Unit 2: Fostering Independent Learning and Self-Reflection
Return to: Emily McAlpine's Portfolio Page, Teaching Middle School Mathematics Intervention (AIS), Unit 1
Overview
Teaching our students to be agents of their own learning can provide a multitude of benefits with respect to performance, growth, and engagement. It is especially important to foster these self-efficacy skills in an intervention class as every student has unique needs with respect to content/gap-filling, progress monitoring, and data collection. Students being able to effectively work independently provides instructors with more time to conduct targeted small-group and individual instruction. In addition to the academic benefits of fostering independent learning and self-reflection, these are important and necessary life skills that will serve our students well in their future outside of school. All of these topics will be addressed throughout this unit and the rest of the course.
Unit 2 consists of an entry-ticket style activity, three lessons, and a final reflection.
Making Connections Activity
You may recall reading about some of these topics in Unit 1. Take a moment to reflect on the last unit by answering the following questions in your reflection journal.
- Consider the first article you read. How can "[Activating] students as owners of their own learning" benefit students?
- What opportunities (if any) does your identified platform provide for independent learning and self-reflection?
Lesson 2.1: Growth Mindset
Objective
Discuss the value of teaching and encouraging a growth mindset in students.
Background/Context
Oftentimes, students in an intervention class are already feeling a lack of confidence and motivation as a result of the struggles they've experienced in the subject, or in school generally. These feelings typically lead students to adopting a fixed mindset. This type of mindset has a negative impact on students' learning, performance, motivation, and general self-confidence. To counter this issue, teachers should instruct students on what it means to have a growth mindset and continuously reinforce that idea.
Introduction
As you will read, research shows that "Building a classroom culture of growth mindset changes how students approach learning and helps them develop strong work habits that lead to achievement and success" (Robinson, p. 18). Thus, in addition to delivering explicit instruction around what a growth mindset is, teachers should model and foster a classroom environment that encourages this new way of thinking. In addition to the resources you will view below, you may find the image to the right useful in delivering this instruction to students. I kept this image in my own classroom and referred to it throughout the year. (to view a larger version, click "3" in the description)
Read/Watch and Discuss
Directions: Read the article and watch the video below. Consider the following question(s): Why and how should we teach and encourage a growth mindset?
Article: Growth Mindset in the Classroom
Video: This video provides an example of how to teach students about a growth mindset. There is a part two and three that you may watch, if interested. The link is provided below in the event that the video does not play here.
Discuss
In your reflection journal, discuss the value of teaching and encouraging a growth mindset in students. You may also make note of any specific strategies provided for how to deliver this instruction. Refer back to the articles and video as needed.
Lesson 2.2: Goal Setting and Progress Monitoring
Objective
Compose questions that encourage student goal setting and self-reflection.
Background/Context
As teachers, we constantly set goals and expectations for our students and, within that, we monitor their progress using assessment and other relevant data. As you previously read, when we involve students in this process, they "discover that their ability grows with effort, and they become more motivated and increase their effort" (Robinson, p. 20). It is clear that this idea goes hand-in-hand with the benefits of instilling that growth mindset in our students.
Introduction
Teaching our students to set meaningful and realistic goals will benefits them in various aspects of life, not just in this specific intervention class. We must provide students with opportunities to play an active role in monitoring their progress and growth as it activates them as agents of their own learning, as we previously discussed.
These opportunities can be provided in various ways, including through the use of the technology platform you identified in Unit 1. Below, you will explore some examples of prepared materials that can be provided to students to set goals and monitor their progress. Some platforms, such as iReady, provide these materials to instructors. Not every platform provides this, however, you may use the examples as a reference or resource to creating your own tracking materials for students.
Explore
Tracking Independent Lesson Progress: This is a very basic example of how students can track their progress on independent lessons. For my students, I created more of a journal-style tracking page, which directed them to reflect upon what they had learned and/or what they may be confused about. Visit this page and click on the green link listed under "resources".
Tracking Diagnostic Assessment Progress: Visit this page and click on one or both of the green links listed under "resources".
Tracking Fluency Progress: Fluency is an important piece of mathematics intervention. There are many ways to have students practice and track their fluency skills and that will be addressed further in Unit 3. For the purpose of this activity, I will provide the data tracking sheet that my students used to coincide with online flash cards they would use to practice and develop their fluency skills. This can be edited to support whichever platform or method you use to address fluency with your students.
Brainstorm Activity
Directions: You will be provided with data from Student A's diagnostic testing throughout the school year. For each test, compose a list of 2-3 questions that encourage goal setting and self-reflection, keeping in mind where students will be going.
For example, at the beginning of the year, you might ask Student A to set a goal for the mid-year diagnostic. At the end of the year, you might ask Student A to reflect on their growth throughout the school year, or set a goal for the upcoming school year.
Background: Student A is in a 6th grade Math class and takes three diagnostic tests throughout the year. The first is in September, the second is in January, and the third is in May. To our knowledge, this student put their full effort into this diagnostic assessment and the results are accurate.
Beginning of the Year:
Mid-Year:
| Domain | Placement |
|---|---|
| Number and Operations | Grade 4 |
| Algebra and Algebraic Thinking | Grade 5 |
| Measurement and Data | Grade 4 |
| Geometry | Grade 4 |
End of the Year:
| Domain | Placement |
|---|---|
| Number and Operations | Grade 5 |
| Algebra and Algebraic Thinking | Grade 5 |
| Measurement and Data | Grade 5 |
| Geometry | Grade 4 |
Unit 2 Reflection
Directions: In your reflection journal, please address the following questions and anything else you would like to make note of from this unit.
- How can the three important features of instruction, as described in Unit 1, be applied to support independent learning and self-reflection amongst students?
- (Current Teachers) Was there anything you learned in this unit that has motivated you to change how you structure your lessons or classroom?
Continue to Unit 3
References
(2019). Track Student Goals with Progress Logs and Data Chats. i-Ready. https://i-readycentral.com/ideas/track-student-goals-with-progress-logs-and-data-chats/.
Growth Mindset (Part 1 of 3) | In Control Middle School SEL. (November 22, 2020). Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqZmvq4_MS0&ab_channel=InControlMiddleSchoolSEL.
(n.d.). Diagnostic Growth Reports. i-Ready Curriculum Associates. https://ebooks.curriculumassociates.com/story/assessment-for-instruction/page/6?pid=61954e2519983555f5e057f3.
ROBINSON, C. (2017). Growth mindset in the classroom. Science Scope, 41(2), 18–21. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26387192.