Shaping Superlative Schools: Five Helpful Hints for Exhibiting a Growth Heartset

By Scott B. Freiberger

In the emotive, making-of-the-mammal Disney movie “Zootopia,” protagonist and officer extraordinaire Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) endures bad badgering, abundant bullying, and beastly berating while aspiring to become the city’s first crowned cottontail cop.?Yet despite uncivil circumstances and a series of exhausting encounters with furtive fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), she perennially persists, prods, and pushes on.?Ultimately, our flocculent, furry friend finds collaborators in questionable quarters and encounters rapport and responsiveness in virtuous vertebrate.?At its core, the moving movie is a celebration of inclusion and resolution, and teaches that appearances may not only be ambiguous, but also absolutely inaccurate.?The noble notion of employing empathy, kindling kindness, and trying tenderness to focus forward could also be acutely accentuated now in education, given our current climate and challenging circumstances.?

In a particularly poignant neoteric post, Lower School Director Dan Kerr, an august asset at the American School of Paris, expanded on Carol Dweck’s well-coined concept of developing an aspirational?“growth mindset,” and noted that educators and school leaders could cultivate a collective “growth heartset.”?Director Kerr defines the concept as, “ultimately a kindness of the heart approach to life and school.?This approach is something that we could all use a little more of these days as we begin another [uncommon] school year.”?

The “growth heartset” concept could also certainly encompass harmony, courage, wisdom, and imagination.?Byrne-Jiminez and Yoon (2019) conclude, a curriculum that highlights kindness, empathy, and love in framing children’s education could invariably lead to “ways of leading that are more humanizing and responsive to the demands [placed on children who are]…growing up in the twenty-first century.”?Here are five helpful hints for exhibiting a growth heartset.?

1.?Emphasize Empathy?

Empathy is invariably a crucial component of cultivating a school-wide growth heartset.?For example, many top schools in diverse regions around the world, such as The American School in Japan (ASIJ), Graded – The American School of S?o Paulo, and United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York, emphasize leading and learning with a goal of scholars becoming the best versions of themselves.?Infusing empathy across curricula establishes a deeper sense of self-awareness, integrity, and identity, accentuates acceptance, guides genuine mental health progress, elevates erudition, strengthens civility, and greatly sharpens social graces.?According to an esteemed New York educator, Public School 26 Assistant Principal Annmarie Hogan, “Without the ability to empathize, we cannot be our best selves. Therefore, it is our obligation…to teach lessons of empathy…in literacy, social studies, and behavior management[, among other subjects].”

2. Build Character via Full-Bodied Books?

Building scholars’ character is another crucial component of having a growth heartset.?Consider asking these key questions for teaching well-planned chalk talk to meliorate morality, promote growth mindsets, and harbor healthy heartsets:

?·????????What just happened?

·????????How does the character feel??

·????????What makes the character act this way?

·????????What makes the character feel this way??

·????????What do you think of the character’s actions?

·????????What do you think of the character’s words??

·????????What might the character have done differently?

·????????In contrast, what might you have done?

The ability to put oneself in another’s proverbial cleats, sneakers, moccasins, or sandals is not only a key component of developing an avant-garde growth mindset, but it also challenges children to consider choices and think outside of the proverbial Xbox.?For example, in the delightful Diary of a Terrific Teacher, accomplished children’s book author Christopher Holley (“Mr. Hollywood”) sets aside a “time out” corner for Timmy, a stealthy student who wreaks educational havoc all over his kindergarten classroom. While written to be witty and whimsical, modeling a growth heartset could tap into unrealized aptitude and obviate potential “Terrible Timmy” mishaps.

In a similar sympathetic style, skilled author Bob Salomon suggests inspiring young scholars with empathy and kindness in his boss children’s book, Beyond the Laces.?According to the author (and co-author Rick Young), this striking sports-related story supports all students by emphasizing determination, character, and kindness.?Mr. Solomon and his terrific team also developed inspiring Grades 3-5 units of study with a social-emotional learning (SEL) lens.?According to the team’s website, their mission is to reinforce resolve and encourage kindness in all kids.

Scholastic also recently published an exhaustive list of books that underscore compassion, character, courage, integrity, tolerance, and responsibility.?Themes run the proverbial gamut from caring, fairness, and honesty, to extinguishing school bullying, with an emphasis on cultivating compassion everywhere while using words that harness care.?

3. Bolster the Beauty and Benefits of Bilingualism?

In a recent peer-reviewed, research-based journal article, I suggest, [b]ilingual students could…translate high-level academic English into their native languages to instill confidence and improve classroom communication for non-native speakers. There are notable brain-based benefits of bilingualism. People who speak two languages often outperform monolinguals on general measures of executive function.?Being bilingual is also said to lead to greater focus and swifter task-switching.?For example, bilingual children may be more sensitive to social cues to decipher which language to use and with whom to communicate depending on setting and circumstance.?Young bilingual children have [also] demonstrated?advanced cognition on measurements of perspicacity and?theory of mind?— both of which are fundamental social and emotional skills.

