Growth Mindset

Do you have a growth mindset?  
Do your students have a growth mindset? 
What exactly IS a growth mindset?

Many of us grew up believing we were either "good" at something (like English or Social Studies), or "not good" at something (like Math or Science). Some people just had more intelligence or talent than others, right? We worried about getting good grades, meeting the expectations of others, and avoided anything that might look or smell like failure.

Then came the idea that if we could just tell ALL kids they were ALL wonderful, they would all BE wonderful! Their self-image would be strong, their confidence would be high and they would naturally succeed. 

But we now realize that some failure is good for the soul; learning how to fail and then move on to try again, to develop perseverance - to get "GRIT" - may be the best way to help students develop a love of learning and a resilience that will help them achieve their goals. When children believe that hard work and commitment can make a difference, that they can become more talented and smarter through their learning process, they feel empowered and thrive on challenge.

Just making a few tweaks in the way we talk to and respond to our students can make a big difference in whether they develop a "fixed mindset" or a "growth mindset".  Interested?

Check out Carol Dweck's TED talk on this issue.

You can also listen to the NPR Story on Growth Mindset that inspired this post.

Now think again - Do you have a growth mindset?  What are the things teachers said to you when you were in school that made a difference?  PLEASE comment - we'd like to know!

Cool Concept Mapping on BrainPop

Don't you just LOVE BrainPop Jr.? The more I use this resource, the more I admire how well developed it is for educationally sound and student-engaging material. Annie is the ever curious child who both learns and teaches her robot friend Moby. He doesn't always quite understand new concepts but Annie has a way of making her explanations both simple and complete.

We have all used the "Hard Quiz" and "Easy Quiz" features, along with "Pop a Joke" and "Word Wall". Perhaps you have explored the "Activity" "Belly Up" or  any of the other features that support learning.

But note that there is a NEW feature called Make-a-map that you should definitely check out!

Make-a-map is a timely addition to the features selection because it allows you and your students to create Concept Maps that will add a visual component to both learning and assessment.

Let's suppose you are doing a research project or classroom unit on Butterflies. You already know that BrainPop, Jr. has a great movie and supporting features on this topic. But now, you can PAUSE the movie, take a snapshot and drag it into your concept map. Within the concept map, if you click on the snapshot it will play just that part of the movie! You can go to WORDs and drag any of the important words or vocabulary into your concept map. You can create your own ovals or rectangles to enter text. You can choose from applicable images to add to the concept map. And of course, you can change text, shape, color, lines, arrows and more to customize your concept map to further define ideas.

Here are two examples of concept maps I created from the Butterflies topic and movie:

Here I clicked on the little camera in the movie to take screenshots and drag them into my concept map. Note the PLAY button on each of the images.



Here I pulled in some of the vocabulary words to add to my concept map:

As we begin to implement some of the Keys to Literacy components, take advantage of the new slate of lesson plans and features that BrainPop, Jr. has to offer. 

Want to know more? "POP" in and ask me - I'm always happy to help.

Did you find a great feature or have an idea to share about BrainPop, Jr.? Share it in a COMMENT below!

Chromebooks in the K-2 Classroom?

YES!

Students at Underhill School have a new tool for learning - chromebooks!
Our mobile cart holds enough chromebooks to provide every student in a class with their own educational device. Chromebooks are practically made for our youngest students, and in her blog post on Daily Genius, titled "Technology, Learning, and Chromebooks in the Elementary Classroom" Avra Robinson explains why it is so important to include K-2 students when providing technology tools: 

"Providing access to more than just apps, Google Chromebooks are the perfect tool to build the foundation for technology success in young students. Throughout my years as a K-8 technology teacher & coordinator, many people have asked me what Kindergartners, first graders, and second graders might truly do with computers in the classroom. As students reach the intermediate grade levels, it is easier for people to imagine what they will do with technology. They will utilize word processors to write essays; they will construct videos to demonstrate knowledge; they will work within a spreadsheet to collect and analyze data. But our little people in kindergarten, first, and second grade are often overlooked when it comes to 1:1 technology, or tablet devices are often seen as the only option.

Many people fear that computer usage in the early elementary years consists of just “playing games” and want to limit the “screen time.” However, it has been my experience that technology is no different from reading, writing, and math. There are building blocks and foundations that need to be constructed in order for students to become capable, efficient, and effective users of technology.

Young children are sponges. They come to life with the use of technological tools. They easily adopt new technologies as quickly as toddlers develop language skills. Their inhibitions are low, and their interest is high. So when the question of 'What purpose would Chromebooks serve in the Kindergarten, first, or second grade classroom?' is asked, the answer is easy. They’ll use it as another tool for learning."

