Introduction
Rita Pierson in her Ted Talk on the value and importance of relationships posed the following rhetorical question: “How do I raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time?” (TED, 2013). In her speech, she describes a quiz she gave on which a student missed 18 out of 20 problems. When talking with the student, Ms. Pierson highlighted the success he had experienced on the two he answered correctly rather than focus on the 18 he missed: “You’re on the road! You got two right; you didn’t miss them all.” What Ms. Pierson has shown this student is that effort and growth are as important as achievement.
Learning a foreign language is a process that transcends content knowledge and memorization of grammar rules or vocabulary. Successful second-language acquisition requires a combination of linguistic knowledge, communicative ability, and cultural understanding that develops through a number of teaching and learning strategies: exposure to the language studied through comprehensible input, collaborative and individual practice, and integrated assessment. However, I believe that second-language acquisition also depends largely on student mindsets and motivations. By focusing on mindsets and habits, I aim for students in Spanish class to avoid stagnating in the successes or challenges they face in any one activity. In this section of my portfolio, I argue that integrating explicit habits and mindsets instruction and reflection into the world language classroom pushes students to focus on their creativity, critical thinking, and personal development as they grow and improve in their ability to communicate in Spanish.
Learning a foreign language is a process that transcends content knowledge and memorization of grammar rules or vocabulary. Successful second-language acquisition requires a combination of linguistic knowledge, communicative ability, and cultural understanding that develops through a number of teaching and learning strategies: exposure to the language studied through comprehensible input, collaborative and individual practice, and integrated assessment. However, I believe that second-language acquisition also depends largely on student mindsets and motivations. By focusing on mindsets and habits, I aim for students in Spanish class to avoid stagnating in the successes or challenges they face in any one activity. In this section of my portfolio, I argue that integrating explicit habits and mindsets instruction and reflection into the world language classroom pushes students to focus on their creativity, critical thinking, and personal development as they grow and improve in their ability to communicate in Spanish.
Why do mindsets matter?
In my Spanish language classroom, I focus on students’ mindsets and attitudes toward learning in order to facilitate successful development of communicative competency in Spanish. Students who do not believe that they are capable of learning Spanish are unlikely to be highly engaged in classroom activities or willing to confront challenges. If they do not believe they can be successful, they will be unmotivated to even try. Motivation is a key factor in student achievement in all academic endeavors, and plays a particularly important role in second language acquisition. It is difficult, if not impossible, to help unmotivated students achieve academic success. Alexandra Usher and Nancy Kober (2012) from the George Washington University’s Center on Education Policy point out that higher motivation in school leads to greater academic performance, as well as better, “…conceptual understanding, satisfaction with school, self-esteem, social adjustment, and school completion rates” (p. 2). As Usher and Kober indicate, motivation is tied to self-esteem and the idea that one is capable of being successful. Students’ perception of their own capability in performing classroom activities and achieving goals is linked to their willingness to try.
I aim to inspire the belief in my students that through hard work, collaboration, practice, and critical thinking, they will be able to develop the skills necessary to learn Spanish. This belief is encompassed in the mindsets and habits that form a foundational part of my classroom culture and academic goals. Dr. Arthur L. Costa and Dr. Bena Kallick (2000) developed a set of behaviors that successful human beings demonstrate when faced with challenges and new situations; they called these “Habits of Mind.” Of these, I emphasize and explicitly teach a number of mindsets that I exemplify in this section of my portfolio. Some of the mindsets I will discuss in this area of my portfolio are listed below:
- Persisting
- Managing impulsivity
- Thinking flexibly
- Thinking about our thinking(metacognition)
- Applying past knowledge to new situations
- Creating, imagining, and innovating
- Taking responsible risks
- Finding humor
- Thinking interdependently
Mindsets are a part of my classroom in many ways. First, the norms, policies, and learning environment of my classroom contribute to a classroom culture founded in managing impulsivity among other mindsets I aim to instill in students. Moreover, students take charge of their learning and growth through personalized goal-setting and student-directed progress monitoring; in this way, students develop metacognitive learning skills. Further, students work interdependently on collaborative tasks in order to development of communicative competency in Spanish. Finally, students use humor and innovation to communicate their ideas in Spanish. To learn more about each, please click on the appropriate link.
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Conclusion
In sum, the work that I do with students to develop mindsets is integral to their academic achievement as successful communicators in Spanish. By having students set growth goals around the ways they react to and solve problems, I strategically develop student motivation. Further, language-based activities that promote growth mindsets in weekly workstations provide students with learning opportunities that improve both their communicative competence and their ability to problem solve. Even my choice of words in the classroom affects student dispositions toward learning. When students complain that they are not “good” at learning Spanish, I try to embody an attitude toward learning similar to that of Dr. Carol Dweck by making consistent use of the word “yet:” “It’s not something you’re good at or you’re bad at. There is a learning curve and you’re on that learning curve; and when I say, ‘yet’ it means, ‘Get back on that learning curve!’” (Great Schools, 2013).
Through my actions and words I aim to build student investment and trust, a process that takes time to develop in the secondary classroom. For students, learning how to confront unknown and often difficult challenges is not easy. However, Alexandra Usher and Nancy Kober (2012) point out that “…teachers can foster motivation in their own teaching through such means as… creating an environment where students are willing to take risks without fear of failure” (p. 9). Our classroom is a place where failure is not only acceptable, but it is celebrated as a step toward success and mastery.
Through my actions and words I aim to build student investment and trust, a process that takes time to develop in the secondary classroom. For students, learning how to confront unknown and often difficult challenges is not easy. However, Alexandra Usher and Nancy Kober (2012) point out that “…teachers can foster motivation in their own teaching through such means as… creating an environment where students are willing to take risks without fear of failure” (p. 9). Our classroom is a place where failure is not only acceptable, but it is celebrated as a step toward success and mastery.