Growth Mindset

Platte River Elementary teaching staff participated in our fifth day of Professional Development of the 13-14 school year on Friday, Valentines Day, at Lake Ann Elementary.  Before beginning our discussion about the topic of the session, Instructional and Observational Rounds, facilitator Cathy Meyer-Looze took a few minutes to lead us in a discussion about the power and benefits of possessing a growth mindset.

A growth mindset is holding onto the belief that we all, through persistence, are capable of learning and developing intelligence in limitless ways as we go through our lives.  A person with a fixed mindset believes the opposite: that people are born with a fixed set of abilities, with little or no chance to become "smarter."  Someone with a fixed mindset tries to appear smart, avoids challenges, and ignores criticism.  A great litmus test on our own belief is in our response to failure.  It can reveal our mindset.  Do you fear failure, set up defenses, or give up easily?  Or do you expect and then accept challenges, persist, and carry on in your efforts again and again until you experience success?

The truth is, we are all capable of much more than we ever give ourselves credit for.  Brain research is finding that simply teaching kids about the Growth Mindset will set them on a path of success:

In 2007, researchers from Stanford University divided students into two groups for a workshop on the brain and study skills. Half of them, the control group, were taught about the stages of memory; the other half received training in the growth mindset (how the brain grows with learning to make you smarter) and how to apply this idea to their schoolwork. Three times as many students in the growth mindset group showed an increase in effort and engagement compared with the control group. After the training, the control group continued to show declining grades, but the growth-mindset group showed a clear rebound in their grades. Click here to read the full journal article from Stanford University

These concepts are based on the work by researcher and author Carol Dweck.  In her book, Mindset, she writes, "The View you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.  It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value."

The Growth Mindset is about approaching failure as a place of learning instead of viewing it as sticking point or as an end. We simply must, in our profession of education, believe that intelligence can be developed, changing constantly in life.  We must cultivate a growth mindset within ourselves and within our students.

Articles you should read today

What Students Remember Most About Teachers - An excellent read. by Lori Gard

Will we break the record for coldest winter in Michigan history? - Mlive article





2014 Bridge Report - Bridge Magazine
Benzie Central is among the Top 3 Rural Public School Districts, getting more out of our students than comparable schools across the entire state of Michigan.

8 Ways Happy People Start off their morning - Marc and Angel's Blog

Videos You Should Watch Today

Olympics Commercial "Thanks Mom!"

This is what it would feel like if you ever break a world record after years of commitment and believing you CAN.

Decision Making

We've all heard the term, "data-driven" as it pertains to schools making decisions.  Data are concrete, measured, pieces of information.  Schools are using data with increasing frequency.  And rightfully so.  It's important to collect and to track a number of different data points in order to guide a range of decisions to help improve the success of students and schools.  Data offer that clarity amidst a cloud of so much subjective information that swirls around every issue. So whether we're talking about our reading interventions, our positive behavior supports, or making decisions about adopting a new reading series or a new piece of technology, at the center of every conversation is one question:

"What does the data suggest?"

But we ask this question as if the data were actually going to make the decision for us.   Data are just numbers, values, and calculations.  Data are important, no doubt, and there's no way that we are going back to making decisions without it.  However, data are just pieces in the decision-making process.

Our conversations should begin with the data, but our students are not numbers, values, and calculations. They are a collection of experiences.  They have good days and bad days.  They all have unique strengths and preferred learning styles.  Teachers take these subjective variables into account in addition to any data with which they're presented.

In the end, professional teachers, who know about learning, are the decision makers.  They gather the data to discuss it, discern it, and extrapolate meaning from it.  We use data to help us make decisions. 
 
I've recently heard the term, "Data-Informed," and I think it more accurately and appropriately describes how we treat and use data.  We educators use data to inform us as we make decisions.  I think this is more than just a matter of semantics.  Rather, it's a mind-shift.  It allows us to accept and trust the use of data, to collect reliable data, and truly dive into it, in the process of decision-making, all without feeling like our own subjective human input is going to be somehow discounted.  So let's be data-informed when making important decisions for our students.


Last Week at Platte River Elementary
Monday morning, Mrs. Rosa's students were all engaged in their fun and interactive lesson about the brain.

On Tuesday, Mr. Graetz joined Mrs. Vanderlinde at Camp Hayo-went-ha on Torch Lake for fifth grade camp.  We went down the zipline, snow-shoed, played games, had a campfire in the snow, and generally wore ourselves out.

On Wednesday, many staff were involved in meetings throughout the day.  Meetings are time consuming, yet incredibly beneficial in serving the students and families of our community.

Thursday was bitter cold and snowy, which means...INDOOR RECESS.  Some kids chose to play basketball in the gym instead of games in the classrooms.  What a great way to burn off some energy.

Next Week at Platte River Elementary
Staff will spend two days (Wed and Thurs) using data from multiple assessments to make informed decisions about how we can provide reading and/or math interventions to increase proficiencies in those areas.

