As I prepare for the back-to-school rush, this week I spent time reading articles from some of my favorite teachers and educators. Because building grit is one of the central themes of my forthcoming book – The Learning Habit – I find that most articles about The Common Core Curriculum tend to make me focus on how we (parents, teachers and educators) can use educational tools to build grit in students.
The new Common Core Curriculum has struck a sharp cord with both parents and educators. It represents rapid change, and change can be frightening. Many of the articles I’ve read offer an opinion on The Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I prefer articles which leave me with a small, manageable way to handle and integrate these changes into my own home.
Education Week journalist and New York City teacher Starr Sackstein wrote article titled, “Shifting the Mindset, a Conversation for the New School Year.”
Sackstein focuses on a small way parents can re-think the CCSS to help their children perform better in school. She encourages parents to adopt what we call a growth mindset, and summarizes this beautifully for both parents and students.
“It means we are going to shift the conversation away from ‘what did I get?’ to ‘what have I mastered?’ or ‘what do I need to work on?’”
Sackstein touches on a powerful way we can empower our children tackle higher academic standards and harder tasks. Click here to read her Education Week article.
In The Learning Habit, I talk about strategies parents and educators can use to help children succeed in school. When parents find change difficult to understand, they often reject it. Theoretical reasoning is not the way we were taught.
Yet over and over I’ve seen children succeed not because of the curriculum, but because of the way the material was presented to children – the mindset of both parents and teachers. The combination of mindset and educational goals is powerful. When children understand that the goal is to learn, and they believe that they are fully capable of growing their brains and learning…something spectacular happens.
They do better in school.
Success with The Common Core depends on our ability to build Grit in children.
The core tenants of The Learning Habit identify several ways educators and parents can build grit in children.
- Limiting Media Consumption
- Using Empowerment Teaching/Parenting Techniques: This is a combination of Carol Dweck’s research on “Growth Mindset” and Dr. Robert Pressman’s research on “Time Limitations & Choices.”
- Setting Educational Goals
Have you had an opportunity to re-think how you will handle and support more difficult academic material and the challenges it may present to your child?
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Please allow me…
To recommend The Learning Habit. It is a complete manual for surviving the educational changes which are now at our doorstep. Start the school year off with your copy by pre-ordering here.
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