This document discusses strategies for developing confidence in students. It emphasizes the importance of confidence for learning and provides ideas for increasing student engagement and confidence through formative assessment, tapping into student strengths and interests, and connecting learning beyond the classroom. Specific strategies mentioned include using clear learning intentions and success criteria, descriptive feedback, student-owned assessment, passion projects, inquiry-based learning, and connecting students' strengths to opportunities outside of school. The overall message is that building real confidence requires focusing on students' strengths, interests, and success.
1. Creating the Conditions:
Developing CONFIDENCE in Our Students
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Chris Wejr
www.chriswejr.com
@chriswejr
2. Learning Intentions
where are you at? Red? Yellow?
Green?
• I can explain the importance of self-confidence in
student learning
• I can share ideas and strategies to increase
student engagement by creating space
for student strengths and interests in the
classroom.
• I can describe formative assessment practices
that build success and confidence in learners.
• I can share ways to tap into the strengths of
students beyond the classroom walls
4. The Importance of Confidence
• Recall a time when you had a confident
learning experience.
– What did it look/feel/sound like?
• Recall a time when you had an anxious
learning experience.
– What did it look/feel/sound like?
• Why is confidence important in our learners?
25. Clear Learning Intentions
Let students know,
in a language they can
understand,
what they are expected to learn
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26. Grade 7 Science
Kris Fujita - Chiefess School
Name:
Unit:
Before AfterDestination
Comments (student, teacher):
Via Caren Cameron
27. Success Criteria
Work with learners
to develop criteria
so we know
“what good looks like”.
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31. Swap Meet
Grab an index card. Write one of the following
statements and complete the thought on the card:
• One thing I am going to do in my classroom/school is…
• One thing I want to be sure to remember is…
When you are finished, walk around the room and meet
with someone you have not spoken to today. Share the
information on your cards and then exchange cards. Do
this 2 more times. Return to your table and share the
information on the new card with your group.
38. Inquiry
"When there is space for kids to
create, connect, explore - magic
happens”
Neil Stephenson
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https://flic.kr/p/grtNE
43. IDEA FACTORY
What can we DO
– next week, next month, next year -
in classrooms/schools to use
strengths/interests to increase
confidence and engagement?
Brainstorm at your table
Categorize into classroom and school
Record and Share
44. Start with one lesson or one
unit
• Take a moment to reflect upon a lesson/unit that
you have recently taught or one in which you are
comfortable teaching.
• How could you incorporate the strengths/interests of
students into this lesson or unit?
• Record and share.
47. “We have always overestimated the value
of access to information and
underestimated the value
of access to each other.”
Clay Shirky
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42931449@N07/6088751332/
50. Reflect.
To tap into the strengths of our students
beyond our classroom walls, we can…
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51. Learning Intentions
where are you at now? Red? Yellow?
Green?
• I can explain the importance of self-confidence
in student learning
• I can share ideas and strategies to increase
student engagement by creating space
for student strengths and interests in the
classroom.
• I can describe formative assessment practices
that build success and confidence in learners.
• I can share ways to tap into the strengths of
students beyond the classroom walls
Record individually. Share with a partner. Share out and record.
Confidence is related to self efficacy, people's belief that their skill and effort will achieve desired outcome
Students confident? Do they believe that with effort, they CAN?
Watch body language, self-talk. What story are they telling? Can we work to change this?
“You’ve gotta be successful to be confident”
Schimmer
winning and losing streaks and how to shift the streak.
not so much about beating others but streaks of successes, failures.
“learned helplessness,” repeated failures teach people not even to try.
Low confidence suppresses creativity and risk taking… and can create anxiety
If we can create small success, we can snap the streak.
Success breeds confidence, confidence breed success
Not too low, not too high. Find the sweet spot of confidence.
We know students who are on losing streaks… how do we get them on a winning streak
Confidence is a sweet spot between arrogance and despair. Arrogance involves the failure to see any flaws or weaknesses, despair the failure to acknowledge any strengths.
