3. “There is a soft bigotry in low expectations.”
G.W.Bush
It is extremely important that educators know and understand the factors that comprise a student’s circumstances. It is
easy to let the empathy that knowledge evokes to color one’s expectations for that student. Such comments as “The
poor kid, I can’t expect him to do this because he has such a rotten life!” do nothing to change the future of that student.
We are the lever for change. We hold the keys to environment and gene expression which we know to be the vehicles
for changing the brain. Help them to believe they CAN.
1
2
Students come to us with a “track record”. It might be argued that you do as well. Remember ”that parent” who took
an instant dislike to you or who wanted to argue about a decision that you made? KIPs in poverty come to school with
a lot of baggage as we have established; not the least of which is commonly a record of behavior and /or academic
problems. One of our greatest sources of success was the use of a “clean slate” mentality and the belief that all kids
can learn given the right formula. Many KIPs are defeated before they start. Examine your prejudices and attitudes
which can be subtly conveyed without intention.
4. “We are raising a generation of children who are
terrified
of blundering, of failing or even sitting with the
discomfort
of not knowing something for a few minutes.”
Alina Tugend, Better by MistakeExplicitly teach
themCreate a safe place- extended think time-growth mindset-celebrate the thinking-challenging activities-normalize & discuss
strategies – discussion about role models who have succeeded through perseverance-collaboration- take turns being a MKO
(More Knowledgeable Other)- discuss “Self-Talk”- classroom visuals reinforcing Growth Mindset- mantras such as “Neurons
that fire together, wire together”- Teach them about the brain!
5. ”I teach a range of students. Some
are born smart and some are not.
Nothing I do can make them smart as
hard as I try.”
Authentic comment from a teacher in a teachers’ lounge.
6. Do you agree or
disagree?
👍
👍
Maybe some additional information may help you
decide…
8. Humans share 99% of the same genes.
So….the difference between people is really quite
Humans and chimpanzees share 98% of the same
genes!
9. I.Q. NOT
Fixed
An adoption study in France identified deprived children,
4-6 years old, with IQ<86 (mean = 77) before adoption.
After 8 years, results showed a significant gain in IQ,
up to 19.5 IQ points in the lowest SES families.
(Duyme et al., 1999).
Eric Jensen
11. The Balance Has Shifted…Gene Expression
Changes the Game!
There’s nearly a 2-1 advantage of the
potency of environmental influences
over genetic ones.
(Devlin, et al., 1997)
This suggests hope for all
students!
Genes - Environment
66%
34%
Eric Jensen
13. 1
What Needs to be Included in an Optimum Environment to Promote Brain
Growth ?
Acknowledge & include student strengths & interests
Teach within the Zone of Proximal Development
Use the principles of Gradual Release
Model all coveted skills both behavioral & academic
Build on prior knowledge
Provide for collaborative student interaction to promote cognitive development
Build vocabulary constantly
Explicitly teach all skills, even those you expect they should know….don’t assume.
14. How You Can Influence
the Triggering of Gene
Expression ?
•Stress/Distress
•Diet/Nutrition
•Emotional States
•Physical Activity
•Social Conditions
•Beliefs/Thoughts
Rossi, E. (2002) The Psychobiology of Gene Expression
2
15. Help your students to “see” themselves as worthwhile people with potential and
promise as it may not be something they have heretofore considered, especially
KIPs. Their self belief may just be ignited by YOU!
👀
16. “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be andyou
helpthembecome what they are capable of becoming”.
J ohann Wolfgangvon Goethe
X
17. “Using envisioning language,
…can lift students out of
their current reality to
imagine themselves in
bigger, grander ways.”
The Power of Our Words
Dr. Paula Denton
Envisioning
Tradecraf t : Mot ivat ion, Engagement
20. Gene Expression and
Student Achievement
Don’t expect immediate evidence of Gene
Expression.
Genes respond to either trauma or to consistent
applied practice over time.
Only highly consistent teachers (and schools) will see the
benefits.
