Learning from my 4th Graders: GroWth Mindset in action

Last Thursday we had our first after school session of our "Science of Learning" workshop.  Inspired by Visible Learning/John Hattie's work and Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning  by Pooja K. Agarwal and Patrice M. Bain, I decided to have an afternoon workshop where we:

• Learn about a practice that will help you learn
• Write out a plan and script so we can teach it to other teachers and students
• Create a video

I had a plan.  It started out well.  I "taught" them about Growth Mindset.  We webbed out our learning.  We played a Quizizz about Growth Mindset. Now time for the fun!  Write a script. 

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Insert struggle, struggle, struggle here.

​My 7 scholars were stuck.  I had even given them an outline.  Come on, kids.  Then in my mind I thought, "Jill.  Growth mindset.  Struggle.  Let them struggle."  So I gave them some time, but it wasn't looking good.

Then one of the participants broke rank and said, "What if I do this?"  and soon the others were chiming in with their ideas.  So, we scrapped the scripts and got to work.  What they came up with blew me away.  One of my favorite moments was when one of my students (who is studying mechanics for her passion project) was looking up growth mindset quotes and came upon one by Henry Ford.  Her excitement was palatable.  

Whether you think you can
​or you can't, you're right.
​-Henry Ford

​What I love about after school workshops is the freedom I feel to be experimental and let the students "waste" time figuring things out, trying new things, and coming up with something from nothing.   I don't feel the pressure of test scores or evaluations.  I can dive in with the students and we can learn together (mostly me from them in this case).

And the little voice deep down inside of me wonders, "How can I allow for more of this in my classroom?"