Mindset On My Mind

Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success found its way to my pile of favorite professional books shortly after I read Peter Johnston's Choice Words. That was in 2006. Almost 10 years later, this is an idea that still seems to surround me.

Mindset is all over Pinterest and Facebook in fantastic infographics like this one:

Image from Jackie Gerstein

Mindset is all over the educational news:

• "100% is Overrated" from The Atlantic challenges us to stop referring to others as "smart", writing, "When people perform well (academically or otherwise) at early ages and are labeled smart or gifted, they become less likely to challenge themselves. They come less likely to make mistakes, because they stay in their comfortable zone and stop growing. And their fixed mindset persists through adulthood."  
• Dawn Wilson's blog post for Learning Forward reminds us, "Choose your words carefully. Once shared, they are irretrievable."
• A survey by the National Center for Learning Disabilities found that "strong support from parents, a strong connection to friends and community, and a strong sense of self-confidence" - not an IEP or a 504 plan - are the most important factors for predicting a success. Sounds like a growth mindset to me.
• In a recent article for EdWeek, Carol Dweck encourages each of us to "legitimize the fixed mindset". Basically, she suggests we view ourselves as a mix of fixed and growth mindset and that we recognize the triggers that make us move into a fixed mindset.
• This book, Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Change Your Teaching, is on my "To Read" list.

My most recent idea about mindset is its connection to formative practices (aka formative assessment). Formative practices cannot be truly successful within a school if students, families, and educators don't share a growth mindset. We use formative practices to gather information about where each student is in his/her journey to understanding. We use the information to inform our teaching. Sounds like a growth mindset for students and educators. 

I'm thinking about starting some new professional learning about formative practices with growth mindset. What do you think?

(I'm also thinking about blogging about each chapter of Mindset - one chapter per month. Would anyone want to read and write along with me?)

What I Want to Read

I wrote not too long ago about being in a reading slump. I still haven't completely snapped out of it, but I do have plenty of titles waiting for when I'm ready to start reading again.

I use Goodreads to track what I've read, am reading, and want to read. I often find myself opening the app and adding titles to my "To Read" shelf as I'm talking with friends or at professional learning events. 

That "To Read" shelf has 400+ titles right now. Here are eight that I picked to share.

1. Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Change Your Teaching. I realized when I looked through my "To Read" that I don't often mark professional books. Most of my list is personal reading, so this one stood out.
2. The Things They Carried. I wish there was a sub-category of my "To Read" list entitled "Things I Really Should Have Read in High School".
3. Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It. This was recommended to me by a colleague who used to walk down the hall from me. He is a social studies teacher, but we shared a book brain. I never read one of his recommendations that I didn't enjoy.
4. I Don't Know: In Praise of Admitting Ignorance. I was surprised and intrigued to see this on my "To Read" shelf. I have no idea how it made it there, but I'm definitely interested.

1. Between the World and Me. I added this one (and ordered it!) recently. I'm interested in it because of the social justice component; it seems like a nice companion to Just Mercy (something else I'm reading right now).
2. Crucial Conversations. I have lots of tough conversations in my professional life. I need to work more on tough conversations in my personal life. Maybe this will help?
3. Infinite Home. Confession: I judge books by their covers. The description of this one sounds great, too. I particularly enjoy books with lots of characters with seemingly random connections.
4. Stuck. This made my list because I wanted to remember it as something that could be included as a read aloud in a professional learning session - something that would spark the heart of those who might be resistant to change.

What's on your "To Read" shelf?

(Photo collages made using PiZap.)

Reading the Research: A Meta-Analysis about Writing

I mentioned a PLC I'm part of in a previous post. We meet monthly and discuss a piece of research (selected by one of the members) at each meeting. The study I'm writing about today was discussed by my PLC.

I'm sharing it simply to give access to how I process research when I read - how I organize my thinking before, during, and after reading research. This post is not intended to be an endorsement of the research or its conclusions.