Not about telling our students they are great… it is about backing up to where they are.
Get them on a trajectory of success.
over teach the first assessment. Over prepare em. Start them off with a success and build from there.
Suz – pitch where they can hit it and challenge from there.
If we see streaks of setbacks with no success… need to break this.
I suck at math –Gabby – grade 6
Would not even try… crumpled up papers, arms crossed.
Differentiated. Worked with younger students teaching math.
Changed the way I taught and assessed. I backed up to where she was. I avoided numbers, x’s and checks – just feedback.
she was teaching the grade 5’s… had the confidence, enjoyed math.
We changed the streak… and changed the story.
As humans, before we act – have a choice – is this worth the effort?
Likelihood of success determines amount of effort people put in
If the gap between the goal and what we think we can accomplish is too large, we often move on.
Brakes in my car… look this up… not worth it.
Replace toilets… I can do that.
Meet kids where they are and help them build small successes so they can see that it IS worth their effort.
Self-efficacy – with effort, I can. With effort, they can SEE and FEEL success.
Albert Bandura - Self-efficacy determines “how much effort people will invest in an activity, how long they persevere, and how resilient they will be in adverse situations.”
Not about being a cheerleader. Authentic success.
Pygmalian effect – our expectations of kids impact how we treat them
The work of Rosenthal and Jacobsen (1968), among others, shows that teacher expectations influence student performance. Positive expectations influence performance positively, and negative expectations influence performance negatively. Rosenthal and Jacobson originally described the phenomenon as the Pygmalion Effect.
“When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur.” (Rosenthal and Babad, 1985)
Non reader to buddy reader
Back up to where she was… create a winning streak of real success. Provide opportunities for leadership
There is a ton of focus on grit – the stick to itness to overcome hurdles and obstacles.
Concerns with this.
While I think determination and struggle are so important in education – it is difficult to stick with anything or bounce back without confidence.
Start with what they know… build confidence from there. Embrace struggle. Build resilience.
Not about telling kids they are great. We need REAL successes.
Growth mindset. – Carol Dweck – intelligence can be developed with effort. Nothing is fixed when we are born
Helps to create a story and Identity as LEARNERS.
These are important aspects of education
We want all of these…
Very few of these can be done without confidence.
.
Get em on a winning streak. Build small steps of REAL success with our assessment.
Drive learning forward!
Study done by Black and Wiliam (1998)
5 countries, 250 studies, 3 Questions
Does classroom assessment make a difference for learning?
How much difference does it make?
What is being done with assessment>
“Assessment explicitly designed to promote learning is the single most powerful tool we have for raising achievement.”
21
Bad rap
Verification of learning
Discussion activity… what is the difference? 17/21 vs assessing learning outcomes
Key is to start with learning outcomes, build assessment from there.
PURPOSE
Without goals, like golfing without flags. Many need small steps of success… build on these targets.
28
Increase the amount of descriptive feedback and decrease evaluative feedback.
Avoid numbers with feedback. You don’t need to mark everything
Running commentary with no judgments
Feedback that drives learning forward. Creates action.
Feedback is no good if it does not create action from the learner
With effective formative assessment focused on learning intentions, success criteria and feedback that drives learning forward, students will experience more success; therefore, they will develop more confidence in their learning..
Give out assessment cards. Give some time to read through… adapt so you could use in your classroom.
Give out index cards
10 minutes- index cards needed.
Interests, space, freedom
What does good look like?
Shelley Wright - “when learning is something that your students have decided to do… it doesn’t stay within the walls of your classroom… it can take on a life of its own”
Tap into character strengths
INQUIRY. Most of us do a bit of this already. Wonder, question.
Neil Stephenson – Delta, Calgary Science School
Engaging in work that matters, tapping into curiosities - asking, designing, building, exhibitions of learning
Neil asks - Where does the curriculum live in the world outside of school?
