Video Pick: Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset - An RSA Animated Talk

Developing a growth mindset entails developing a predisposition to learn constantly and continuously. Carol Dweck's extensive research in this field leads the way in our investigation of what it means to develop a growth mindset.

In this animated talk, Dweck investigates the effects of praising intelligence vs. process.

A few items to take-away:

1) Praising intelligence leads children to develop a fixed mindset...

Thus, a student grows to believe that s/he is "smart" or "dumb" when it comes to a certain academic subject or skill that s/he is in the process of developing.

2) Astonishingly, praising intelligence turns kids off to learning...

Furthermore, these children often reject the chance to learn in favor of the chance to do well at something much less challenging.

3) Those praised for the process overwhelmingly want to take-on hard tasks...

Undaunted by momentary setbacks, these students work-through challenges, remain confident, and often enjoy tackling problems

This video features Harry Potter All Stars... not too shabby!
-j

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Visits Holy Family Academy

Bringing classical music into our midst, we were honored to welcome the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to perform in our chapel. It was a spectacular day for a performance--quite a treat for our high school students.

The music speaks for itself:

Hoe Down (Aaron Copland)

Remember that 1990s beef advertisement???

Theme from Ken Burns' The Civil War

Theme from Star Wars

To bring classical music into our midst was an absolute treat. The visit coincides with the symphony's 120th anniversary. Truly our school and our city are privileged to have such an organization that we can claim our own.

Tech Tips: Update - Class Dojo REALLY Works in Learning Hub

Nearly one month has passed since we introduced Class Dojo to shape-up our morning routines. I'm pleased to announce the success of our venture! Initially greeted with suspicion, our sophomores took less than a week to buy-in.

Now, Class Dojo has become part of our morning routine. Students are rewarded for being prompt, productive, and positive. 

The introduction of these videos helped, too:

Growth mindset: training your brain!

Our learning hub students connected with the cartoon avitars introducing us to class dojo. This includes Mojo, the adorable little guy orbiting the earth, pictured above.

Growth mindset: the magic of making mistakes

The intro videos teach lessons on how to develop a growth mindset. This includes forming the habits, skills, and dispositions necessary to be successful in school and in life.

To incentivize the process, as our students earn dojo points, they qualify for small rewards--cheese sticks, juice boxes, and little healthy snacks.

Contrary to their latest protest, I don't think offering potato chips will get them into Learning Hub faster...

Here's to your health, kids!

-j

Small School, Big Heart: Our First Pep Rally & School Spirit

An innovative school for families of any means, welcoming students from every neighborhood in Pittsburgh's metropolitan area... We are a diverse community of learners. We are proud. We are just getting started.

We celebrated the coming of the final game of the season by hosting a pep rally.

Students and teachers competed in various athletic and academic events--all in the name of fun. Winner takes bragging rights, and a few incentives:

-Dress down day

-Pajama day

-Sports team jersey day

-Pizza party 

The best part about these incentives, other than the fact that they won't break the bank, is that the students came up with the prizes themselves. They made this day a success!

Students emceed the event, coordinated schedules, and ran the sound system. The amount of elbow grease that went into this event was a sight to see. It was a celebration of our school community. Mrs. Alvarez (seated to the right) organized the event as part of Integrated Studies' team 3 project to increase school spirit.

Our administrators got in on the action and battled for a hard fought victory against our students. Knock-out is a serious sport!

The three-legged-relay provided awkward fun for participants and a spectacle for spectators, alike. Finding and hitting your stride are two distinct things...

Volleyball provided some tense moments and spirited debate between the students and faculty. It was a close match, but in the end the teachers squeaked out a victory.

Final thoughts:

We are a small school with limited resources, but the imagination that went into making our first pep rally a success came from a limitless supply of inspiration. It's the desire to be one--to bring our community together and celebrate that which makes us unique, extraordinary... 

We are Holy Family Academy: a start-up school educating teens to be contributors to the world in which they live, work, and play. I'm proud to be a part of this community.

Mindfulness: A Meditation On Self-Care & The Perogi Race Of Life

Kindness, a form of weakness; Rest, a sign of laziness: An intolerant worldview as unhealthy and fraught with misunderstanding as I've ever heard. As commonplace as sliced bread. Modern life may be hazardous to your health!

What we need is a reminder that life is a marathon and not a sprint. That the perogi race is more than just a single inter-innings break in a Pirate game, but rather culminates in an entire season of home games at PNC Park...

We need to take time to breathe, to follow our curiosity, to unplug and pursue our passions--if we are lucky enough to have found them.

I'm guilty of ignoring my body's signals to slow down--to administer self-care and to just observe. Certainly as a teacher, I'm not alone in neglecting these important things that we sometimes feel are impossible to find time for... My goodness: Have you seen the size of my to-do list?

Meanwhile, the evidence is overwhelming that a little mindfulness goes a long way. Whether it is incorporating a meditative breathing exercise like anapana respiration--not altering ones breath, but just observing the natural flow of respiration, or practicing a few minutes of gentle stretching and restorative yoga, finding time for self care can be a difference maker.

Lately, my morning routine is supplemented by a light YouTube yoga session and a #bfc530 chat. I feel these two additions to the start of the day make a tremendous difference in my mindset throughout the day. 

Not as often as I would like, I try to wrap up my day with a short meditation session--an almost impossible feat. Aside from not budgeting my time as well as I would like and almost always running a deficit at the end of a long day, I am human. I would rather read a little while longer, or try to squeeze "just one more thing" into an already full evening, just for the sake of crossing it off of that all-consuming to-do list.

However, on nights that I meditate, I find myself drifting off to sleep faster, waking with clarity, and finding calm at the bookends of my dreams.

I wonder if this is something that I could teach to others--a way of gaining perspective by pulling the plug. A way of approaching everything differently, not by doing anything. 

When we just observe, we learn so much about ourselves and the world in which we live.

Let us be mindful that we need to set aside time for self-care. When our batteries are recharged, we can better serve our students and inspire creativity and imagination.

"Twitter Vacation" or 10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat

"Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand new hours to live. What a precious gift!" -- Thich Nhat Han

Today, I begin a ten day silent retreat...

I flew from Chicago to Minneapolis, and am about to surrender my cellphone for the next eleven days.

Talk about unplugging at the end of the school year.

On my way to the Vipassana silent meditation retreat, I hopped on the light rail and hiked this pristine city park. The Mississippi River cuts through Minneapolis and makes a 50-foot drop within city limits. It's breathtaking-- Minnehaha Falls in Minnesota. 

Save your pennies, nickels, and dimes and travel. See the world and share your stories!

Vipassana is meditation technique: it's not a religion. If you have a devotion, it might help you to strengthen your practice. I've wanted to do this for quite some time, several years... Each summer I ponder the occasion, and back away citing personal responsibilities and the illusion of unlimited time--"next year...".

At any rate, I don't have romantically notions of this being the first day of the rest of my life, but I know that this moment will forever be imprinted upon my consciousness.

Think about it: 240 hours with your inner monologue to keep you company??? Yes, an experience like that will penetrate the recesses of the soul.

Alas, I'm going on my "Twitter Vacation". Signing off of the blog...

For now.

-Jennifer Lanas

@educateYINZ