Kids Need Mojo

As I visit classrooms, I continue to hear the same message.  Students can't persevere.  They want instant success. They give up too easily.  How do we help our children embrace a productive struggle?  This all boils down to a growth mindset.  Teachers need to model for students.  Parents need to model for their children.  Children learn what they live.  If they see adults working hard, learning from mistakes, and not giving up, they will follow in our footsteps.  

Class DoJo recently released videos, A Big Ideas video series, that help our wee ones connect with the power of the growth mindset.  "When you try challenging things, like those math problems, you're giving your brain the exercise it needs to get stronger, which makes you smarter."

Mojo loves challenges!!!

This series includes five, kid friendly videos.  Each two and a half minute segment sends a powerful message about growing as a learner by tackling challenges.

Here are the episode highlights:

Episode 1:  A Secret about the Brain - Exercise your brain and you will get smarter.

Episode 2:  The Magic of Mistakes - "Mistakes are no big deal.  They even make you smarter."

Episode 3:  The Power of "Yet" - When you get stuck, just remember that "I can't do it yet."

Episode 4:  The World of Neurons - You have the power to grow if you learn challenging things.

Episode 5:  Mojo Puts It All Together - Learn to love challenges and you will always be growing.

Additionally, a free, downloadable discussion guide is offered with each episode. 

These clips can fit perfectly into the classroom environment.  They are equally as powerful to watch as a family and discuss.  The Mojo character is so relatable to kids that the episodes can be watched multiple times.  What a great way to remind children about Mojo when they get stuck or find something - anything - hard.

Check out the clips!  I'm sure you will be hooked and want to share them.  Heck, Mojo even reminded me as an adult how to be a role model of growth mindset for my own kiddos.

What other strategies do you use to foster a growth mindset with children?  Share your ideas.  We all learn from each other.

Do NOT Raise Your Hand

The teacher asks students a question and in a perfect world classroom, all hands go up.  Now, honestly, how often does that happen?

There is a direct connection between high-engagement classroom environments and student achievement, but how can we strengthen the level of engagement?  

I recently tried out a strategy that I read about in Dylan William's Embedded Formative Assessment - no hand raising allowed, unless you have a question.  The premise is that if teachers call on those students that raise their hands, other students may choose not to participate.  Some may even opt to zone out.  Yikes!  What does that mean for engagement and more importantly, student understanding?  When the students do not know who will be called on, they all need to be engaged and ready to answer.

As I tried this with a few classes, focus on the lesson seemed to grow before my very eyes.  Now keep in mind that wait time is an essential component of this strategy.  Students need time to process. Additionally, if a student is randomly called on and does not have a response after adequate wait time, I've given him or her the opportunity to "phone a friend" and then circled back to original student, asking this child to restate the answer given.  

Traditionally, teachers that employ this engagement strategy have used Popsicle sticks or names on ping pong balls.  William even suggests having "a student 'selector' for the day."  Of course, now in the age of technology, there's an app for that.  Android has Names in a Hat; iTunes has Shuffle Names and Student Callout.  

To make this instructional move more welcoming to students, William suggests asking "two students at random for responses to a questions, but for the third answer, ask the remainder of the class if anyone has anything else to contribute."  When the child does not have an answer, William also suggests letting other students respond and coming "back to the original student and say, 'Now, which of those answers do you like best?'"  What power this offers the student, all within the realm of being both engaged and accountable.  It all boils down to classroom expectations.

As teachers we have many tools in our tool box to keep our students focused and on task.  Hopefully, this is another tool for you to draw on.  What other moves do you make to maximize student engagement?  Share your ideas.  We all learn from each other.