Taking a look at her grades together to determine if working towards the extra credit is where she wants to focus her energy or if her efforts would be better spent on achieving her best on the required assignments. 

As a growth mindset teacher I would keep an eye out for things that might be contributing to Tay’s maladaptive behavior (perhaps I’m pushing her too far with her adaptability or flexibility, or pushing her too much into a frustrated state of mind).  Those would be “levers” that I could have some control over. If Tay is in a fixed mindset, feeling powerless and out of control, then I can work with her on that (likely differentiating the work so that she’s in “the zone” - a little bit frustrated, but not to the point of shut down).

All of this assumes that I have taken time to get to know Tay as a person so far this year.  Tay has to have a level of trust in me so that she knows that while making mistakes is the pathway to learn - I won’t hold her mistakes against her or punish her for learning.

Also keeping in mind that Tay may not be in a place where he is ready to acknowledge or deal with his feelings. Despite the interruption, if Tay is able to come into class and get himself on track rather timely, I would wait to have a one on one conversation with him during individual work time or during a time that our conversation could be more private.

As mentioned in chapter 2, sometimes naming our feelings can be difficult. By drawing attention to his possibly already bad mood might make the situation worse. Allowing him to come in and get back to a routine may help ease tension and his stress.  

In the conversation with Tay and the assistant I would first want to focus on Tay and give him the chance to be heard. I would pose questions that would allow Tay to explain how he is/was feeling, allowing me to find out the reason behind the behavior. Whatever the reason was I would acknowledge Tays emotions caused by the situation he may have been in and then we would come up with a plan to regulate himself when he experiences similar emotions as well as a plan for entering the room and joining the class in a different way. After having this conversation with Tay and the assistant I would later plan to have a separate conversation with the teacher’s assistant without Tay. In this conversation I would want to find out where the assistants frustration was coming from as well. This would allow us to talk about how we can deal with similar future situations while also regulating our own emotions. 

A teacher with a growth mindset would have responded with understanding, acceptance and even appreciation towards the student that was showing a willingness to put themselves out there by answering a question that may have been difficult for them or one that maybe they weren’t 100% sure they had the answer to. This teacher could have worked with this student in a non threatening way to help them find the answer before so quickly moving onto calling on the next student. 

To change this into a growth mindset opportunity, the teacher should have praised the student for being brave enough to take an academic risk. Something as simple as “I’m so proud of you for showing your academic courage” would reinforce that it takes courage to answer, that the student is trying his/her best, and we are proud he/she is engaged in learning. While the answer wasn’t correct, the teacher should ask a follow-up prompting question that helps the student in his/her productive struggle. The teacher should also celebrate this as a learning opportunity, so that the whole class sees a mistake as a way to learn. Offering the student to continue thinking and to “get back to me” would also signal that the student has the ability to learn and come up with the correct answer.

Personally, I like to tell students that they are close to the correct answer so they have motivation to keep working and trying their best. My students respond really well to this feedback and don’t see the wrong answer as a negative. 

In my experience, I have more of my mistakes that are caught by students than myself. They will blurt out or raise their hand and tell me what the mistake is. Sometimes I fix it and sometimes I don’t. I always try to acknowledge that they are correct. I made a mistake.  If I don’t fix the mistake I will explain why, usually it’s because it’s on an electronic format. I simply tell the class I will fix it later. With some of our new technology, it has become easier to fix things on the fly, especially with my ipad and apple pencil. I can annotate the correction in. This is also a great way for them to see the mistake and the correction to it. I think it is important for them to see the authentic me. The person that is not the best speller. 

Now that I have grown as an educator I embrace these moments of doubt and try to learn from them myself as well as provide teachable moments. I turn to that class and ask for help. I teach elementary so if they are struggling I turn to other adults in the room and we come up with the correct answer together. Hopefully by doing this I am showing students that it’s ok to not know something and even make a mistake. And that there is no shame in asking for help. 

As a teacher with a growth mindset he could take this opportunity to hear out his students and their concerns. He may find ways to survey his class to see what ways they would prefer to gather and receive information and what ways they feel they learn best. A teacher with a growth mindset would take this information and come up with engaging lessons that incorporate all learning styles. Sticking to only one style of teaching really singles out certain students where some will thrive and others will sink. Finding that balance and being willing to change is proof of a growth mindset. 

In this situation, I would say “Oops. I made a mistake. I can fix it.” Then I will tell/show students how I will fix/learn from it. I could also ask for students to help me solve the problem. Once the mistake is fixed, I would make sure to ask students “Is it ok to make a mistake?” and they would respond with “Yes!” 
In my classroom, if I don’t acknowledge my mistake fast enough, my students will point it out for me. I’m happy that they feel comfortable enough to let me know about my mistakes and that they know we will all be ok when we make a mistake. It’s important for students to see teachers as human, and part of being human is making mistakes. I believe that my students are less fearful of making a mistake or not doing something perfect because I model making mistakes daily. Some students still have a fixed mindset about mistakes, even with my modeling, but I believe they would have more of a fixed mindset without it. 

When an opportunity like this coccus it is important for us to capitalize on it in order to help our students see a real example of how we can grow and persist in the face of setbacks. Students learn that our classroom is a safe place to take healthy risks and that it is okay to make mistakes. 

Assuming that Mrs. Johnson has laid out clear expectations, circulates the room during exams, and has a positive relationship with her students, I would begin by observing the student to actually see if he/she is cheating. Then, if said student was looking at material or chatting with a neighbor, I would quietly walk over to the student and inquire about their behavior. I would first begin by asking the student how they are doing? Next, I would  ask if they felt the review lesson from the previous day was successful for the student? Lastly, I would ask why the student had the text out, or were talking to their neighbor? It is not fair to assume that the student and other students are cheating if Mrs. Johnson has no concrete proof. In short, establishing a classroom with clear expectations, routines, and follow-through in behavior will result in positive outcomes for both the students and Mrs. Johnson.