How Children Succeed
Course Description:
Student success does not depend on intelligence and test scores alone. Instead, when students believe that dedication, hard work and self-control can change their school performance, they become more resilient and successful students. Positive character traits and successful habits are the key to creating student success regardless of intellectual, economic, cultural or social barriers. Building a growth mindset school culture results in students who are optimistic, curious and successful learners, regardless of their background. This course will show teachers how to create a culture of success in their own classrooms, where students will change their beliefs about their abilities and potential. Students will learn how to think critically about their own behavior and how to learn from their failures. Teachers will learn how to use differentiated, responsive instruction models and how to communicate the growth mindset concept to parents. A variety of resources and activities will be provided to teachers to help them create their own individualized growth mindset classroom.
Goals and Objectives
As a result of participation in this course, students should
- Develop a growth-mindset school culture where students can change the way think about their abilities and potential.
- Teach students critical thinking skills and develop their conceptual understanding of learning and how the brain works.
- Develop students' self-esteem, resiliency, curiosity, self-control and executive functioning skills to build habits and character traits that will provide them with the ability to succeed in school and during their adult lives.
- Learn how to communicate the growth-mindset characteristics to parents so that they can continue to teach their children these skills in their home environment.
- Teach students how to appropriately respond to their failures and use them to approach new challenges with motivation and optimism.
Texts/Readings
The required texts are:
Tough, P. (2012). How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Ricci, M.C. (2013). Mindsets in the Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and Student Achievement in Schools. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press, Inc.