Dear Readers,
This month, we’re excited to introduce to you Brainology Español! Specifically geared towards bilingual, ESL and Spanish language learners, we’re happy to offer more students the opportunity to benefit from the Brainology program. We’re currently recruiting beta-testers, so please contact us if your school might be interested in trying out Brainology Español.
Also, in this month’s newsletter, Debbie Silver offers tips for increasing autonomy in students. We’re sure you’ll find her suggestions helpful!
We also feature an inspiring story from Principal Ann M. Renker, PhD, who describes both the challenges and the positive changes she witnessed in her students, when she incorporated Growth Mindset practice at her school.
If you would like to contribute through a guest post, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us:newsletter@brainology.us.
The Mindset Works Team
|
|
|
Growth Mindset News and Tips
Brainology Español Beta Invitation
By Eduardo Briceño, Co-Founder & CEO, Mindset Works
Hola everyone,
In our continued effort to reach all students, Brainology® is now available in Spanish, the second most spoken language in the U.S. and third in the world. We call it Brainology Español.
Before it is released to the public, we are offering you, the mindset community, a limited opportunity to beta-test Brainology Español. To preview the program, check out funding options or learn more, visit Brainology Español. Your Bilingual / EL / ESL students, or other students learning Spanish, can now learn the basic neuroscience behind how the brain learns along with research-based study skills, a combination that sparks their passion for learning and increases their motivation, efficacy and academic achievement.
Read more...
“You’re Not the Boss of Me!” - Helping Kids Find a Healthy Sense of Self
Based on Debbie Silver's new book, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Teaching Kids to Succeed
“You are not the boss of me!” “You can’t tell me what to do!” “I want to do it my way!” These are age-old proclamations from young people who want to declare their independence. Edward Deci and Richard Ryan (Deci, 1995), founders of self-determination theory, believe that autonomy, competence, and relatedness are essential in helping children to become self-actualized individuals. The concept of autonomy is particularly worth exploring because it not only helps build a growth mindset, but it also helps to instill a healthy sense of independence in kids.
Children perceive their circumstances as either autonomous or as controlled. With a perception of autonomy, individuals are willing to do what they are doing and embrace the activity with a sense of interest and commitment. If the situation is perceived as controlling, they will act without a sense of personal endorsement; they feel manipulated. Autonomy does not necessarily mean that one has strictly to “go it alone,” but rather it means that one is acting with a sense of choice and volition. This can happen simultaneously while one is enjoying interdependence with others.
Tips on Promoting Autonomy in Learners
Read more...
Mindset in Action
Growing a Growth Mindset to Boost Students’ Achievement: The Neah Bay Secondary Program Example
Ann M. Renker, PhD, Principal at Neah Bay HS and Markishtum MS in WA
Located on the Northwestern corner of Washington State, the Neah Bay Schools are a complex of public school buildings sharing a 20 acre campus, and serving the families of the Makah Indian Reservation. As the secondary principal of the middle and high school programs, I serve 170 students in total, 90% of whom are Makah Tribal members, and 66% of whom qualify for free/reduced lunch.
My interest in student success began in 1982, when I taught Makah language to Neah Bay High School students. At the same time, I was conducting research for my dissertation on Makah syntax, and was struck by the frequency with which students abandoned challenging tasks.
Read more...
The Growth Minded Educator Contest
The Growth Minded Educator Contest is our way of capturing and sharing collective learning experiences, and recognizing the efforts that educators have put into instilling and cultivating a Growth Mindset in their students.
January 2011 Contest Results
The February 2012 Growth Minded Educator is... Renny Fong! Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated. We received some fantastic submissions, and will reach out to some of you to discuss ways to share the other entries.
Renny Fong shares a practice he uses to help his son develop as a reflective thinker and see his own growth. Here is his answer to the contest question: "How can parents and teachers make assessment and grading a tool for growth?":
Read more...
Enter the next Growth Minded Educator Contest
All contest entries have a chance to win an autographed copy of Carol Dweck''s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Contest Question: How have you been able to develop partnerships between teachers and parents to support growth mindset thinking in students? What specific strategies have you found to be helpful in communicating and reinforcing one another in this work? (Suggested length: 150 words or less) Email your answers to newsletter@brainology.us by March 15th, 2012 We’ll review each answer and share the winning one(s) on a future newsletter. If you have any questions regarding the contest, please post a comment or email us at newsletter@brainology.us
Do you have something to say?
Please post comments at the bottom of any of the articles, and if you have more to say, consider writing a guest blog or newsletter post! Email us at newsletter@brainology.us to share your guest post idea.
follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend
|