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ACTION PLAN
What I Implemented in My Classroom
What was implemented?
The purpose of my study was to determine if implementing growth mindset strategies in a writer’s workshop model would impact students’ ability to persevere in writing tasks and improve achievement for students in the subject area of writing. During this study, I implemented growth mindset strategies through author’s craft mini-lessons utilizing a story based approach, one-on-one conferences, and sharing celebrations each day.
Write Aloud
Mini Lessons
To teach students what a growth mindset was and all that it entailed, each week of my study would include a concept theme associated with a growth mindset. On the first day of the week, I would plan a mini-lesson that would touch one of the following concepts: growth vs. fixed mindset, the power of yet, and neuroplasticity.
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Growth vs. Fixed Mindset meant teaching students the difference between having a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is when someone believes that their intelligence and abilities are stagnant and not alterable. While someone with a growth mindset believes that their intelligence and abilities can be developed or improved upon.
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The Power of Yet meant teaching students that it is okay not to know how to do something. It is not that we “can’t do it,” rather, it is something we cannot do “yet.”
Neuroplasticity meant teaching students that the brain continues to change even into old age. It is like a physical muscle, in that it gets stronger the more you use it. When you use your brain to complete a task, the brain “remembers” the job so that the next time the task is done, it gets easier. When kids understand the concept of neuroplasticity, their perception of their abilities also changes. It becomes much easier for them to understand the growth mindset and embrace mistakes.
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To effectively develop the concepts of a growth mindset in my students, I then strategically planned 10 to 15-minute mini-lessons, where I modeled using a growth mindset in my writing each day. Developing writers needed to observe me as an experienced writer while I worked. This helps my students write more effectively themselves. In my lessons, I planned authentic moments where I would make a mistake or find something challenging and say aloud my thoughts that helped me persevere through the difficult task. By modeling my process through functions that are commonly challenging for students, my students were more likely to be able to carry over the positive thinking into their own writing.
Story Based
Approach
Along with planning how I would write aloud to students and model mistakes, I also would incorporate once a mentor text once a week. A mentor text is a story written and published by an author that students can use as another model of writing. I specifically chose books that conveyed the message that even the most accomplished people fail and struggle. By including these stories, students were more likely to feel a connection to what they were learning. This story-based approach was intended to motivate students’ learning by humanizing content knowledge and showing real-world examples of struggle and success. I hoped that by motivating students in this nature, it would make students want to seek out their own improvement. With a growth mindset, students can utilize a story-based approach to grow.
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The Mentor Texts that I used:
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Hey Little, Ant
by Phillip Hoose
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Salt in his Shoes
by Deloris Jordan
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A Whistle for Willie
by Ezra Jack Keats
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Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still
by Karlin Gray
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Jabari Jumps
by Gaia Cornwall
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by Dan Santat
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One-On-One
Conference
During the 35-minute block left after the mini-lesson or write aloud, I conferenced or met one-on-one with at least three students per day. Within the conferencing time, I monitored students as a whole, knowing which students needed more guidance than others. I also followed a structured order that ensured I met with each child once a week. There was flexibility within this schedule to meet with students more than once, based on their needs. During the conference, students and I would work together to identify a glow and grow. A glow identified a strength the student had in their writing, and a grow identified an area where the student could improve. These conferences were a time I could differentiate for each child's needs. When I conferenced, I consistently tried to help students utilize positivity and encouraged a growth mindset by having planned out phrases to help guide feedback. At the end of conferencing, I collected data through anecdotal notes to track the glows and grows of each student. They would also mark their own glows/grows in their writing binder.
Writing Celebrations
At the end of each week, I took one day to hold a writing celebration. Lucy Calkins suggests holding writing celebrations for students in which they share and celebrate their writing. Students in my classroom were a part of our class “Author’s Club.” (A club I created to motivate students to partake in writing.) As a member in the "Author's Club" students would get to gather at the front of the room and sit anywhere they would like. The only rule being they had to be a respectful audience member. Student authors would get the chance to share their writing out loud to the audience. Each week we would draw names of students who were up to share. They had the opportunity to become a "sharer" or they could choose to pass.The audience would sometimes consist of other adults in the building! Once the student author shared, they would receive positive feedback! Celebrating student writers and their writing encouraged continued growth and motivation for students to write.
