The Friyay Mindset - Issue #6

February 12, 2021

Happy Half Term! Never in the history of the profession has a short break been so needed and deserved. We hope you get a chance to put your feet up. If you're anything like us, just a chance to get away from screens for a few days will be a tonic.

Anyway - with all the uncertainty around exams this year, it’s understandable that some students might be losing their focus on how to prepare for the end of year assessments. For the last few weeks we’ve been sharing some descriptors you can use in a departmental setting....or indeed to reflect on your own classroom practice. The idea of these is that you might be able to use them as a starting point for auditing where a team or department might be up to with regards to supporting vision, effort, systems and so on. This week is the last one - it's the turn of attitude.

Here's something to try...

Where are you up to with supporting attitude?

Departments who develop students’ awareness of the psychological component of study might be doing some of the following activities:

· Acknowledging the difficulty study can bring. “It’s entirely normal to feel down at this time of year. It’s part of the journey. Everyone in the year above you felt the same – but you’ll get through it like they did.”

· Modelling optimism, gratitude, reminding students of progress. Reconnecting them with success by checking back. “Let’s remind ourselves of three things we’ve achieved this week/fortnight.” “A month ago you couldn’t get your head around this. Look at you now!”

· Understanding and acknowledging how hard it is to get negative feedback. “The grade describes the work, not you. Everyone in this room has three targets to improve their work. Take a moment to re-read the work you submitted, then have a look at the three targets.”

· Mistakes are information. “Mistakes are entirely normal at this stage. Let’s see what kind of mistakes we’re making as a class. Then let’s use them to adjust our approach.”

· Emphasising the college network, the importance of help. “We could get this work done more quickly if we called in some favours. Who could help you out this week?”

· Sharing vulnerability. “I had a tough time when I was first learning this. I couldn’t understand why <……> until one day I finally got it. Here’s how I figured it out.”

· Encourage/model problem-solving. “Let’s describe exactly what’s happening and why. Then we’ll use the ‘observe-decide-act’ strategy to figure out what our next steps are.”

· Keeping up a class awareness of the psychological component of study; that emotional turmoil is normal when faced with challenging work.

Possible attitude coaching questions: When something goes wrong what do you do? List three things that are in the process of ‘going wrong’ at the moment. Describe a crisis you’re currently ignoring, and hoping will go away. What’s the biggest mistake you have made so far? What have you learnt/how did you deal with it? Tell me about a time you had to start something again from scratch. How did you feel? ...and once it was done? What have you done since September that you are proud of?

Here's something we've been reading...

Cal Newport is probably best known for Deep Work - which is a great read that we might cover in future weeks - but we've just dashed through How to Win at College, one of his early efforts. Excuse its title; Newport's US publishers like a bit of bombastic hyperbole. It's a slim volume of 75 tips for students beginning undergraduate study in America. What impressed us was the range and variety of the advice on offer; on the one hand are study tips that could be easily shared with students, but the other advice, around getting involved, creating your own luck, being proactive, developing positive relationships, has been just the kind of thing we've become more interested in recently. Perhaps you've seen this reflected in the TCAs (see below).

Buy How to Win at College: Simple Rules for Success from Star Students by Newport, Cal (ISBN: 9780767917872) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

Here’s our latest offer…

We’ve just wrapped-up Think, Choose, Act series on Twitter. In case you've missed this, or are a new subscriber (hello!) for each of the last twenty school days we've put out a free thirty-minute activity for GCSE and A level students. Search #thinkchooseact to find them. (We’ve put them out as downloadable links in both English and Welsh.) The series is designed to strengthen students' vision, purpose and motivation. We don't expect every single one to hit the mark, but if two or three have made a small difference, that's great.

Constructive feedback would be super-helpful so if there’s anything you've discovered using the TCAs, feel free to let us know!

One final thing: our training slots are now full until after Easter, but if there's anything we can help out with in the summer term - staff training, student or parent sessions - just get in touch.

Have a great half term,

Steve & Martin