Putting in the Effort

Last week we continued our growth mindset discussion.  We looked at what Effective Effort is and how it helps us to reach our goals.  We also talked about how we need to use strategies that we have learned along with hard work. 

There are 6 components to Effective Effort that we discussed as a class.  The kids broke up into small groups and talked about what each “piece” might look like.  The 6 components are…

J Commitment

J  Use of Feedback

J  Resourcefulness

J  Persistence

J  Time

J  Focus

We spent the rest of the week talking about and pointing out when students were using one of the effective effort strategies. 

We spent a lot of time talking about being committed to getting our work done.  Many students showed “commitment” during an independent reading activity.  They had to read a short story and answer a question in writing after.  Many students realized that when they were finished reading the story, they weren’t quite sure of the answer to the question.  To demonstrate their commitment to getting the assignment completed to the best of their ability, they reread and thought about the answer to the question more carefully the second time.

            Other students demonstrated “time” during math.  We started working on division this week.  For some students it took more time to understand the strategies that they were learning.  Several students, worked on taking their time on the problems.  They also “checked” their work, which also showed how they were taking their time and making sure the answer was correct.   It took a little bit longer, but in the long run they were able to fix any silly mistakes that they might have made.

            On Friday we reflected on the 6 pieces of effective effort.  Each student thought about a time during the week when they demonstrated one piece of effective effort.   Our class and Mrs. Leger’s class started to post our examples.   Here are a few pictures of our board in the hallway outside of our classroom…

           Just a reminder that Wednesday is a half-day of school and there is no school on Thursday or Friday.  I hope everyone has a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving break.

~Mrs. Lewis