"If we want to empower students, we must show them how they can control their own cognitive and emotional health and their own learning. Teaching students how the brain operates is a huge step. Even young students can learn strategies for priming their brains to learn more efficiently; I know, because I've taught both 5th graders and 7th graders about how their brains learn."
"direct my energy and attention on what worked, what went well, and what I feel was successful. I've discovered that this strategy is critical to build my emotional resilience. One of the only things in life that I have control over is how I tell my story -- how I interpret my experiences and make sense of them. If I create a story that is one of learning, growth, and empowerment, I feel better.
So how are you telling the story of this school year? "
"All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking)
I Learned (By Studying How Children Learn) in Kindergarten
*
Mitchel Resnick
MIT Media Lab
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
+1 617 253 9783
mres@media.mit.edu
ABSTRACT
This paper argues that the "kindergarten approach to
learning" - characterized by a
spiraling cycle of Imagine,
Create, Play, Share, Reflect,
and back to Imagine - is
ideally suited to the needs of the 21
st
century, helping
learners develop the creative-thinking skills that are critical
to success and satisfaction in today's society. The paper
discusses strategies for designing new technologies that
encourage and support kindergarten-style learning,
building on the success of traditional kindergarten
materials and activities, but extending to learners of all
ages, helping them continue to develop as creative thinkers. "
"In outcomes-based learning environments, we generally see three elements in play: 1) learning objectives or targets are created from given standards; 2) instruction of some kind is given; and then 3) learning results are assessed. These assessments offer data to inform the revision of further planned instruction. Rinse and repeat.
But lost in this clinical sequence are the Habits of Mind that (often predictably) lead to success or failure in the mastery of given standards. In fact, it is not in the standards or assessments, but rather these personal habits where success or failure -- in academic terms -- actually begin.
Below are all 16 Habits of Mind, each with a tip, strategy or resource to understand and begin implementation in your classroom. "