 The Cultures of Thinking project at Harvard released a new interactive graphic of the 8 Cultural Forces. All of the links used for the graphic connect to our RCS Think from the Middle website. This graphic might be just the tool you want to use when focusing on the Cultural Forces. https://123alexmuir.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/8-cultural-forces.pdf Last week I shared an article that outlined some common misconceptions associated with Growth Mindset. This week I want to continue our discussion of Growth Mindset and share some tips from the Teaching Channel on how to foster a community of Growth Mindset Learners. https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2015/11/24/fostering-mindset-learners-perts/?utm_source=newsletter20151128%2F Edutopia posted an article last week on how grading harms student learning that ties in to our recent discussion on standards-based learning. The author offers some interesting points to ponder and reflect on. He ends his post with a challenge: How can we grade and asses in a way that provides hope to all students? http://www.edutopia.org/blog/when-grading-harms-student-learning-andrew-miller?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow%20 If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow. –John Dewey
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 One of the 5 belief sets Ron Ritchhart presents in chapter 2 of Creating Cultures of Thinking is Developing a Growth vs. Fixed Mindset. I recently came across an article on MindShift that connects to this belief and identifies some common misconceptions about Growth Mindset. Take a moment to read it. It is full of some excellent information. http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/11/16/growth-mindset-clearing-up-some-common-confusions/  Another great read from MindShift this week deals with the idea that we can learn from our mistakes. The article identifies four types of mistakes we can make and the impact each has on our ability to improve our understanding. The graphic highlights the four mistakes types addressed in this article. http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/11/23/why-understanding-these-four-types-of-mistakes-can-help-us-learn/ The final bit of information I have to share with you comes from the Making Thinking Visible facebook page. Ron posted a video of a group of drama students using the GSCE thinking routine to discover a creative ideogram (a symbol) that carries the conceptual weight of the play. The short video guides you through the steps students took to deepen their understanding of the text. https://vimeo.com/14569597 “A life spent making mistakes is not only most honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing” – George Bernard Shaw  This week’s LitBit focuses on opportunities and interactions. Be sure to read the bits of information and see some of the great opportunities available to your students.
What is the purpose of school?- Ted Dintersmith is a successful venture capitalist, father of two, and producer of the documentary “Most Likely to Succeed.” He’s working on encouraging communities to re-think the purpose of school. Take a moment and read his thoughts and findings in this Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/11/03/a-venture-capitalist-searches-for-the-purpose-of-school-heres-what-he-found/?postshare=9491446773811032 Opportunities and Interactions- Recently added to the website is a new Writing Feedback protocol you can use with your students. It is designed to provide a small-group writing conference led by students to offer suggestions for writing improvements. I’ve had great success with the protocol in my language arts classes and the learning center. Instead of hearing “I like your paper. You did a good job!” students are able to receive specific feedback that they can take back and use to enhance their writing. http://www.rcsthinkfromthemiddle.com/writing-workshop-feedback-protocol.html Kids Standard- Motivate. Activate. Celebrate. Kids’ Standard Magazine is a publication dedicated to letting the voice of students be heard. The purpose of the magazine is to help kids believe in themselves, learn and research, and to become self-motivated learners. November’s issue focused on the theme of Growing through Failure. It featured articles from students across Oakland County as well as our own Erika Lusky and a parent from Long Meadow/West Middle School. You can read the November issue here http://www.kidsstandard.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Kids-Mag-Nov-2015-Issue.pdf Be sure to check out the Kids Standard website and see how you and your students can get work published in an upcoming issue. http://www.kidsstandard.org/ Thursday, November 19- Clarkston will visit to learn about Reuther’s CoT journey and see a lesson in-action in the Think Tank. |