Structured Guided Inquiry Free Inquiry
Slow down the process of learning. Go deeper.
check out Galileo Network
I interviewed Students of Jonathan Vervaet (high school teacher in Surrey) – couldn’t stand in Sept-oct, gimme the worksheets, let me get my points, move on.
By Christmas, I my views on education had changed forever.
Inquiry challenges students in a meaningful way and taps into their strengths, interests and curiosities.
“My goal is to make learning meaningful… set kids up for success… and watch that light go on.” Mark Maines.
Using student interests to teach writing, reading, presentation skills, technology, collaboration… start with a child’s strengths/ interest and then think about how we can teach through these.
Genius Hour - Gaining popularity worldwide.
Giving windows of time for creativity, passion and innovation.
Google 20% Time
An example of inquiry. But not all inquiry is as open as genius hour.
Does not have to be free inquiry.
Start with structure, start with guidance.
You have a truly amazing teacher here today - Gallit Zvi, able to visit her” classroom” Hugh McDonald, (georges vanier elementary) – one for the most engaging, innovative classrooms I have ever visited. Connect with her today.
Builds on inquiry
Stop worrying about the name… just worry about the quality of thought and
take small steps to include the strengths, curiosities and interests of our students.
Steve Chase, Jerry Bleecker (locals) High Tech High, Deep Learning
PBL does not start with giving all the info and then doing a project.
answer a question, solve a problem, reflect learning in world outside the classroom.
Grade ¾ teacher - Minecraft playgrounds for math
Jerry Bleecker – start small, learn big.
Christa Barberis – English 10
Did a project in an area of passion 1 period a week… then had to produce a 15 min TED Talk.
digital desk for example.
Speaking, writing, collaboration, technology… learning about learning.
It all comes down to creating the conditions, creating the space for engagement to occur.
Naryn Searcy is a sr English teacher in Pentiction…
Note – tweaked this one based on the number of people who were in the morning session
Much easier prior to sr high
At senior high (11 and 12), shifts to trying to use strengths of students to demonstrate their learning
For areas like reading, writing, math – start with strengths and then see how strengths could be incoprorated more. Examples of outcomes at primary, intermediate, middle and senior. Have people discuss an assignment that can incorporate strengths – Sr. science, middle school english, intermediate math,
Often times, if a student gets to experience their strengths in one area, it can increase engagement in another.
If you don’t have a provincially examinable course, is there a chance you could let go of an outcome or 2? What are the ESSENTIAL learning outcomes?
How can we use technology? Twitter? Skype? Blogging?
How can we better connect with the community?
Students in Brazil learning English. Connecting with seniors in the US needing connection.
How do we use technology to connect our students with others in areas of strength and interest?
Skype, Facetime, Blogging, Twitter.
Tap into strengths within our school, our community… our kids
Why is it that we often hesitate when a former teacher offers to help? Or we resist asking a former teacher to help?
If there is knowledge and a relationship… tap into that!
Kent Elementary
Previous principal and many staff member and parents, community members (esp FN community of Seabird) taught me this.
LEADERSHIP - Gardening, big buddy, tech crew, lunch monitors, cheerleading, office helpers, library tech, early morning readers, FN drumming and dancing
What is the story at school? How can we make this a positive one?
Not a reward – part of the educational experience.
Have we answered the questions?
Now we need actions… what needs to change in your school… your classroom
Activity sheet – what, when, with whom? Share at table.
Share what you will START doing.
If we want kids who are skilled in creativity, problem solving, collaboration…
If we want kids who can bounce back after a setback. We need to build confidence.
Back up to where they are, provide assessment that builds on success and provides feedback for growth, create space for students to use their strengths…
Get em on a winning streak.
Get em on a winning streak of small successes…
start with their strengths, build confidence, then challenge and embrace the struggle and growth.
Confidence + strengths + interests of our students… we get more engagement.