Why did I implement this plan?
Upon doing further research about Growth Mindsets, I was able to see its many positive outcomes and benefits that my students could have from learning how to think this way. Many studies reviewed in the literature found similar results, one being that students’ ability to preserve during tough tasks improved by the conclusion of the study. This means students showed improvements in taking on challenges, being okay with making a mistake, and going out of their comfort zones. Students also showed an increase in motivation. A person who has a growth mindset pushes themselves and works toward improvement without an incentive reward. In addition to improving motivation, studies showed that with a growth mindset, students had the desire to learn and embrace the effort it takes to be successful. Looking at all the benefits students gained from these studies of implementing a growth mindset, I considered my class. I saw many connections in areas that they could have positive outcomes in their writing if only they had their fixed mindsets changed to one of growth.
Why did my students need this plan?
My class had five students, in particular, that had difficulty believing in themselves and not shutting down when a task seemed hard, especially in writing. Still, I considered how the instructional strategies used in my study would benefit and improve the mindsets of all students in the class. In my class, about half of the students lacked confidence in themselves and would say “I can’t” or “It’s too hard” before giving the task proper effort. I found myself having to continuously explain to students that tasks sometimes would be harder than others, and that is okay! We had numerous conversations about how we cannot just give up or not put our best effort into something. It was within the first few months that it became clear to me that my students needed help fixing how they looked at challenges. Upon learning the benefits of having a growth mindset, I knew having tools and strategies learned would help my students handle the challenging time of writer’s workshop each day.
How were diverse learning needs met in this study?
Diverse learning needs were addressed throughout the study in several ways. First of all, my mini-lessons were taught in a variety of ways to meet the needs of all learners. Visuals were used and displayed throughout the classroom, conversations and discussions were had, and modeling occurred- giving my students multiple ways to practice and obtain intended outcomes. I also made sure that what I modeled in my writing was age and developmentally appropriate for my students, that the language I used matched their ability levels and needs. The modeling was purposeful and intentional in meeting students where they were at. Additionally, students received individual instruction through daily conferencing. Based on that student's need, they received feedback on that skill during the conference. By using these techniques I was able to differentiate and enhance learning for each child.
Culturally Responsive Practices
My study supported culturally responsive practices by providing students choice in their writing. Students were allowed to write about any topic in my classroom, as long as they tailored it to the genre we were currently learning. By providing students the opportunity of choice they were able to write about their own experiences. There was a sense of comfort behind what they can choose. The study also supported culturally responsive practices through the story-based approach of using mentor texts and conducting think-aloud. The mentor texts I chose represented my wide range of student populations. The think-alouds conducted focused on what specific struggles students might be having. All students were able to see themselves in the stories used. Multiple authors were chosen covering similar topics, which ensured various styles and perspectives of the same concept. Hence, students had the opportunity to use or see what made the most sense to them. Above all, my study welcomed all learners, welcomed mistakes, and encouraged students to have a growth mindset.
Professional Collaboration
In deciding on what the study would look like for my specific classroom, many conversations were had with colleagues. My colleagues helped and supported me by helping best support my students and their learning. Internal stakeholders included my school counselor, and my grade-level team. With each person I found myself discussing what the purpose and goal of the study was and possible methods and data collection tools I could potentially utilize. My school counselor pointed me in the right direction in finding outside resources to help support teaching students about a growth mindset. For example, ClassDojo has a "Big Idea" component to their website that has mini video lessons that help explain Growth Mindset to kids. My grade-level team helped me problem solve and create engaging mini-lessons by giving mentor text book suggestions. While people within my school building were helpful, I could not have been successful without many other people. Externally, I interviewed another teacher within the district about writer’s workshop and social emotional learning to gain a deeper understand what this should look like in the classroom. Additionally, I utilized a cohort of educators to bounce ideas off of and answer questions that I struggled with throughout the study. My associate and mentor helped support along the way in each step of the process. This included helping me with finding research articles such as Lucy Calkins, aiding in the creation of making engaging lessons, collecting data effectively, and most importantly being a shoulder to lean on when things felt overwhelming. The collaboration of people rallying around my students and I aided my students’ growth much more than I could have on my own. Every encounter whether within or outside of the building aided student learning.