents about the daily goings-on in her high school life.
One day, however, during an otherwise ordinary dinner conversation, she announced: “My science teacher thinks I should be a scientist.” Interested and probing for more context around the conversation, I followed with, “Why do you think she said that to you?” She shrugged and said, “I don’t know. She just thinks I’d be a good scientist.” End of conversation.
Future-Oriented Narratives SEL Strategy
But it was not the end for me, especially as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the district in which this exchange took place. That seemingly simple statement occupied my thinking for a long time.
Whatever career my daughter chooses does not really matter in this story. What matters is the power of a teacher’s optimism to envision a future for a student that she could not yet see for herself. Regardless of what students will be or do, knowing their teachers believe in them and can see a future world in which they matter and will be influential matters as much, if not more so, than the curriculum we teach.
An important SEL skill is the capacity to envision one’s best self. Narratives of hope are a complementary strategy to help students build their self-awareness, confidence, and sense of agency. Its power rests in its simplicity and authenticity – narratives of hope are not faint praise or platitudes. Quite the opposite. Skilled teachers use this language intentionally and at the right moment, after knowing the student well and seeing something in them that the student cannot yet see for themselves.
Beyond the “I think you would make a great _____” statement itself, teachers can engage parents/guardians or connect the student with a mentor in the school or help the student explore more about the field or pursuit, and they can continue to nurture that future identity for students.
The seemingly simple statement “I think you should be a scientist” crystalized for me the power of future-oriented narratives in schools and classrooms. Watching my daughter flourish in high school and embrace her academic identity in college, I can draw a straight line to that one transformational observation. The concept is generalizable to all grade levels. As educators stock their SEL toolbox with new strategies, this is one with the power to improve the emotional climate of the classroom while helping students envision a future that they cannot yet see for themselves.
About the Author
Peter W. Tragos is the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction at New Trier High School in Northfield, IL. Follow him on Twitter at @pwtragos!
As parents and teachers, we try to encourage kids to take creative risks and understand that mistakes are a good thing! I even came up with a name for our mistakes in my classroom. We called them “growth spurts,” because we grow from them. I announce to my students on the first day of school that I hope they make many, glorious mistakes.
We discuss the word, “fail,” too. Think of fail as what it really is:
F – First
A – Attempt
I – In
L – Learning
Of course, all of this is setting them up to learn about having a growth mindset. This means you believe that you can continue to learn and grow as you make mistakes. We are all on a continuum of learning and can improve with practice, time, and effort. (This is opposed to having a fixed mindset, which is the belief that we cannot improve our intelligence or abilities.)
There are many activities you can do to set students on the path to developing a growth mindset:
I show videos of people who have overcome obstacles or that learn from their mistakes. See here for my favorite clip.
I also share quotes about growth mindset. We have meaningful whole group and small group discussions about them. Like this one:
“Success is on the same road as failure; success is just a little further down the road.”
Jack Hyles
As teachers, your students see you more often than they may see their own parents during the waking hours of the school week. Whether you are a first year teacher, or a veteran teacher, your students will watch and learn from all that you do. That includes your lessons that deserve a gold star and the ones that make you cringe. Students watch the way you handle a break-through and the way you handle stressful situations.
The good news is that kids need to see those cringe-worthy moments and how you handle them. They will have plenty of times that their best ideas won’t work or a plan for a project flops. They need to know that it’s ok and that trials are part of the process to learning and growing. Here are a few ideas for being a mistake-making mentor for your students:
Growth Mindset Flip Chart – Create a flip chart from an inverted three-ring binder. Fill it with 26 pages. The first page says, “Plan A.” The second page flips to “Plan B.” Keep going until you get to the last page, “Plan Z.” Whenever you make a mistake in class, calmly walk over and flip the chart to the next page and say something like, “Well, I guess that way didn’t work, let’s try Plan B.” This lets students know that there is never an expectation to get something done perfectly the first time they try it. There are always more chances.
Guest Experts – Have parents and community members come in once or twice a month as guest experts. They can tell about their jobs and what they like about them. But, the more important part is having them talk about the challenges and how they work through them. Having kids see that their parents and mentors from their community all struggle at times helps them to normalize the fact that something worth learning and doing isn’t always going to be without hiccups.
