Math Minutes Vol. 11
Week of December 8
Mindset Matters - Teaching Perserverence
“If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward,”said the man who is credited with revolutionizing the 20th century with the invention of the light bulb. What if Thomas Edison had stopped after the 10th failed attempt? Or the 100th? or the 9,999th?
There are many famous stories of celebrities who failed their way to success: Walt Disney, J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, and the list goes on and on. One common trait shared among these "failures"...perseverance. They never gave up!
Too many time in the classroom, student equate "smarts" and "success" with knowing the answer right way. We have to model and teach students the how to cultivate the critical attribute of perseverance.
Children's Literature is a great way to get students thinking about perseverance, and Brave Irene is one of my favorites, especially for this time of the year. Here is a video of former Vice-President Al Gore reading Brave Irene, as well as a link to lesson activities. But remember, students will not make the connection of success and perseverance unless you point it out the them!
Brave Irene read by Al Gore
Differentiated Instruction to reach all learners - GT resources
I came across this website with amazing G/T resources that were just too good to not share. I hope you find it useful.
How Did You Solve That? Student Meetings
In this clip, kinder teacher Ms. Omohundro, engages students in problem solving strategies and think alouds. Listen carefully to the questions she poses to students. How could you modify this for use in your classroom?
Click on the link below to watch the video!