HALEY BRITTINGHAM  ⍚  PORTFOLIO

Developing positive habits and mindsets, such as the sixteen described by Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick, are essential for people of all ages. Younger students who are exposed to explicit lessons and reinforcing activities are more likely to possess positive habits and mindsets as they grow. Likewise, students must see their peers and adult role models, such as their teachers, demonstrate these traits and values for them to internalize them and begin to use them for their personal growth. 
​
During my time as a first-grade teacher in North Carolina, I made it a priority to teach as many habits and mindsets as possible because I genuinely believe that emotional intelligence can drastically affect student's outlook on every aspect of life. One of the habits of mind that I put a lot of emphasis on was Persisting. All of the evidence provided in this section is from my 2015-16 school year. The first piece showcases a song that turned out to be the anthem for our class. Students sang the song almost once a day, which can be heard on the music player, to help encourage their classmates. Their demonstration of the song shows how they internalized the idea of persisting. The song turned into a habit itself as they would sing it every time they heard the words, "I can't." To continue the momentum of persisting, students learned about the concept of a Growth Mindset. They learned about neuroplasticity from the Growth Mindset videos and how you can grow your intelligence. There is an image from a math lesson, of a brain working out reinforcing the idea of growing your brain and persisting in doing so. From there, they were active participants in creating classroom goals and adding to their individual and class growth trackers. These trackers show how the mindset of persisting was a vital part of our classroom culture. The strategies in the third section include multiple anchor charts reminding students they have alternative options to giving up. Persisting was an integral part of our class and students were more confident in their abilities to overcome challenges by not giving up and choosing alternative strategies. 

​

The second habit of mind discussed is Managing Impulsivity that I taught to the elementary students at Ampersand School. The first piece includes a lesson plan and pictures of students learning about managing impulsivity along with demonstrating their understanding of it in small groups. Their end of lesson reflections also shows that they were beginning to internalize what it means to manage or not to manage their impulses. The reinforcement activity included an impulsivity test for them to see how quickly they act before thinking. Surprisingly, all of the students demonstrated self-control during the test because they wanted the reward of two for waiting. Their reflections were interesting as it showed that they are willing to do what it takes for an external reward. Yet, I knew they need to practice working on internal motivation, delaying gratification and understanding that their actions and words have consequences. To reinforce this habit of mind, I had them play different games and participate in a discussion about recognizing emotions along with providing them more skills to use in different situations. The students practiced solving a problem of their choice by using the strategies presented and then shared it with the other group. We discussed the importance of recognizing our own emotions during different situations and using the tools to continue practicing managing our impulsivity by showing self-control. By the end of this activity, the students understood that there are always consequences associated with our actions and words, so being aware of this helps them navigate their feelings and prevents unnecessary hurt for themselves or others. 

​

In short, both groups of students practiced and grew in their understanding of why training your mind and habits are essential to success. My first grade class in North Carolina demonstrated that they embodied the habit of persisting through their use of the class song throughout the entire year and into their subsequent classrooms. They also developed a growth mindset by understanding that you can grow your brain by persisting and continuing to learn. By the end of the school year, due to all of the encouragement they received from their classmates who internalized the habit, they were all significantly more confident in their learning abilities. For my Ampersand students, they too were beginning to internalize and make use of the habit of managing impulsivity. They needed extra reinforcing to truly understand what exactly it looks like and how to manage yourself, but by the end of the lessons and activities, they were making connections that will help them continue in their growth of this habit. All of my students have grown in their ability to self-analyze and make use of the habits taught to encourage them to face adversity with confidence and knowledge.