Goal Setting – Teaching students to set goals is empowering. Have a goal board in your room to record goals for both inside and outside the classroom. Be sure to post some of your own school and personal goals too. Share your progress with the kids as they share theirs with you. They will see that working toward goals is a pathway with ups and downs, but adjustments can be made when needed.
Showcase Mistakes – There are many videos you can show kids about famous failures that people you now know to be successful stumbled through. There are also great books like, Mistakes that Worked and The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle, that show all kinds of ways amazing inventions came to be because of mistakes. We need kids to not only see the successes people enjoy, but also their sometimes rocky road to that success.
Way to Grow! Journals – At the end of each day, give kids some time to reflect and write about one of their biggest successes that day as well as one of their biggest “failures.” (Often the failure leads to a success they eventually write about!) You should participate in this and share yours with the kids too. Allow volunteers to share what they wrote and how a success or a failure helped them grow in some way.
When you role model mistakes as an important part of the process of learning, kids will see it that way too. When students recognize that learning happens through both the successes and trials, they understand that learning is always happening. And, that’s what we want!
About the Author
Shannon Anderson taught for 25 years from first grade through college level. A career highlight was being named one of the 10 teachers who “awed and inspired” the Today Show in 2019. Shannon is also an award-winning children’s book author and LOVES to come to schools to talk to kids about the power of reading, writing, and growth mindset. You can learn more about her at: www.shannonisteaching.com.
We often hear about people who either believe the glass is half empty or half full. Have you ever heard that the glass can be refilled? How does changing our perception from a deficit mindset (glass half-empty) to an asset-based mindset (glass can be refilled) improve how we perceive our students and how they perceive themselves?
A Deficit-Based Mindset
A few years ago, I was presenting at a private school in Kuwait. The language medium was English and the majority of students were Kuwaiti nationals whose first language is Arabic. I have often encountered a deficit mindset about language learners, so after introducing myself, I started the session with this query: “Raise your hand if you know the stages of second language acquisition.” Of the 100 or so teachers in the room, only three raised their hands. Although I wasn’t surprised, it disappointed me because teachers who don’t have an understanding of how long it takes to learn a new language often become impatient with the slow process of learning. They don’t realize that most students are taking the time they need to express themselves in the target language. This leads to a deficit-based mindset which impacts how students think of themselves as learners.
Cultivating Growth Mindset Skills
Lowering our expectations of students influences how they think of themselves. I received poor grades in art class throughout my school experience. This led me to believe I was not a creative person. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized creativity isn’t just knowing how to draw. Currently, one of the most important skills requested by employers and necessary for career success is creativity (Forbes, 2019). These skills can be cultivated in our children by helping them understand the design thinking process which can be learned through projects, for example.
So how can teachers and parents ensure children have a growth mindset? Here are five ways teachers and parents can help children grow their self-belonging (self-worth, -efficacy, -esteem, -confidence) with positive self-talk to help children become more confident learners.
5 Ways to Help Grow Self-Belonging
Don’t water down the content or lower expectations. Scaffold lessons, plan carefully, and help children learn the skills needed to overcome the gaps in their learning.
Spend time on finding out, then focusing on each child’s strengths (I call them superpowers). When opportunities arise to use their superpowers, notice them and celebrate how they used them to overcome challenges.
Build resilience and perseverance in children by using literature or real-life examples from their own lives or others.
Create a safe environment so children feel comfortable sharing their stories, thoughts, and dreams. They will feel validated and valued.
Children who have an opportunity to use their voices and make choices become empowered learners. Voice and choice should be built into their daily lives in school and at home.
Although it’s important to know when students have gaps in their learning, emphasizing the “lack of” instead of focusing on their superpowers can have a long-lasting negative impact on their self-image and their self-perception.
Dr. Ilene Winokur has lived in Kuwait since 1984 and is a professional development specialist supporting teachers globally including refugee teachers. Prior to retiring in 2019, she was a teacher and administrator for 25 years. Her blog, podcast, and upcoming book focus on the importance of feeling a sense of belonging. You can connect with Ilene on Twitter and find links to her podcast and blog on her website.
