2014-2015 Featured Books
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
By: Carol Dweck
Target Audience: PreK-12, All faculty, staff, and administrators
Overview: Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success–but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals–personal and professional.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Then watch the following TedTalk. After reading the book, ask yourself whether you have a fixed or growth mindset. For one day track your own responses and thoughts on how you react to various situations (is it from a fixed or growth mindset?). Then for one day track your responses in the classroom in how you provide feedback to students to determine your habits in whether you are fostering a fixed or growth mindset in class. Then write a 300-400 page reflection on the text, video, and your experience.
Option 2: Book Club
Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. After the last session write a 300-400 word reflection on the text, discussion questions, and application in the classroom of the growth mindset.
Questions to discuss in Book Club Group:
By: Carol Dweck
Target Audience: PreK-12, All faculty, staff, and administrators
Overview: Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success–but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals–personal and professional.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Then watch the following TedTalk. After reading the book, ask yourself whether you have a fixed or growth mindset. For one day track your own responses and thoughts on how you react to various situations (is it from a fixed or growth mindset?). Then for one day track your responses in the classroom in how you provide feedback to students to determine your habits in whether you are fostering a fixed or growth mindset in class. Then write a 300-400 page reflection on the text, video, and your experience.
Option 2: Book Club
Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. After the last session write a 300-400 word reflection on the text, discussion questions, and application in the classroom of the growth mindset.
Questions to discuss in Book Club Group:
- What kind of mindset do I have?
- Do I believe that "students entering my class with different achievement levels were deeply and permanently different?
- OR Do I "focus on the the idea that all children could develop their skills?
- How am I demonstrating my mindset to my students?
- How can we get kids to focus on the learning, instead of the grade? How do we change the mindset?
- How do we create the growth mindset in our system?
Mindsets in the Classroom
By: Mary Cay Ricci
Target Audience: PreK-8 faculty, staff
Overview: This book provides educators with ideas for ways to build a growth mindset school culture, wherein students are challenged to change their thinking about their abilities and potential. The book includes a planning template, step-by-step description of a growth mindset culture, and "look-fors" for adopting a differentiated, responsive instruction model teachers can use immediately in their classrooms.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Mindsets in the Classroom. Use the Teacher Checklist for Planning Differentiated, Responsive Instruction on page 54. Check off all differentiation strategies currently in consistent use in your classroom instruction. Choose ONE Differentiation Idea from this chapter to try in your classroom that is NOT consistently used. Share what you tried, what went well, and what you might do differently next time. Reflect on ideas you have for implementing “learning from failure” in your classroom environment and culture. At the end of the book write a 300-400 word reflection on the text, discussion questions, and application in the classroom of the growth mindset.
Option 2: Book Club
Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. After the last session write a 300-400 word reflection on the text, discussion questions, and application in the classroom of the growth mindset.
Potential Questions to discuss in Book Club Group:
By: Mary Cay Ricci
Target Audience: PreK-8 faculty, staff
Overview: This book provides educators with ideas for ways to build a growth mindset school culture, wherein students are challenged to change their thinking about their abilities and potential. The book includes a planning template, step-by-step description of a growth mindset culture, and "look-fors" for adopting a differentiated, responsive instruction model teachers can use immediately in their classrooms.
Option 1: Individual Work
Read Mindsets in the Classroom. Use the Teacher Checklist for Planning Differentiated, Responsive Instruction on page 54. Check off all differentiation strategies currently in consistent use in your classroom instruction. Choose ONE Differentiation Idea from this chapter to try in your classroom that is NOT consistently used. Share what you tried, what went well, and what you might do differently next time. Reflect on ideas you have for implementing “learning from failure” in your classroom environment and culture. At the end of the book write a 300-400 word reflection on the text, discussion questions, and application in the classroom of the growth mindset.
Option 2: Book Club
Create a group of 2-6 teachers who will read the book together and determine the meeting schedule. Meet for a minimum of 5 hours to reflect on the text and to collaborate on how the activities in the text can be transferred to their own school or team practice. After the last session write a 300-400 word reflection on the text, discussion questions, and application in the classroom of the growth mindset.
Potential Questions to discuss in Book Club Group:
- In what areas do you think you have a fixed mindset? In what areas do you think you have a growth mindset?
- How does a teacher’s mindset about a student’s learning ability directly connect to the responsiveness and effectiveness of instruction?
- What messages should parents hear about growth mindset?
- What are some ideas you have for working in lessons on growth mindset so that it integrates with your upcoming curriculum topics?
- What ideas do you have for implementing a sustainable school system for maintaining a growth mindset culture here in MURSD?