Stand And Deliver...Developing a Growth Mindset

My question for my students this last month has been,

"Do you believe that the more you learn the smarter you will become or that you have a fixed amount of intelligence?"

Approximately 2/3 of my students have a growth mindset where they believe the more they learn the smarter they will become.  That leaves 1/3 of my students thinking that they were born with a limited amount of intelligence.  This saddens me.  But I see it daily in their actions and words about how they will fail math. How they can't learn the concepts I set before them.

So with my days limited as the school year comes to a close, I'm going to do what I can to send them off to high school believing that they can achieve more than they think they can.

Math Growth Certificates
After taking our post assessment, I compared final scores with what they demonstrated in August.  Students scoring 30+ points higher than their initial score will be receiving an Exceptional Math Growth achievement award.  Students whose final score ended up being 20-29 points higher than the pre-test will receive the Excellent Math Growth achievement award.  Finally, students demonstrating 15-19 points higher from pre- to post-test will earn the Elevated Math Growth achievement award.  75% of the students receiving these awards already believe in a growth mindset.  My goal is to reach the 25% who think they can only achieve to a certain level.  I'm hoping by highlighting their growth it will plant a seed that can continue to grow next year.

The Movie, Stand and Deliver
Every year, for twenty-one years, I have shown the movie "Stand and Deliver" to my 8th graders.  This year, not only did I share with them Mr. Escalante's thoughts on student learning from a 1995 presentation in McPherson, KS, but I had students reflect how their thoughts about the movie.  How did they identify with the students in the movie?  Did they learn any valuable lessons from the movie?  Were any goals born for next year?  The following statements are from my students...

~ As of this point, I will never skimp on study time ever again. I honesty want to pass every test, assignment, and project I will ever have.

~ I learned that hard work can really pay off.  I knew this already but this movie was a great demonstration of it and that's what made it inspiring. People gave up but the teacher never gave up on the students.

~ Anyone can do math.

~ The movie was showing that even when you are frustrated and it is hard, you have to push through. You can not just give up. You have to strive for your goal. You have to want to accomplish it. You have to want it.

~ Hard work pays off.

~ It makes me want to work harder for things I want to do with my life.

~ This movie helped me realize how important education is!  It taught me that if you really put in the time and hard work, great things come out of it.  I should always try my best and have great work ethic in school!

~ Never think that you can't do anything. Move your thinking. Work harder.

~ Probably the thing that inspired me the most was that even kids that didn't care in the beginning really cared in the end.  They studied morning and night. Their brains were fried. That makes me just think to study harder and learn more to be successful.  The habit that I have and need to stop is me being hard on myself and not having confidence. I really need to have confidence.

~ I need to learn that I need to study A LOT to understand something.

~ They put a lot of time into it and got good results.

~ I learned that persistence is a good thing. I learned to never give up. It was neat how the kids always tried harder.

~ Do what you think is best for you een if your friends make fun of you.