Growth Strategies Study Skills Course
The Growth Strategies Study Skills course provides 4th and 5th graders with foundational strategies to become active, engaged learners and adopt new approaches to plan, manage, and complete their work.
Core to success in any grade is the understanding that
“SMART” IS A JOURNEY.
The ability to take risks, make mistakes and push through obstacles is critical for young students as they are consistently introduced to material they do not know “yet”.
This “don’t know” → “know” cycle requires students to learn strategies to work through the “don’t know” phase versus just giving up with an “I can’t do this” mantra.
Why Teach a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is a belief that we can get smarter through hard work and practice. Having a growth mindset means understanding that intelligence can be developed vs. the belief that it is fixed (either I’m good at math or not). What this means is that struggling with something difficult doesn’t mean you’re not smart; instead it’s a chance to grow your intelligence by using the right strategies. Growth mindset is all about trying hard, getting the help you need, and utilizing different approaches to work through a problem when it’s getting you down.
Fixed Mindset
“The door is either open or closed.”
- “I’m no good at math (science, art, music).”
- “My talent is fixed.”
- “Effort is for those that don’t have ability.”
- “I’m smart if I finish quickly, easily, and/or make no mistakes.”
- “I didn’t get it — I’m moving on or giving up.”
Growth Mindset
“There’s a way to open the door.”
- “Thinking skills can be developed.”
- “Brains and talent are just the starting point.”
- “Success comes from effort.”
- “I’m smart when I try hard, do something I couldn’t before, confront a challenge.”
- “I don’t get it — can you tell me again?”
WHAT WILL STUDENTS GAIN FROM THE COURSE?
The course is broken down in to five (5) Modules:
(See the course in action!)
- Day 1: Introduction to Growth Mindset
- Day 2: Organization and Healthy Homework Habits
- Day 3: The Homework Plan
- Day 4: Strategies for Independent Learning
- Day 5: Learning from Mistakes
Day 1 Highlights:
Day 1 Highlights: Begin to understand and develop a growth mindset. Evaluate your own mindset, develop strategies to change your mindset, and learn to be comfortable in the “learning zone.” With the the help of parents, identify current academic strengths and needs.
(Parents are invited to join their students for the entire 2-hour session on Day 1)
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Parents are an influential part of 4th and 5th grade learning. As such, we want to share how to best support your students in their journey to develop a growth mindset and improved study strategies. We ask parents to select course dates when they are able to participate for the full 2 hours of Day 1 (Introduction to Growth Mindset), as well as for the last hour of Day 5 (Learning from Mistakes).
Pricing:
$650 for the 5-session course (10 hours total)
All graduates of the 4th-5th grade course will receive a 15% discount on any future study skills or writing course.
Class size & schedule:
Please see the current course schedule below. The course is limited to 6 students.