There is no school on Friday, Valentines Day, as teachers will be involved in Professional Development at Lake Ann Elementary.

Our 6th graders have an opportunity to join in a new program, Martial Arts, beginning on Tuesday, February 11 after school from 2:30-3:30.  See Ms. Wynkoop for more information.

As a reminder, there is a full school day scheduled for Monday, February 17th.


Articles You Should Read Today

Love Ninja! Glennon Doyle Melton

8 Things we do as educators even though we know better... Justin Tarte


Videos You Should Watch Today
 

Play of the Year: Middle School Football Players

Johnny Carson: 3rd Grade Wisdom

Since we're on the topic of the 80s...this is so RAD!

Tracking Student Progress

Research has shown that some teaching strategies are more beneficial than others as it pertains to the effect on student learning.  The strategy shown to have the most positive impact on student learning is "Tracking Student Progress."  Students rarely have the chance to observe their progress toward a specific learning goal over a period of time.  By tracking their progress, students observe their improving scores, and can interact with the teacher about the reasons for their progress.


We recognize that teaching is as much an art as it is a science. Evey student is unique, so we can't know how each will respond to the lessons, interventions, programs, or our strategies, either now or in the future.  However, Marzano's Learning Sciences Institute studies the effects of nearly every teaching strategy, and has identified this as having the biggest impact on student learning.  Here's a sample/template chart for tracking student progress taken from Marzano materials:

Notice that this score sheet is for the students to use themselves.  On the graph, the y axis is a 0-4 student scale.  The x axis is for the dates the progress toward the learning goal is monitored.  A student scale would also accompany this chart.  The student scale indicates the level of competency achieved.  The chart and scale can then be kept together in a student folder throughout the year along with several other scales and charts for other identified learning goals.

Betsie Valley 2nd Grade Teacher Asa Kelly Leads Benzie Central Boys Cross Country to State Championship

Congrats Asa, Michigan's 2013 Coach of the Year!

Articles you might be interested in:

When Students Track Their Progress - Marzano article from ACSD

Prepared Student Scales Based on Common Core Standards - Must have iObserve password

Videos you might be interested in:

Inspiring Young Kids from Olivet, Michigan

American Military Veteran gets a Heartwarming Makeover in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Through the Tunnel of Assessment

We are through the first two months of school, and behind us is the long assessment tunnel.  We've come out on the other side, and though we learned a tremendous amount about our students and their academic strengths and needs, we are happy to begin teaching now.

In September, we assessed all students in the areas of language arts and mathematics.  Benzie Schools uses a product called AIMSweb to assess reading fluency, comprehension, math computation, and math concepts.  The idea is basic: quickly and universally screen students; provide supports and interventions for students below benchmark; monitor individual student progress throughout the year.

In addition, in the first week of October, all Benzie Central Schools began the Best Practice of using a computer-based diagnostic assessment tool.  NWEA MAP tests are computer-adaptive, meaning the assessment constantly interfaces with the students' responses.  Students are challenged on this assessment to answer questions at their specific level for a variety of different concepts.

MAP tests help prepare our students for taking computer-based assessments, which is in the very near future in Michigan, but more importantly, it allows the school staff to target instruction to the specific areas that our students show they need.  It also allows us to regularly provide some very critical academic feedback to students and parents by using the program's many reports.

Following the large amount of work that went into providing students the AIMSweb and NWEA MAP tests listed above, we were immersed into a two-week testing window in mid-October for the State of Michigan's required assessment, MEAP tests.   Students were assessed in Math (3rd, 4th, 5th), Reading (3rd, 4th, 5th), Writing (4th), and Science (5th).  The data that comes out of this assessment is not made immediately available by the State.  Results are useful at the local level in the spring, as we begin work on our School Improvement Plan.

Of course, there are even more assessments: formal quarterly math assessments in Math... daily formative assessments gauging levels of competency and mastery... and the list goes on...

However, the three major district-wide assessments are AIMSweb screeners, NWEA MAP tests, and MEAP tests. These each take a lot of time to either prepare or to administer, or both.   Often it feels like we don't teach our regular lessons until much too late in the fall.

But we also understand that there is value in these assessments, and that each one serves a different instructional purpose.  For example, four AIMSweb tests can provide educators with reliable data immediately useful for identifying students needing targeted assistance.  And upon completion of one 40-60 minute MAP test, a teacher has the potential to provide a student with an individualized instructional "road map."  MEAP is a common assessment on the state level.  It provides our school and district with the opportunity to look at entire systems (academic programs within our curriculum), and make large-scale systems decisions.

In the end, we recognize assessments as being necessary in order to make our school, our instructional time, and our programs most effective.

Last week at Betsie Valley Elementary

5th graders were led at Camp Hayo-went-ha by Mr. Wassa, Mrs. Kessler, Mr. Cox, Miss Kitty, and Mrs. Smith.  It was an amazing time of teamwork and relationship building for this group, and it undoubtedly provided life-long memories for everyone.

