One of the problems students have — and that I sometimes had as a student, as well — is thinking that our abilities and intelligence are fixed. If I can't do math today, then I'll never be able to do it. If I can't speak in front of a crowd now, then I will never be able to.
Fortunately, I learned better since I was a student, but it took me many years to realize that I could actively improve in many areas. (If not, I would never be able to speak in front of a crowd of middle schoolers!)
I want my students to understand this as well — to set goals, and then work on developing the areas where they are weak and building on the areas where they are strong.
So when I saw Sarah Hagan's post on the growth mindset bulletin boards she has created in her classroom, I was thrilled. Not only does Sarah show the boards she designed to teach her students how to develop a growth mindset, she also provides the files she used to create them. Downloading now…