21. The brain (depending on your
age) is:
• making connections
• adding new neurons
• pruning excess neurons
• changing its chemistry
The Human Brain is
Dynamic
22. “Increased struggle leads to greater learning and increased structural change in
the brain.”
Dr. Laura Boyd
23. Explicitly Teach the Recognition of Their Reaction to
Challenges
• Assign tasks that allow students to struggle with multi-modal puzzles or
tasks(linguistic, tactile, visual spatial, etc.& challenges that test patience
and cause frustration.
• Use these puzzles as explicit teaching exercises where students are asked
to share their feelings & physical reactions through the exercise, build
awareness of their reactions and to pay attention to their inner self-talk.
• Help them to identify their default mindset to encourage a shift toward a
growth mindset.
27. What kind of Mindset do you personally have?
Quiz
28. DR. CAROL DWECK
X
Dr. Carol Dweck a researcher at Stanford University has done a
great amount of research studying achievement and success all
over the globe. A natural springboard for her was the study of
failure and she discovered out that people have different mindsets,
polar opposites of each other.
Fascinatingwork:Seventhgradersreceivingsameintervention. Group
that receivedMindset Instructiongrewappreciably. Dweck & Blackwell
33. “Self-beliefs determine the direction and intensity of
our motivated action. The beliefs determine what we
do, how we do it, and how we see our
accomplishments in relation to the rest of the world.”
Dr. Bobby Hoffman, Motivation for Learning &
Performance
36. Research is replete with
studies that prove that you
can boost perception,
memory, intelligence & I.Q.
We Know That We Can Actually Change
Student Intelligence
TEACH YOUR STUDENTS ABOUT THE NEUROPLASTICITY OF
THEIR BRAINS
37.
38. Rubrics, exemplars & clear expectations
give KIPs clear learning targets; the
context they need to envision their learning
experience.
39.
40. What Limits the Input Students can
Absorb?Glucose availability- Students use this at a rapid pace during
learning
Protein recycling-Never skip recess- Students need time off task to
recharge
Working memory- Chunk your material – 1-4 maximum
Attentional limitations-Rule of thumb is the age of students in
minutes- KIPs typically have shorter attention spans & increased
distractibility
Time for Synaptic Adhesion-need 15-60 minutes
Hippocampus- Overloading amounts of information shuts down the
learning
41. Classroom Practices that Support
Mindsets
Growth Mindset
• Formative Assessments
• Open Tasks (PBL, projects)
• Norm practice of asking for help as
needed
• Encourage challenging tasks
• Students encouraged to take risks
• Constructive process focused feedback
• Student centered goal setting for
improvement
Fixed Mindset
• Summative Assessments
• Closed Tasks (Worksheets)
• Teacher asks if there are questions
after a lesson
• Praise for completion of any task
• Insensitivity to student diffidence
• Platitudes such as “Good job”-
personal feedback
• Sporadic feedback without clear
direction
42.
43. Make the sights and
sounds of your
classroom reflect
your commitment to
supporting a Growth
Mindset
Classroom…
kids are paying
attention!
50. Hope mobilizes our resources. When we believe that
success is possible, we try harder and we explore more
options. We focus on results, not excuses. We work with,
not against the teacher.
51. • Hope is positive expectancy
• It improves brain chemicals
• Increases mood &
persistence
• Improves the outcome
HOP
E
Many kids, especially KIPs have had enough negatives. They need unrelenting hope.
Even if you do everything else right, if the student doesn’t think you believe in him/her, you’ll lose
ground.
52. What Does HOPE Sound
Like?
“That was an amazing
idea! How did you
come up with that?”
“Please share your
strategy. Others
will definitely like
to copy you!”
“Thank you for your
contribution!”
“I know this is
hard but I’m
on your side & I’ll
stick with you until
we work it out!”
“Kids always have
a hard time at first
but with more
practice, you’ll get
it.”
‘Your project shows
what great effort
produces.
Congratulations!”