Teachers, students, and parents came together on Friday night for the Fall Carnival.  It was a fun night for all, and in the process, the community came together and raised some money for the Hathaway family.

The Scholastic Book Fair was at Betsie Valley last week.  Kids had the opportunity to visit the Book Fair twice, and many left with very fun and interesting books (and posters and trinkets).

Articles you may be interested in:

The Biggest "Game-Changer" in Education

5 Things Most People Don't Know about Poverty and Student Achievement
 
Data Driven or Driven by Data...? - I love this article, and I especially loved reading the comment section at the bottom of the article.

7 Shortcuts You Will Regret Taking in Life

Videos you may be interested in:

Mistakes are not only ok, they're beautiful!

Never Give Up!

Good is Better

Change

With the beginning of this new school year, there have come a number of changes at Betsie Valley Elementary.  Change is an extremely normal part of life.  Naturally, things do not remain the same over time.  Metal rusts, flowers bloom, people age, seasons come and go...

Even though everything is in a constant state of change, people tend to want what is familiar. We don't tend to seek out opportunities to change our routines.  So when change does come, it disrupts our equilibrium. Whether it’s the sudden loss of a loved one or road construction on our morning drive, the world we once knew is gone, and it’s difficult adjusting to whatever comes next.

Change is difficult because our surroundings are replaced by unfamiliarity, and we become stressed, anxious, or even fearful.  A healthy response to change is to have a host of emotions.  We can be angry or sad.  We can be excited or nervous.  We can be surprised, frustrated, or disappointed.

Whatever changes you are experiencing right now, hang in there.  Whatever you're feeling is normal, and though you may not have control over all the factors, do what you can to stabilize and reorient yourself  to your new normal.

Betsie Valley School Calendar - bookmark it.  Notice 5th grade camp and the Book Fair later this month.

 

Thanks to Sam's Club in Traverse City, Betsie Valley Elementary teachers received a total of $1000 to offset out-of-pocket classroom expenses in September!

Articles to Read

Letter From Parents to Schools

Sixty Ways to Make Life Simple Again

Videos to Watch
Brave Malala on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart:

 When You Say Nothing At All...

Back to School

This summer, the playground at Betsie Valley Elementary got a makeover.  Thanks to the very generous work completed by Scott Gray at Gray's Excavating, we were able to create a new dirt track, re-seed, and move and level a new playing field for soccer, football, and other field games.

It has been an exciting process.  In addition, a new tire swing and small new climbing structure will be added to the playground early this fall.  The students have always had plenty of space on the playground.  Through the leadership of our teachers and para-pro staff, we will specifically teach the behavior expectations for the playground in the first two weeks of school.  We will incorporate the use of a CHAMPS curriculum on the playground, similar to the way we use CHAMPS throughout the inside of the building.  For example, here is the poster outlining the expectations for our students' behavior while in the entryway to the school building:

As we take students through the building and onto the playground, we use the common language found within the CHAMPS curriculum.  Our tour of the building includes the following areas:

1) Arrival
2) Cafeteria
3) Assemblies
4) Hallway
5) Bathroom
6) Playground Play Structure
7) Playground Cement Pad
8) Ball Courts and Fields
9) Four Square Rules

The first days of every school year are always so exciting as students get to know their new friends and their teachers.  This year will be no different in that sense.  We are thrilled to see their smiling faces once again and look forward to a fantastic year!

Short Articles to Read Today

Our Future is Bright

One Question You Should Ask Everyone You Meet


Video to Watch Today

The "My Wish" program provides Kyle, a six-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks fan with his dream of being a real baseball player.  Kyle has spinal muscular atrophy.

The Key to Success: GRIT

Playing

Kids love to play.  And it's so good for them.  Whether playing a game of Four Square on the playground or a pick-up game of soccer, kids seem to always be totally and completely engaged.  And there are countless benefits to the act of playing.

When kids explore the world around them through trial and error, they learn so much about themselves.  At school, at the park, indoor and outdoor recesses...there is multitude of opportunities for kids to get practice at real-life problem solving and to improve their self-confidence, as well as to develop of social skills such as cooperation and sharing.  No doubt, all kids could use more of this kind of physical and cooperative play incorporated into their days.

Last year, a significant and very generous donation was made to the early learners at Betsie Valley Elementary.  As a team, we could think of no better way to use a portion of that donation than to make improvements to the playground and to add a couple pieces of play equipment for the kids.

It is my hope and the hope of all of us here at Betsie Valley that the kids get out and play this summer.  Go to the park, play on the swings, run around the yard, play tag, hide-n-seek...whatever the game, it really doesn't matter as long as they are interacting with other kids while moving around outside.

Have a great summer.  See you in September!

David Milarch visited Betsie Valley Elementary.  Each student left school with a tree.

 The Musical Drama for Kindergartners, First, and Second Graders.