Written by This first report card is always a bit of a wake-up call for students and teachers alike. It’s a time to reflect on the work that has been done, the learning that is happening in the classroom, and as such, it serves as a launching pad for the rest of the year.
Using the concept of the Growth Mindset, really pioneered by Carol Dweck, I use the report card to highlight the processes of learning, and the journey that this report card represents. The Growth Mindset emphasizes process over results, and resiliency over mastery.
In her interview posted HERE, Carol Dweck suggests parents, and I would add teachers: a) to consider why it’s important to understand that people can develop their abilities, b) to think of areas in which they once had low ability but now perform well, c) to write to a struggling protégé (student) about how his or her abilities can be developed, and d) to recall times they have seen people learn to do things they never thought these people could do. In each case, they are asked to reflect upon why and how change takes place.
I am encouraging my advisees to ask themselves:
a) What is working for me in the classroom?
– what note-taking skills?
– where I am sitting, and who I am sitting next to?
– how am I organized?
b) What is working for me outside of the classroom?
– how am I keeping track of my homework?
– what do my binders look like?
– what do my computer folders look like?
– do I have a set routine for completing homework?
Hopefully, this report card will serve as a motivator to adopt, refine or continue good study habits both in and out of the classroom. Hopefully, my students see this as another step in the process, not a definition of who they are…