The article is available for free for WI educators through BadgerLink.

Research Questions:

1. Are writing interventions, in general, effective for students with LD (learning disabilities)?
2. Which specific writing interventions are effective?

Methods:

• Meta-analysis (searched literature through December 2011) that included 53 effect sizes (collected from 43 studies)
• Only included studies that "involved a true-experiment with randomization, a quasi-experiment with pretest data, or a within subjects group design" (p. 456)
• Only included studies that "included students in Grades 1 to 12 identified as LD with appropriate supporting information" (p. 456)
• Authors defined writing as content generation or sharing of ideas (rather than the physical act of writing)

Findings:

43 Studies were organized in six subgroups containing four or more studies each with an average weighted mean effect size (ES) calculated for each subgroup

• Writing interventions for students with LD (ES = 0.74)
• Significant positive effect sizes:
• Strategy instruction (ES = 1.09)
• Dictation (ES = 0.55)
• Goal setting (ES = 0.57)
• Process writing (ES = 0.43)
• Not statistically different from zero: procedural facilitation (ES=0.24), prewriting (ES = 0.33)

Limitations:

• Results cannot be generalized beyond the specific population studied (students with an identified learning disability in grades 1 - 12)
• Must fully understand each subgroup (strategy instruction, dictation, goal setting, process writing, procedural facilitation, and prewriting) before applying conclusions of the meta-analysis
• Studied content generation - not mechanics of writing (such as spelling, grammar, and/or punctuation)
• Does not discuss new literacies or digital writing (or the use of assistive technology)

Questions:

• Both goal setting and process writing had statistically significant effect sizes. How are these the same and different? Isn't goal setting part of the writing process?
• What conclusions do other types of studies (such as case studies, interviews, observations, etc.) draw about writing interventions for students with learning disabilities?
• What types of writing interventions are effective for other populations (such as students without disabilities, English language learners, or students with disabilities other than LD)?

Connections to Other Work and Studies:

• WI DPI resources about writing instruction
• Writing Next

Complete citation:

Gillespie, A., & Graham, S. (2014). A meta-analysis of writing interventions for students with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children 80(4), p. 454-473. DOI: 10.1177/0014402914527238

What I Learned This Week: Emotional Resilience

I spent two days this week with a group of awe-inspiring literacy coaches and mathematics coaches learning about emotional resilience. Our collaboration was led by Laura Gleisner. 

Our time together was devoted to:

• defining emotional resilience
• considering and developing our own emotional resilience
• learning some coaching techniques to develop the emotional resilience of others

One group's graphic representation of emotional resilience - strength of the body, heart, and mind.

I am still enchanted by the magic that happened when so many knowledgeable, compassionate leaders collaborated around such an important topic. The part of the learning that is occupying my mind today, however, is about saying no.

What do we think of ourselves when we say no?

What do we think of others when they say no?

What do we think of ourselves when we say yes?

What do we think of others when they say yes?

But also:

What do we think of others when they don't say yes?

What do we think of others when they don't say no?

Our ability to say no (and our choice to say yes) is connected to our emotional resilience, and how we respond to the yes or no of our colleagues is connected to building emotional resilience within our organization.

My PLC: What and How

I am fortunate enough to be part of several different collegial groups - professional learning communities or PLCs - that help me learn and grow. 

Today, I want to tell you about one of those PLCs that is particularly close to my heart. We meet monthly over lunch. Our meetings are scheduled about 12 months in advance. We've structured our time in a variety of ways. Right now, someone selects a peer-reviewed and published article (mostly research) about literacy for each meeting. We read it prior to the meeting and discuss it. We keep notes from the discussion, so we are each able to quickly access information when it is relevant to our job.