Take a moment to read the entire post here:

technology-learning-and-chromebooks-in-the-elementary-classroom/

What ideas do you have for how your students can use chromebooks in the classroom?  

Leave a comment and let us know!

Hour of Code

On December 14th and December 16th, Underhill School first and second graders will have the opportunity to explore coding with the support of Mrs. Overmeyer, Mrs. Tremblay, 
Mrs. Landsman and Mrs. Heuer. 

We are excited to be joining the "Hour of Code" Community!

For more information, check out code.org   

The following is excerpted from code.org:

 What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. 

Who is behind the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is organized by Code.org, a public 501c3 non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. An unprecedented coalition of partners have come together to support the Hour of Code, too — including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the College Board.

How much can one learn in an hour?

The goal of the Hour of Code is not to teach anybody to become an expert computer scientist in one hour. One hour is only enough to learn that computer science is fun and creative, that it is accessible at all ages, for all students, regardless of background. The measure of success of this campaign is not in how much CS students learn - the success is reflected in broad participation across gender and ethnic and socioeconomic groups, and the resulting increase in enrollment and participation we see in CS courses at all grade levels. Millions of the participating teachers and students have decided to go beyond one hour - to learn for a whole day or a whole week or longer, and many students have decided to enroll in a whole course (or even a college major) as a result.

Besides the students, another "learner" is the educator who gains the confidence after one hour that they can teach computer science even though they may not have a college degree as a computer scientist. Tens of thousands of teachers decide to pursue computer science further, either attending PD or offering follow-on online courses, or both. And this applies to school administrators too, who realize that computer science is something their students want and their teachers are capable of. 

Above all, what all participants can learn in an hour is that we can do this.

Kahoot!

Okay, so I have come across a great tech tool and I want to share it with EVERYONE! 

I could tell you about it, but Richard Byrne did a great job explaining KAHOOT in his most recent blogpost from Practical Ed Tech:

"Kahoot! is currently my favorite tool for creating and playing quiz games. I’ve yet to show it to a group of teachers who didn’t like it. And, more importantly, kids love playing Kahoot games! Kahoot provides a fun way to gather feedback from a group through their phones, iPads, Chromebooks, or any other device that has a web browser and an Internet connection. You can include pictures and or videos as part of each question that you create and share in a Kahoot activity. Players are awarded points for answering correctly and quickly. Kahoot makes it easy for teachers to create review games."

The best thing about Kahoot! is that it is easy for even our youngest students to use (color and shape coded answer buttons - see image above), and most importantly - it is fun and engaging (even for the grownups)! It is a quick way to assess learning, find out what students already know, or take a survey. Instant visual feedback makes responses immediately available, and students can see how graphs are a meaningful way to measure information.

Interested?  

Take a look at the screenshots below. 

When you are ready to learn more, go to the 

website and check it out - for FREE!

Kahoot! https://getkahoot.com

More information about Kahoot!

Why Kahoot is one of my favorite classroom tools

Basic Tutorial on using Kahoot! (Youtube)

Review of Kahoot! from Graphite (Commonsense Media)

I would welcome the opportunity to Kahoot! with your class! 
Let me know if you would like assistance.

All images are from kahoot.com

Why Kids Read

These kids were asked why they read...and their answers are
magical. 


Click here to watch:              Why Kids Read

"I like to read ENDLESSLY. I don't like to stop."

"I read whenever I can. I read in the car - I'm not supposed to because supposedly it affects your eyes. But I eat a lot of carrots, so that's my justification."

Summer Professional Reading

One of the perks of summertime is the chance to catch up on professional reading. I follow several people on their educational blogs, through twitter, and rss feeds. This reading recommendation came up recently via Edutopia on Facebook.  

Something Digital 

Ross Cooper

Supervisor of Instructional Practice K-12, Salisbury Township School District

I have to admit that I was hesitant to read Digital Leadership by Eric Sheninger, as the word "fluff" is what usually comes to mind when I think of books related to educational technology. To find the most current information, it would seem more practical to search blogs, website articles, Twitter, etc. Nevertheless, this book is anything but fluff, and it certainly is up to date. Sheninger, a former high school principal who has emerged as a thought leader in this age of digital leadership, has written a book that can serve as inspiration and an effective starting point for administrators and/or teachers who have realized that they must either infuse their practice with more progressive techniques, or entirely revamp their work to provide students with more contemporary and relevant learning experiences. Sheninger's work is valuable because he writes with a tone that is confident, passionate, and convincing. After reading this book, it would be difficult for anyone to argue, "He's completely wrong," or "This wouldn't work in our district.

Check out more professional reading recommendations from Edutopia.

Ross Cooper

Supervisor of Instructional Practice K-12, Salisbury Township School District

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