This is that last in our current series of free social-emotional learning discussion resources, but we will have a new series coming soon! We’re wrapping up 30 themed SEL resources to help you create discussion activities that foster a positive mindset centered on each of the five core competencies of social and emotional learning.
We provide the idea-starters with the intent that teachers can develop creative variations to adapt to age-appropriate use for their students.
SEL Discussion Resource: I AM GRATEFUL
Self-awareness
Write or say the affirmation together: I am grateful.
Describe how being grateful makes you feel.
How do you think expressing your gratitude makes others feel?
“Popcorn” discussion: Have students pop up when they think of something for which they are grateful. Call on each, then have them pop up as they think of more. Keep going until everyone has popped up at least once.
Self-management
Writing activity: List three things for which you’re grateful.
Discussion: How can we be grateful for something we don’t like? Example: homework. (Discuss how it benefits us, the purpose, etc.)
Responsible decision-making
Finish the sentence: When I’m not feeling grateful, I can _________.
When you choose to be grateful, even when you aren’t feeling it, how does it change your mindset?
Social awareness
Write notes of appreciation to people who work in your school.
Leave a note of gratitude on the whiteboard for the custodian.
Create a gratitude video to share with someone in your school. (Your social media manager might be interested in posting the video, and you could create different ones each week.)
Relationship skills
Write a paragraph about why being grateful is important.
Describe how feeling appreciated helps you to feel more valued.
To find the full-size posters to use in your classroom (or the magnet or postcard size) visit our store.
Suggestion for virtual learning:
Purchase a pack of 30 postcards for the teacher to hold the appropriate one up to the screen during discussion.
Purchase a pack of 30 small hand-off notes for each student to have at home with them. This allows for an interactive and hands-on experience.
This week’s free SEL discussion resource focuses on growing a positive sense of self-confidence and collaborating with others for success. The discussion is a way to apply the affirmation to each of the five core competencies of social and emotional learning.
We provide the idea-starters with the intent that teachers can develop creative variations to adapt to age-appropriate use for their students.
SEL Discussion Resource: I FEEL CONFIDENT
Self-awareness
Write or say the affirmation together: I feel confident.
Finish the sentence: I feel most confident when _____________.
Describe how your body reacts when you feel confident.
Self-management
Without enough confidence, it’s easy to give up too soon or not get started at all. When you are about to do something big and you don’t feel as confident, how do you build your confidence up?
What things do you say?
What do you do?
Who do you talk to?
How do you prepare ahead for setbacks that are sure to come?
Writing assignment – List at least three things to complete this sentence: I know I’m good at ______________.
If you don’t know what to say, think of what compliments a friend or a teacher would give you.
Pair with someone to share your lists with each other.
Responsible decision-making
Finish this sentence: If I were confident I would not fail, I would. ____________.
Now, write a paragraph about what might happen if you weren’t confident but tried it anyway.
What might happen if you failed?
What bothers you about the idea of failing?
What might happen if you took the risk and succeeded?
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Confidence does not equal the absence of fear.
How can knowing your limitations increase your confidence?
Describe how knowing when to ask for help is part of success.
Social awareness
What is the difference between being confident and being braggy (arrogant)?
Make a list with two columns. In one list the qualities that come with confidence (bold, positive, optimistic, brave, encourages others, etc.). In the other, list the qualities that come with being arrogant (self-centered, know-it-all, cocky, superior, bossy, etc.).
Relationship skills
Describe how teamwork sometimes helps to increase confidence. (Think of collaborating strengths, giving verbal support, etc.)
Why is it a trap to think you can do everything alone?
Make a list of words or short phrases that could be used to boost confidence in someone else.
Next week’s SEL focus: I AM GRATEFUL
To find the full-size posters to use in your classroom (or the magnet or postcard size) visit our store.
Suggestion for virtual learning:
Purchase a pack of 30 postcards for the teacher to hold the appropriate one up to the screen during discussion.
Purchase a pack of 30 small hand-off notes for each student to have at home with them. This allows for an interactive and hands-on experience.