Here are some lessons I've learned about PLCs from this PLC:

• Our group formed for an authentic purpose. To do our jobs well, we each need to understand reading and literacy from a variety of perspectives.
• We operate from established norms (which we revisit often). We established norms for our PLC and wrote them down. We refer to these norms during our conversations and email exchanges, but we also revisit these norms in a very formal way when our group is struggling.
• We meet regularly. Right now, that's about monthly while eating lunch.
• We communicate. Meetings are scheduled in advance and on everyone's calendar. We use email to confirm attendance or let others know of conflicts.
• We all have ownership. Right now, we meet monthly. Each month we discuss a different research study (peer-reviewed and published) selected by a member. We all read the selected study and come to the meeting prepared.
• We have varied backgrounds and areas of interest/expertise. We each bring a unique lens to our discussions and truly learn and grow from our conversations.
• We do hard work. The pieces we read and discuss are, generally, difficult to understand. Talking about them keeps us accountable and helps us understand.

I Used to Think - Now I Think: Culturally Responsive Practice

The Literacy Booth had a series of posts in our early days entitled "I Used to Think - Now I Think." The posts were modeled after essays in which education scholars' summarized their changing thinking about school reform.

I will use that then/now format to talk about some aspects of my continuing journey to be a culturally responsive person.

I used to think. . . 

• I used to think culturally responsive practice was something educators did - a series of strategies that educators and schools could use to ensure all students felt safe and valued in school.
• I used to think culturally responsive practice was synonymous with multiculturalism or diversity.

Now I think. . . 

• Cultural responsiveness is something individuals and organizations develop through an on-going process that begins with careful (and sometimes painful) examination of beliefs.
• Cultural responsiveness is about windows and mirrors; it's about understanding ourselves (mirrors) and others (windows).
• Cultural responsive practices include the ability to notice and respond to what the person in front of you cares about, needs, and wants. (Thanks for Dr. Carol Lee for this wisdom.)

What has pushed and changed my thinking?

• I attended the Wisconsin RtI Center's professional learning opportunity about culturally responsive practice with a team of colleagues.
• I read Paul Gorski and Katy Swalwell's article for Educational Leadership. 
• I studied Promoting Excellence for All, DPI's collection of resources about closing racial achievement gaps.
• I learned from the work of Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, including this article.

One of My Obsessions: Mystery Show

Mystery Show

Mystery Show, Starlee Kine's podcast for Gimlet media, has been keeping me company on many recent road trips. I've been recommending it to friends often, but I believe it could also be a powerful teaching tool (especially in middle and high schools). 

Every episode is an example of authentic inquiry - something I don't think we (educators) or students engage in nearly enough of. Someone in Starlee's (the reporter) life comes to her with a genuine and burning question ("How tall is Jake Gyllenhaal?" "How did Britney Spears decide to read that book?" "Who does this unique belt buckle found in a gutter belong to?"). Starlee explores all of the possible leads and solves the case. 

It raises questions about audience and purpose. The text is entirely unique - the questions are quirky, the voice casual, the ideas well-developed and thoroughly described. Who is this created for? What is the purpose? Why a podcast instead of another format?

It's an opportunity to practice Wisconsin's standards for speaking and listening. Each episode is around 60 minutes and contains no images - just words. It's great practice in listening, and listeners could analyze the reporter's presentation of knowledge and ideas. (Check out DPI's materials about speaking and listening for more information.)

It (along with Serial and This American Life) have pushed me to think about the larger role of podcasts in the classroom. Podcasts could be valuable (and often free!!) additions to text sets. Podcasts could be a format students choose for presenting knowledge and ideas. Podcasts could be a source of information for research. Check out these links for more about podcasts in education:

• Podcasting in education (from EdTechTeacher)
• Guide to podcasting (for those wishing to create a podcast)
• Educator resources from This American Life (another of my favorite podcasts)

Note. Are you wondering how to listen to a podcast? For those wishing to listen on a smart phone, this article is helpful. Some podcasts also have a web-listening feature. Visit the website for a particular podcast and listen directly on the site.