KAITLIN BARNES
HABITS AND MINDSETS
Students reference their teacher’s guidance in organization, study habits, character traits and values (like persistence, striving for accuracy, etc.). They have internalized these traits beyond just talking about them which has led to personal growth on the part of the student.
INTRODUCTION
In today's 21st century learning environment, it is important for students to learn more than just the core academic subjects. Students also need to learn and internalize various Habits and Mindsets that will serve them ​throughout their life. Two Habits and Mindsets that I focus on in my classroom are Metacognition and Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations. Metacognition is incorporated into my classroom in a variety of ways, as students are constantly reflecting on their performance and their thinking. Students reflect on their projects and activities and analyze their testing mindsets and performance. In addition, I use a variety of structures to help my students activate their background knowledge and apply it to new texts. This allows my students to bring their own experiences and knowledge to our classroom and contribute to the learning experience of their peers. In this way, I am creating a constructivist environment that values individual student contributions.
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Please click each image below to learn more about how I incorporate two important Habits and Mindsets into my classroom.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, incorporating these particular Habits and Mindsets allows me to strengthen the learning community in our classroom. Because I am a reading teacher, background knowledge and connections with text are incredibly important to increase student comprehension and academic performance. In addition to background knowledge, metacognition allows students to reflect on their effort, performance, and what they have learned. This Habit helps me take a pulse check of how students are feeling and allows me to identify which students I need to check in with personally, and when I need to lead a mini-lesson to remind students of a particular strategy or skill.