So I decided to change things up a bit.
Yes, it is the school holidays. Yes, I should probably be switching off from school more than I have been, but I find my most inspired ideas either come in the middle of the night, or during a holiday period where my brain has all the time to think and not much to distract it.
Speaking of brains and thinking, this post is all about how I implement a "Growth Mindset" in my classroom, and how you can too!
There's lots of different ways to implement a Growth Mindset program, or a Mindfulness program, in your classroom or school. There are some fantastic programs that you can subscribe to and follow, like smiling mind or mindful education (also check out kids matter for all things mental and emotional health related), or you can do what I do andmake it up as you go along do your own thing.
Every morning, I run a 'morning meeting' for 15 minutes, usually from 9am. The kids have had their organisation time already, so when the bell goes it marks the start of the day. I do the usual things, like mark the roll and run through our daily timetable with them, maybe a few Maths or English facts/quizzes. Then we get down to my version of 'mindfulness'.
On the SMARTboard I display a quote. I scoured TPT and found some AMAZING resources (some of which you can see in the display pictures). Most of the quotes I use come in PDF packs, so each morning we go through a quote, and that becomes our mantra for the day. They read the quote; sometimes, one student wants to read it aloud. Then I read the quote. Twice. We talk about what it means, what's the message behind it, who said it (great for teaching them some facts about Nelson Mandela and Aristotle). We talk about how we can apply that to our lives. I like to link it in to our You Can Do It values of Getting Along, Respect, Persistence, Resilience and Confidence. We talk about what we have coming up for the day, and how I want them to keep our daily quote in mind when they think they can't do a maths problem, or if they feel disappointed with the result of their spelling test.
After recess and lunch, I remind them of our quote from the morning, especially if there is something happening which I think one or many of them will struggle with/find challenging/need a positive head space for.
And d'you know what? It's working.
3 terms in. 3 terms of going through a quote a day, reminding them that life is about character and personality, not the score you get on a test. Reinforcing that it is much better to be friendly, respectful and polite than it is to be the winner or the best at something.
How do I know it's working? Because they're saying it back to me.
It's the little things. The little things that happen in Maths, where one of them will say 'Just like our quote today!'. The little things when we are talking about the quote of a morning, where the other day one little kidlet said 'Wow. That's really powerful.' (to which I was so gobsmacked I think I started at her for a full 10 seconds not knowing what to say). It's when they reiterate previous quotes to me, days or weeks later. It's when I can see them changing their self talk, and applying these inspirational phrases to help them do and be better.
So I decided to create a display. A Growth Mindset display. All of the quotes featured are ones we have gone through together. I plan on changing them up regularly, so as to keep it interesting and relevant. Check down the bottom of the post for the links to the products on TPT.
So, as Term 4 approaches, and we all need a little bit of positivity and mindfulness ourselves, think of implementing a mindfulness/positive mindset/growth mindset program. I've downloaded the smiling mind app and plan on using this after lunch, to help re-centre and calm everyone down; that way, we will be doing some sort of mindfulness in the morning and afternoon. But regardless of what you do, how big or small; whole school or just your class, 5 minutes or 50 minutes, it will be beneficial to both yourself and your kidlets.
Growth Mindset Products:
'Your Fantastic Elastic Brain' products (brain poster and parts of brain explanation posters): Brain and Growth Mindset Posters by JD Teach
'Growth Mindset Colourful Posters': Growth Mindset Posters Bundle by Tales from Miss D
'Quote Posters': Quote Posters: Motivational Classroom Art by Blair Turner
Fonts: All KG Fonts by Kimberly Geswein
Happy thinking!
Yes, it is the school holidays. Yes, I should probably be switching off from school more than I have been, but I find my most inspired ideas either come in the middle of the night, or during a holiday period where my brain has all the time to think and not much to distract it.
Speaking of brains and thinking, this post is all about how I implement a "Growth Mindset" in my classroom, and how you can too!
 |
| My header for my display. I made this in PowerPoint by inserting a circle shape, then putting a text box in the middle of it and printing on coloured paper, then laminating. The font is 'Janda Closer to Free' by KG Fonts. |
There's lots of different ways to implement a Growth Mindset program, or a Mindfulness program, in your classroom or school. There are some fantastic programs that you can subscribe to and follow, like smiling mind or mindful education (also check out kids matter for all things mental and emotional health related), or you can do what I do and
Every morning, I run a 'morning meeting' for 15 minutes, usually from 9am. The kids have had their organisation time already, so when the bell goes it marks the start of the day. I do the usual things, like mark the roll and run through our daily timetable with them, maybe a few Maths or English facts/quizzes. Then we get down to my version of 'mindfulness'.
On the SMARTboard I display a quote. I scoured TPT and found some AMAZING resources (some of which you can see in the display pictures). Most of the quotes I use come in PDF packs, so each morning we go through a quote, and that becomes our mantra for the day. They read the quote; sometimes, one student wants to read it aloud. Then I read the quote. Twice. We talk about what it means, what's the message behind it, who said it (great for teaching them some facts about Nelson Mandela and Aristotle). We talk about how we can apply that to our lives. I like to link it in to our You Can Do It values of Getting Along, Respect, Persistence, Resilience and Confidence. We talk about what we have coming up for the day, and how I want them to keep our daily quote in mind when they think they can't do a maths problem, or if they feel disappointed with the result of their spelling test.
After recess and lunch, I remind them of our quote from the morning, especially if there is something happening which I think one or many of them will struggle with/find challenging/need a positive head space for.
And d'you know what? It's working.
3 terms in. 3 terms of going through a quote a day, reminding them that life is about character and personality, not the score you get on a test. Reinforcing that it is much better to be friendly, respectful and polite than it is to be the winner or the best at something.
How do I know it's working? Because they're saying it back to me.
It's the little things. The little things that happen in Maths, where one of them will say 'Just like our quote today!'. The little things when we are talking about the quote of a morning, where the other day one little kidlet said 'Wow. That's really powerful.' (to which I was so gobsmacked I think I started at her for a full 10 seconds not knowing what to say). It's when they reiterate previous quotes to me, days or weeks later. It's when I can see them changing their self talk, and applying these inspirational phrases to help them do and be better.
So I decided to create a display. A Growth Mindset display. All of the quotes featured are ones we have gone through together. I plan on changing them up regularly, so as to keep it interesting and relevant. Check down the bottom of the post for the links to the products on TPT.
 |
| 'Your Fantastic Elastic Brain' posters. Check out the eBook 'Your Fantastic Elastic Brain' by JoAnn Deak on the iTunes App store. |
 |
| My Growth Mindset display. Can't wait for the kids to see it! (Full product links at bottom of post). |
So, as Term 4 approaches, and we all need a little bit of positivity and mindfulness ourselves, think of implementing a mindfulness/positive mindset/growth mindset program. I've downloaded the smiling mind app and plan on using this after lunch, to help re-centre and calm everyone down; that way, we will be doing some sort of mindfulness in the morning and afternoon. But regardless of what you do, how big or small; whole school or just your class, 5 minutes or 50 minutes, it will be beneficial to both yourself and your kidlets.
Growth Mindset Products:
'Your Fantastic Elastic Brain' products (brain poster and parts of brain explanation posters): Brain and Growth Mindset Posters by JD Teach
'Growth Mindset Colourful Posters': Growth Mindset Posters Bundle by Tales from Miss D
'Quote Posters': Quote Posters: Motivational Classroom Art by Blair Turner
Fonts: All KG Fonts by Kimberly Geswein
Happy thinking!
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