March 31, 2015 - Florida Department of Education

Just For Teachers ∙ Updates
Mindsets Around
the State
March 31, 2015
Recently, I have had the opportunity to participate in phone conversations with many of the 2015
district Teachers of the Year. The conversations have been a great way for me to learn how growth
mindset has made its way into our schools and our classrooms. While there are amazing things going on
in each district, I wanted to share some of the growth mindset focused ventures that may spark an idea
for each of you.
One of the first conversations we had was with Volusia County District Teacher of the Year, Grace
Kellermeier. She shared that her school has been practicing a growth mindset similar to the Power of
Yet. They are practicing mastery learning with a retake policy that allows students to come to school
and receive additional assistance on tests and then retest.
Celena Crews, Columbia County Teacher of the Year, recognized the growth mindset evident within
teachers in her district. Teachers who are not daily STEM teachers are displaying a growth mindset as
they venture out of their comfort zone to learn and tackle something new by participating in a STEM PLC
for three days over the summer. The focus of the group is to improve collaboration between
elementary, middle, and high school teachers to create a collection of standards-based STEM curriculum
to bring back to the classroom.
Something that seems so small but is so powerful, such as adopting growth mindset language, is how
Indian River’s Teacher of the Year, Lyndsey Matheny’s school is practicing a growth mindset. With the
strong support of district leaders on growth mindset, the language there is shifting to reflect a focus on
learning gains instead of final scores. The students in this district are truly experiencing the power of
“yet.”
In Martin County, Patty Morris is turning summer vacation into a “Summer of Mindsets.” Utilizing
Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, she is creating a summer program for students to learn
how to practice a growth mindset and start the 2015 – 16 school year off with a positive attitude.
In addition to the phone conversations, I received an email from Florida Virtual School’s Teacher of the
Year, Elise Harris, with a resource that colleagues at her school created to help students understand Grit,
something displayed in all of our students who chose a growth mindset. View the video here.
It’s very exciting to learn of the ways growth mindset is making its way into our daily routine. Please be
sure visit our Growth Mindset webpage for more tools and resources to include in your schools and
classrooms!
Best Regards,
Melanie Weitz
Teacher Liaison
[email protected]
@MelanieWeitzFL
Classroom Connections
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
At the Department of Education, we are observing Child Abuse
Prevention Month by planting a Pinwheel Garden outside of our
building Monday, April 6. Pinwheels are a national symbol of hope and
promise of a happy childhood. Our Pinwheel Garden will serve as
reminder to all DOE employees, our visitors and everyone who passes
our building that child abuse and neglect is preventable and we can
each play a role. To help your students get involved, try planting a pinwheel garden on your school
campus with blue and silver pinwheels.
Friday, April 10th is Wear Blue Day. Wear Blue Day is an easy way for people everywhere to
participate in raising awareness and promoting investments in effective child abuse programs.
Resources for Civics Standards
Similar to the elementary math videos, the civics videos in the “We Can Do This, Florida!” series
feature one teacher, classroom and current standard. These videos provide a realistic look at how
students and teachers are interacting with our state’s civics standards. View video gallery.
Hot Topics in Tallahassee
Santa Fe College Named Nation’s Top College
Santa Fe College has earned one of the nation’s top accomplishments for achievement among
higher education institutions, winning the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence over
national contenders. Read more.
External Opportunities
High School Teacher Externship Opportunity
The Florida Energy Workforce Consortium (FEWC) is offering two high school CTE and/or STEM
teachers an externship opportunity during the 2015 summer break. The purpose of this externship
is to connect teachers with the workplace to give them an opportunity to learn through direct
experience about industry trends, organizational needs, employee skill requirements and
opportunities in the electric utility industry. The deadline to apply is April 17th. Visit the FEWC
website for more information and to apply.
Disney Youth Education Programs
Taking place right in the Walt Disney World Theme Parks, are
more than 20 standards-based, hands-on learning experiences.
There is something for everyone regardless of grade level!
Students can travel back in time “Discovering the American
Spirit” at Magic Kingdom® Park or they can receive an
“Introduction to Global Citizenship” at Epcot®. Whether you
are looking to supplement curriculum on the “Principles of
Animal Behavior” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Park or help
your students explore the art of animation at Disney’s
Hollywood Studios®, Disney learning adventures are a great
extension of the classroom or as an end of year field trip. Visit
www.DisneyYouth.com or call 877-WD-YOUTH to learn more!.