BARBER BULLETIN
October 2-6
Growth Mindset
According to researcher Carol Dweck, in a fixed mindset students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that’s that, and then their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don’t necessarily think everyone’s the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it (Morehead 2012).
The crucial point for individuals is that these mindsets have a large impact upon our understanding of success and failure. Fixed mindset people dread failure, feeling that it reflects badly upon themselves as individuals, while growth mindset people instead embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and improve their abilities.
Needless to say, this idea of mindsets has significant implications for education. One of the most important aspects relates to feedback. According to Dweck, when we give praise to students (which we, as teachers often do, in order to build self-esteem and encourage students) for how clever they are, we might actually be encouraging them to develop a fixed mindset - which might limit their learning potential. On the other hand, if we praise students for the hard work and the process that they’ve engaged in, then that helps to develop a growth potential.
We have to really send the right messages, that taking on a challenging task is what I admire. Sticking to something and trying many strategies, that’s what I admire. That struggling means you’re committed to something and are willing to work hard. Parents around the dinner table and teachers in the classroom should ask, ‘Who had a fabulous struggle today? (Morehead 2012)
This praise can have significant effects upon students: citing longtitudinal studies with Year 7 maths students, Dweck has shown how students with a growth mindset are far more likely to take on more challenging work and succeed at it than students with a fixed mindset - even if all other factors remain the same.
Dweck (and others) put this down to the development of self that takes place as different mindsets develop. With a fixed mindset, there are feelings of powerlessness and learned helplessness. This can lead to the development of a self-defeating identity, accompanied by toxic personal statements like ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I’m not clever enough.’
On the other hand, a growth mindset amongst students is likely to encourage them to develop feelings of empowerment - students begin to see how they might take action to positively influence their community and their own learning.
Six Tips for Instilling a Growth Mindset in Yourself
- Focus on the hard stuff. Rather than focus on what you know is humming along fine, look for the weaknesses. Usually, these are the areas that don’t come naturally, or that you may not like very much.
- Try innovative solutions, and if they don’t work, try some more. Again, I think the key here is to focus on the weaknesses, on the stuff that is not going well. It’s fun to tweak assignments that are already a hit, but when you focus on your most nagging content standards, you might just find some real breakthroughs!
- Seek feedback wherever you can. Evaluations don’t have to come from administrators— they can come from fellow teachers or even the students.
- Know that you are always developing your skills. Try something new! Attend a professional development that interests you! Seek a colleague that you admire and spend time with him/her in their respective classrooms.
- Reflect at the end of every day, especially the bad ones. You can learn alot from your toughest students or your biggest lesson plan flops.
- Notice the areas where you have a fixed mindset. Reflecting on your attitude and how it affects your willingness to grow is always useful. We can’t have a growth mindset about everything all the time, but we can notice when we are talking ourselves out of trying something because we are afraid.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Help us beat breast cancer in the Midlands on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017 at the 27th Walk for Life and Famously Hot Pink Half Marathon, 5K + 10K. DID YOU KNOW? Your support will help fund a seventh 3D digital mammography unit at Palmetto Health Breast Center.
Funds raised through Walk for Life and Famously Hot Pink Half Marathon, 5K + 10K stay right here in the Midlands.
If you haven't joined our Pontiac team yet, please see Christy Helzer to help you sign up!
A big thank you to Michael Murray for sharing with us another opportunity to support Breast Cancer. Do you love cheesecake? Palmetto Cheesecake Co. will be donating the proceeds of our "The Classic Palmetto" cheesecake to the fight against breast cancer starting October 1st.
You can order directly through Mr. Murray!
Let's THINK PINK tomorrow to kick off the month in a PINK WAY! Join me? Wear your jeans and pink proudly to support the fight this month!
Elementary Math Newsletter HIGHLIGHTS
We are almost halfway through the first quarter of school. It is the perfect time to sit down with your grade level and determine where you are in comparison with the pacing guide. Here are some helpful resources:
Help With Math South Carolina -- www.helpwithmathsc.org - a project of the Education Oversight Committee and SC math educators designed to address the concerns families and others have who are trying to help children with math skills outside of the school day
Martin’s Math Club will be led by Coach Frank Martin, Head Coach of the USC Men’s Basketball Team and a former high school math educator. With assistance from SC math educators, the EOC published 18 standards-based lessons for Kindergarten through 8th grade that incorporate math and basketball. Season 2 of Martin’s Math Team starts in Fall 2018 and incorporates nine new lessons that recognize the Gamecock’s historic 2017 Final Four appearance in Phoenix, AZ. Go to www.helpwithmathsc.org for details. Here is the flyer for more details: Math Club
UNITED WAY!
The mission of United Way of the Midlands is simple: We unite people and resources to improve the quality of life in the Midlands.
The Richland Two school district fundraiser campaign is in full effect. Our Teacher of the Year, Becky Timmons, is leading our fundraiser efforts at Pontiac. Our goal matches that of the district's goal this year - 100% participation and a 10% increase in giving. Thank you for your role in supporting our community. If we meet our goal at the conclusion of our fundraiser, which ends on Monday, October 9, we will provide our staff with duty-free lunch. Let's be a leader in the district in supporting this cause!
Our Week at a Glance:
This week:
Box Top Collection begins
Book fair continues
PTO fundraiser continues
Monday:
Taurean Robinson, out of the building for personal trip to Sharpen the Saw!
3:30pm Staff Meeting (Will include required presentations by ALERT and Speech)
Due to book fair, staff meeting will be held in the cafeteria.
Tuesday:
8:30am Superintendent, Dr. Baron Davis, visits Pontiac for classroom observations
Please dress to impress!
Wednesday:
Assistant Principals meeting off campus
3:30pm K.Barber attends district state testing data meeting
Thursday:
9:30am Administrators engaged in Socratic Seminar with asst. superintendent, Dr. Sheley
6:30pm PTO meeting
Friday:
Social Dues deadline
1:45pm Support Staff meeting in cafeteria
HAVE YOU BEEN BOOED THIS WEEK?