Developing Mindsets Through Academic Activities
A number of language-based and evaluative activities in Spanish class contribute to the development of appropriate attitudes toward growth. These methods help students achieve the mindset goals mentioned previously. Below, you will find examples of how I integrate mindsets into academic language-learning activities.
Unit Goal Setting
First, I use the data collected from the aforementioned assessment to facilitate student self-reflection during assessment periods and at the start of a new unit. These student reflections act as self-evaluations for students to evaluate their progress toward academic and mindset goals. In this activity, I emphasize the mindset "thinking about our thinking (metacognition)" by having students analyze their learning process and the successes and challenges they faced in the previous unit. Learning a second language is a process that requires students to reflect on their learning outcomes and identify strategies that will help them be successful. I aim to empower students to be reflective learners who constantly evaluate the quality of their thinking and plan their work strategically to improve their communication in Spanish (Costa and Kallick, 2000). I hope to support learners in engaging with their work in more efficacious and meaningful ways by providing feedback on students’ learning processes.
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Sample Student Unit Goal Setting
Interactive Workstations
Note on Student Work and Images: All videos, images, and sample student work has been used with the permission from parents. I have written permission to use the names of faces of students included in this portfolio.
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Second, I integrate collaborative workstations in the world-language classroom once per week. These student-directed activities aid learners in developing language proficiency and key mindsets for success in the language classroom. Students work in four workstations on a weekly basis during a 130-minute block period. These group activities are low-stress opportunities for students to practice Spanish, engage in creative problem solving, and collaborate. I provide students will a variety of supplies and reference materials to assist in their work: art supplies, dictionaries, authentic texts, lined paper, etc. Further, each workstation comes with a reference binder containing the station instruction along with a "Collaborative Work Rubric" I developed for students to reference. This rubric is designed to keep students on track, and is a tool for self-evaluation that students complete at home. Students self-reflect using the rubric, and attach sample work from their stations to substantiate their self-assigned score. Finally, students who finish their work early can find a list of additional extension activities at the end of their binders.
To view my video blog on the power of workstations in promoting student self-direction, please click here! In this example of habits and mindsets through language teaching, I emphasize three distinct mindsets: First, "thinking interdependently" is clearly evident in the collaborative nature of the workstations. Second, I have integrated a focus on growth mindset into workstation rubrics to explicitly teach that mindset. Third, I also teach the mindset "finding humor." In the slides below, I demonstrate how students review workstation norms in a fun and humorous way: The chant (available as an audio sample below) in this activity combines a review of the expectations of collaborative work with humor in order to promote student achievement and success. |
Sample Student Self-Reflections
Vocabulary Acquisition
Third, I integrate mindsets directly into the learning activities I design for my students in order to build student motivation. One mindset I use to inspire and engage learners is "finding humor." In the following assessment activity, students use their knowledge of newly acquired vocabulary to create their own comical combinations of foods. This allows students to demonstrate what they know, while also requiring them to use important food-related vocabulary in context. In examining personal strengths, psychologists categorized the following attributes as indicative of those who have a strength in wisdom and knowledge: creativity, curiosity, and open-mindedness (Meaning of Happiness, 2012). To conclude, this vocabulary assessment combines these elements in a humorous and engaging activity focused not on one right answer, but on creative demonstration of learning. Both this and the previously mentioned workstations promote student laughter, smiling, and creative expression in distinct ways. Through a world-language lens, humor is a powerful tool in promoting academic achievement in the classroom.
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