Mindset of the Month
Best Practices
Dream Team Traits Word Art: Use a word art app or website to brainstorm dream team member traits. Start by asking staff to create word art to hang in a staff work room or in a hallway for students to see. Then ask students to do the same and display their word art. An additional idea would be for the school to create one big poster with words for their Dream Team School Community. Hang a large piece of paper and have the school community write words to describe their school.
Collaborative Learning: Pair up classes to read books together, discuss a certain topic together, or discuss that month’s mindset. It is important for students and teachers to hear different voices and perspectives. The classes can give encouraging notes and treats during testing time or just be there for one another throughout the year. Be intentional with your meeting times and try to meet at least 1-2 times per month. Have fun!
Teaching the 7 Mindsets lessons with fidelity is key to your classroom’s SEL success. Whether you teach the lessons once a week for 30 minutes or the lessons are divided up over the course of several days, using the 7 Mindsets language with fidelity will ensure that it becomes common practice.
Success tips include asking teachers to:
- Review the lesson plans ahead of time with colleagues
- Reflect on stories they can share from their life experience
- Display the lesson objectives from the prep page in their classroom
Go to the Educator Zone > Implementation Tools section and you will find five-day lesson plan templates, classroom observation forms, toolkits, and more to answer all your questions and help to seamlessly integrate social emotional learning.
Platform News
- Caught You Cards: Check out these cards that would be perfect for when you see a student demonstrate one of the 7 Mindsets. What a great way to positively reinforce social emotional learning!
- 7 Mindsets Poster Set: Are you looking for some new 7 Mindsets posters to enrich your classroom or campus? Our newest poster set might be just what you are looking for. These colorful posters are available in English and Spanish.
Curriculum News
High School Course Updates
- Video Update for High School Course 1: We are Connected 3.1
- Video Update for High School Course 4: Passion First 2.2
Spotlight on Success
This month’s success story is from Sharona Edwards, professional school counselor at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Chicago, IL.
Prior to the global pandemic, we began to notice a shift in the social emotional and developmental needs of our students. As a former Special Education teacher, I understand the importance of social emotional development in relation to academic success. I came across 7 Mindsets after an unsuccessful two-year search for an evidence-based, relatable social emotional curriculum. I was intrigued by the mindsets and data-driven success stories. With the last year and a half of implementing the 7 Mindsets curriculum across all grade levels, we have seen an upward trend in our students’ social emotional awareness and development and our teachers/staff’s level of awareness within the importance of providing students with an evidence-based social emotional curriculum.
The beginning-of-year professional development provided by 7 Mindsets inspired and motivated teachers to recommit to their “why.” While it took some time to plan out the mode of delivery, our school community agreed upon a shared responsibility that includes implementing weekly 7 Mindsets lessons across all academic departments. Our school counseling department has created a co-teaching request form that teachers can utilize to request support in teaching a 7 Mindsets lesson.
The implementation of this curriculum continues to support Chicago Public Schools’ mission to provide a high-quality public education for every child, in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career and civic life.
SEL Resources
- SEL is Everybody’s Biz – Business leaders share their expectations for the future workforce and how SEL aligns with building the workforce of tomorrow.
Blogs