T.I.P.R.- Growth Mindset

The teacher I am observing has a great approach to using the Growth Mindset. Because the content area is History, he often hears his students say that they "just don't get it", or "that was history, so how does this apply to me?"

In several of the history classes that I've observed, this is a common theme and struggle for some students. They do not feel a connection to the information and they do not learn. It seems that they just memorize dates and facts. Often, students don't like history because they feel it is boring, or "why does it matter?".

The teacher I'm observing will start class with current events. He asks the students to come to class with a current event a discussion about the events. He has a way of being able to tie in a current event to the lesson and information that he is presenting that day. On a couple occasions that I have observed, I've seen the "light" turn on for several of the students. The discussion and comments show that the students are making connections to "their world".

I spoke with the teacher I'm observing and he felt that he was cultivating, as he put it, a "Mindset to Grow". He felt that through sharing current events, and helping the students see how their current world is relevant to things in history, that they were able to also able grow their mindset to also help in other content areas of their studies.

When the students made connections, it increased their curiosity and peaked their interests in history. He found that they put much more effort into their research, and group work. The assigned readings, which he made sure were very short, became more meaningful and had a purpose. He says this type of preparation takes much more preparation on his part, but it makes it easier for the students to actually learn, and in the long run, makes thing easier for him, especially when creating their assessments. With the different types of assessments he plans, he anticipates more a more in depth display of knowledge and interest. He is very excited about the level of engagement he is experiencing with his students!