CoT in Action Mindset 4

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Students Learn Best When They Feel Known, Valued, and, Respected by Both the Adults in the School and Their Peers.

Paige J. Rollins

Del Mar Union School District

3rd Grade Teacher, Del Mar Heights School, San Diego, CA

Step One:

The Child’s POV

Do they feel known, valued, and respected?

Before my work as a CoT fellow, I understood the value in the whole child. I knew the importance of Mindset 4 and of children truly feeling known, valued, and respected. I was curious about:

• How could I most efficiently and effectively support children’s relationships?
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• I think the children in my class feel valued, but how do they REALLY feel? What is my data?

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My Journey

Why begin with

students feeling known & valued?

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No significant learning can occur without a

significant relationship

-Comer 1993

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How are we “helping our students to belong, ground our teaching

in fairness and respect, and building strong relationships

with our students.”

-Ritchhart CoT in Action p. 81

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“If we focus on knowing our students, demonstrate that we value them as thinkers & learners, and develop positive relationships with them individually & collectively, then disruptive behavior will decrease, students will be ore engaged, & they will feel more connected

to the school community.”

-Ritchhart CoT in Action p. 96

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When we are curious about a child’s words and our responses to those words,

the child feels respected.

The child is respected”

-Paley 1986, p. 127

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Young children experience their world as an environment of relationships, and these relationships affect virtually all aspects of their development.

-Center on the Developing Child, Harvard, 2009

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Why Mindset 4

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Emotional Integrity

Demonstrate awareness, sensitivity, concern, and respect to

connect with others…

Build positive relationships and act with empathy and compassion.

-Portrait of a Learner Competencies

Del Mar Union School District Destination 2028!

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Del Mar Union School District

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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Interrupting Bias &

Fostering Belonging

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“Nothing-nothing-has more impact in the life of a child than

positive relationships”

-Roehikepatain et.al.,

The Search Institute, 2017

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“The challenges today’s generation of young people face are unprecedented and uniquely ard to navigate. And the effect these challenges have had on their

mental health is devastating.”

Public Health Advisory About

Possible Youth Mental Health Crisis

-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy ‘98 2021

Maslow’s Hierarcy of Needs

Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can

attend to needs higher up.

-Maslow, 1093

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Using Quick Data

Relationship Map of Class Friendships

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4 Question Google Survey

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Students’ Rating Scales

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Feeling Known, Valued, & Respected by the Teacher

Creating a welcoming environment that fosters belonging

Being genuinely interested, curious, and valuing students

Physically connecting with students by name at the start/end of every period

Being a warm demader & using microaffirmations

Having students write letters to the teacher “How are you REALLY doing?”

Praising publicly & privately coach/redirect/adjust

Continually adjusting my understanding to better understand students’ POV

Being purposeful about the CoT 8 Cultural Forces

But what would help me be more effective? What could I amplify, modify, & subtract?

Feeling Known, Valued, & Respected by the Teacher

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4S’s Interview

Sparks, Strengths, Struggles, Supports

Daily Dedication

Dedicate the day’s learning to an important person in your life

Feeling Known, Valued, and Respected by Peers

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Peer relationships needed more fostering than their relationship with the teacher. I adjusted the 8 cultural forces (time, modeling, language, environment, interactions, routines, expectations, and opportunities) framing positive peer relationships.

What Makes You Say That? & MicroLab

Thinking Routines

Language, Modeling, & Interactions

Headlines & Give One Get One

Thinking Routines

Environment: The value of relationships & diversity is displayed.

Feeling Known, Valued, and Respected by Peers

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People need a variety of opportunities/modalites to interact and process: written, verbal, independently, in pairs, small groups, casual/authentic conversations, & whole class discussion.

3A’s

Thinking Routine

Individual, small group, large group, verbal, written

Ladder of Feedback

Thinking Routine

Individual, small group, large group, verbal, written

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Feeling Known, Valued, and Respected by Peers

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Being creative with a routine may add joy while supporting growth. I adjusted a favorite old lesson of having students write on their classmates’ backs by modifying it as a moving chalk talk.

Chalk Talk

Thinking Routine

Time & Routine

Modified Chalk Talk

Students wrote what they valued about eachother on their classmates’ backs.

Interaction, Time, & Routine

• Student relationships & interactions were important
• Students needed to feel known, valued, & respected

• Increase opportunities for PEER interactions & relationships
• Foster interactions & relationships with the 8 Culteral Forces in a variety of formats

My Journey: Where am I now?

I used to think

Now I believe

Where am I journeying next?

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Amplify Mindset 4 by modifying student interactions

Thinking more about Mindset 3, changing the role of student & teacher

“Relationships serve to motivate and engage us. They provide a supportive context for taking risks. It helps us to know that someone has our back and is cheering for our success even as they are willing to catch us should we fall.”

— Ron Ritchhart, 2015