Adam Grant never disappoints. This is a fantastic look at how people form opinions and how firm those opinions stay. This would be an excellent read fAdam Grant never disappoints. This is a fantastic look at how people form opinions and how firm those opinions stay. This would be an excellent read for a debate team or public speaking class. For regular folk, I think this book is a powerful reminder to be humble, to listen, and to find commonality. In a world filled with sound bites and divisive language, it is to everyone’s advantage to admit that reading one book or one article does not make one an expert. And experts in a field still need to listen to new ideas because thinking is never finished....more
Educators. This book couples with Habits of Mind and focuses on dispositions that make deeper thinking possible. It is possible over time to conditionEducators. This book couples with Habits of Mind and focuses on dispositions that make deeper thinking possible. It is possible over time to condition ourselves/students to default to certain behaviors that make learning, creativity, communicating with confidence, perseverance, thinking flexibly and collaboration possible. Part of our job is slow down thinking. Content is merely the vehicle for teaching the skills they will use for the rest of their lives. We are teaching them HOW to learn, not WHAT to learn....more
An interesting look at how our brains operate. "We have come to confuse information with understanding." "The key to good decision making is not knowlAn interesting look at how our brains operate. "We have come to confuse information with understanding." "The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter."
This book looks at several case studies. Sometimes our first impression is the correct one-- like with the faked art. Years of previous study and knowledge caused experts to sense something "off" because they understand what authenticity is. Meanwhile, non-experts came to different conclusions by surrounding themselves with knowledge that supported their desire to acquire a rare specimen.
Other times, our first reaction can be completely wrong. Under stress we tend to go with our default-- if we believe we are more likely to be shot in a certain part of town by a certain type of suspect, we might shoot first and ask questions later.
Everyone comes with a default mode. Experts can predict the success or failure of a relationship based on facial expressions/comments made between a couple in 3-6 minutes. We might hire a musician, a manager, a president-- based on how successful they LOOK.
Our biggest challenge is being able to see past our "default" mode. How do we decide what information can be useful/relevant without being overwhelmed? How to we look beyond ideas that reenforce our bias to identify new information that challenges or changes our understanding?...more
Children who have a fixed-ability mindset believe they are not capable of change. If they can't do something right away, they think they aren't good aChildren who have a fixed-ability mindset believe they are not capable of change. If they can't do something right away, they think they aren't good at it. If it comes easy, they think it's because they are smart or good at it.
We want children to understand that effort leads to change. We can teach them this by pointing out their progress so that they can begin to notice how they have changed. We can also reassure them of changes that will happen and where they can expect to be in the future.
When we comment on student performance, it needs to focus on their process instead of on them as a person. Share your observations of their work "I noticed that you..." Or neutrally observe the thing that needs to be changed "This room is very loud."
Another part of this change mindset is making sure we do not over-praise. We should comment on their effort-- "You worked really hard. You figured it out, can you think of another way it would also work? Using "good job", "you're good at this" or "i'm proud of you" focuses on the person instead of the process and students will value the outcome more than the effort. A student used to hearing person-centered praise will encounter more frustration during a difficult task and may choose to stick with "safe" tasks they already know. Commenting on process is usually preferable to commenting on effort because sometimes effort isn't enough (even if it is commendable). Both are better than person-oriented comments. We can still be positive without praising. This helps students self-monitor and makes them less dependent on our judgement.
"I LIKE THE WAY YOU..." turns an observation into a judgement of their work. Their goal is not to please you. Instead, say "LOOK AT HOW YOU..."
Now reading the section about creating dialog in the classroom. The teacher is the facilitator and works to cultivate social imagination (what life looks like from another point of view). Students share their thoughts with each other and learn how to take turns in a conversation. They learn to look at different perspectives to form understanding and an opinion of their own. Listening and being able to articulate what others think and how it affects their own thinking is important.
This book has so many ideas. Like Choice Words, there is much to absorb and try in our classrooms.
Professional. Live wholeheartedly by owning mistakes, taking risks and discarding shame. Allow yourself to be vulnerable by sharing the human experienProfessional. Live wholeheartedly by owning mistakes, taking risks and discarding shame. Allow yourself to be vulnerable by sharing the human experience genuinely and without judgement.
The best part for me was explaining the difference between guilt and shame. Shame defines a persons life-- I failed a test, so I am stupid. Guilt defines an event. I failed a test, i still have more to learn about x. A photo album reflects your life while a picture represents one tiny piece/event....more
My principal recommended this book to me. As I try to incorporate more "I can..." statements into my lessons-- this book has some creative ways to assMy principal recommended this book to me. As I try to incorporate more "I can..." statements into my lessons-- this book has some creative ways to assess student comprehension and get their reactions to stories we read. Be warned-- the intro is very academic and dry. Skip to the good parts!...more
Great book to read after Allington's intervention book. This applies mostly to middle and high school students, but I think it was good to read for meGreat book to read after Allington's intervention book. This applies mostly to middle and high school students, but I think it was good to read for me as an elementary media specialist because it drives home again how important it is to match each child with the right book. Getting kids interested in reading and finding them books they want to read and enjoy will help them build stamina and stick with more difficult texts later because they will have experience of the big pay-off that comes with big ideas. My hope as a librarian is to have each child leave elementary school having read AT LEAST one book that spoke to their heart and has them asking for more....more
Professional. Borrowed this from the State Library. I love the lesson plans and how they fit in with our curriculum. I only wish there were more. DoesProfessional. Borrowed this from the State Library. I love the lesson plans and how they fit in with our curriculum. I only wish there were more. Does anyone know any other resources as good as this one? Or a website with resources like this? Lessons include: alpha order, sections of the library, book care/parts, book selection, literary elements, genre studies, comprehension and literature response. Lessons come with reproducibles and links. Very helpful to this new librarian. Lessons K-6....more
Great ideas for making learning more student-led, cross-curricular and activity-based. Would love to put this into practice, but as a librarian with 3Great ideas for making learning more student-led, cross-curricular and activity-based. Would love to put this into practice, but as a librarian with 30 min of instruction time, tops-- I have trouble making the full circle. Would highly recommend to any classroom teacher....more
Kate Hastings
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