According to a four-year American University study, students who can read and speak two languages outperformed their peers in English-reading skills by a full school year’s worth of learning by the end of middle school.?Being bilingual has also been found to be an asset as we age.?Ample research?delineates that since bilingual people’s brains age more slowly[, they can]…live longer and more satisfying lives. It is now widely recognized that being bilingual can delay neurological diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

To help bolster bilingualism in the contemporary classroom, accomplished speaker and LinkedIn colleague Nury Castillo Crawford at?www.1010Publishing.com?boasts a cool catalog of bodacious bilingual books.?She and her entire team are enthusiastic to bring about children’s books that highlight the beauty and benefits of bilingualism and biculturalism and empower all children, especially during the pandemic.

Emphasize to parents, guardians, and family members that bilingual students should not lose their native languages while learning English, and that students’ mother tongues could be used as a scaffold to better decipher meaning, compare language nuances and structure, and ultimately augment and support learning English as a new language.

4. Reclaim, Remodel, and Reteach Right-Minded Responsibility

According to The Center for Parenting Education, being “responsible” may have multiple meanings, but basically being benign sans seeking answers is the equivalent of being obedient.???Real responsibility entails complying with commitments, accepting both frustrating failures and scholastic successes, and contributing to family, community, and society.??Indeed, teaching children responsibility should not be a burden, a bore, or a tedious chore for kids to ignore.?

All children want to see themselves as response-able -- powerful and able to respond to what needs to be done.?Instilling responsibility boosts self-esteem, and empowering young people teaches a veritable life skill--to have a greater impact on family, community, and the world.?Realistically, responsibility relates to attaining the right attitude.?Counseling children to contribute in class and help at home fosters good feelings, which may lead to augmented ownership of actions, amplified amour propre, and continued life accomplishments.

Rather than assigning orders and waiting impatiently for task completion, consider acting as a cognoscenti guide-on-the-side, asking open-ended questions to instill a deeper sense of responsibility:?

·????????What did you do?

·????????How come you did that?

·????????What needs to be done now?

·????????What choices could you make?

·????????What might be the consequences of each choice?

According to Dr. Laura Markham at ahaparenting.com, instilling a deeper sense of responsibility should be blissful rather than burdensome.?Invite children to take ownership of their behavior and empower them to make good choices rather than bunt blame, shovel shame, and turn responsibility into perpetual punishments.?Also, involving a scholar in behavior ownership is more important than having the job done quickly or perfectly.?

Establish really great routines and a sound sense of structure.?This, in turn, should lead to successful study and grooming habits, as well as improved overall interpersonal communication. Dr. Markham concludes that children learn basic life skills through repetition.?Blame is the opposite of unconditional love…You can always come up with better solutions from a state of acceptance [rather] than a state of blame.

5. Support Service Learning Across Subjects

In a pertinent blog post, I had elaborated how service learning embodies best practices across a variety of subjects.?Current issues to consider may include global warming, environmental conservation, and poverty alleviation.?Precise lesson planning coupled with community outreach to organizations with reliable resources could offer opportunities for student reflection, appropriate assignments for students to pen pertinent papers, and/or a collaborative presentation to point out pertinent pondering.

With a wealth of resources available to teach and learn about service learning, invite students to become active participants in their own learning.?Above all, it is important for students to have a strong voice in the process to deepen their understanding of the activities and to maximize learning opportunities.?When students surmise that their contributions are considered and voices are valued, service-learning becomes a terrific tool to advance classroom teaching and community empowerment.?In sum, service-learning proves that the choices students make and the actions students take reveal the quintessential essence of who we, as humans, truly are: civil, productive, and united.

Final Thoughts: Compassion Clearly Counts

During these tumultuous times, unselfishness may lead to more profound perspectives, and tapping into scholars’ inner talents may lead to healthy healing across humanity.?One exceptional example of modeling benevolent behavior can be found at Accompsett Middle School in Smithtown Central School District, where educators and staff members complete a “Caught Being Kind” Google Form to recognize random acts of kindness throughout the building.?Surprised scholars are then acknowledged by Principal Paul McNeil, who thanks students in person for their admirable actions, and presents a pristine pencil with the inscription, “Caught Being Kind.”?This is a wonderful way for scholars to surmise that consideration counts, kind comments are commendable, and attentive actions are admirable.???

Yes, magnanimity truly matters.??Having a growth heartset can inspire scholars to take action, lead with love, and kindle compassion.?Give students the gift of graciousness, and empower them to amplify good will and a growth heartset throughout their lives.

This article initially appeared here.

BIO

Scott Freiberger, a passionate Instructional Coach/ENL Specialist with school building and district leader certification, is honored to be the 2018 TESOL International Teacher of the Year.?

Twitter: @scottfreiberger