Critical Thinking and Study Skills Blended Blueprint

Critical Thinking and Study Skills Blended Blueprint
Dear Instructor,
Thank you for teaching Critical Thinking and Study Skills! This document is meant to provide
supplemental materials for blended or hybrid classrooms.
For each lesson, you will find:
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Background Information
Recommended Resources
Lesson Activities
Lesson Extensions
Take the resources provided in this guide and implement Critical Thinking and Study Skills in
the way that works best for you and your students.
Thank you,
The Mawi Learning Team
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Module One:
Success Mindsets
Lesson 1: Hit Your Turbo Button
Lesson 2: Grow Your Brain
Lesson 3: Set Your Goals
Lesson 4: Guard Your Resources
Lesson 5: Get Unstuck
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Lesson 1.1 Hit Your Turbo Button
Lesson Outline
Understandings
Turbo is anytime you take action to help yourself or others
Essential Questions
What is a Turbo Mindset?
Objectives
Student will be able to
● Identify the Turbo Button
● Identify signs of a Turbo Mindset
Background
Information
The Turbo Button is the first in a series of metaphors that
translate key noncognitive skills into actions that students can
integrate into their everyday lives. The Turbo Button represents
the concept of Locus of Control: the perception that a person has
about the events affecting them. A person may believe that they
have internal control over what happens to them, they may
believe that other people control what happens to them or they
may believe that they have no control over what happens to them
and that control is held by vague external forces.
According to research by Dr. Camille Farrington at the University
of Chicago, a student’s sense of agency (the belief that they have
internal control over their lives) is a necessary belief for
academic success and one that can be taught. The Turbo Button
represents the agency that anyone has to take action to improve
his/her own life or the life of others. Just as in a video game,
where a Turbo Button gives extra power; students who “Hit Their
Turbo Button” wield new agency to affect change in their own
lives.
Teaching Tips
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Recommended
Resources
Allow students to share stress stories in a safe discussion
that does not include advice or criticism.
Place Turbo Button in a highly visible spot in your
classroom. (Poster available through Mawi Learning)
Resources for developing a blended classroom:
http://betterlesson.com/blended
How Non-Cognitive Skills Drive Student Achievement: The
Research Behind the Leadership Skills Development Course
Educational Research Institute of America
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Lesson Activity:
Pre Lesson Free Write
Have students journal about some of the things worrying them in
their life right now. Prompts may include:
How is it going in your classes right now? How about at home?
What about in your after-school activities?
Free write about anything that is on your mind right now.
Lesson Activity:
Class Discussion
In his first video, Mawi says, “Any student, of any background, can
be successful.”
Have students share some of their reflections with the class.
Do you think this is true? Why or why not? What are some of the
things that can prevent students from becoming successful?
Lesson Activity:
Role Model
On page 5 of the online course, students read about the Victim
Mindset versus the Turbo Mindset. Share an experience with your
students about a time when you found yourself using a Victim
Mindset. What were you struggling with?
Lesson Activity:
Think-Pair-Share
On page 6 of the online course, students read a story about a
student named Shayla who had a problem when her Mom would
not let her join the swim team.
Think about a time when you had a problem. Did you take action
to solve that problem? Why or why not? Did it work?
OR
Pick one problem you journaled about. What action are you
considering to try and solve it?
Share your story with a partner. Did your stories have any
similarities?
Assignment/Homework
For this assignment, answer this question in three to five complete
sentences:
What was one part of Mawi’s story that stood out to you from his
videos? Why did it stand out?
Homework Follow-Up
Have students share in pairs or as a group what moments stood
out to them and why. Observe what patterns emerge for your
class.
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1.1 Lesson Extensions
Ready to Read
Mawi’s autobiography Of Beetles and Angels is available in hard
copy or as an audio book. This true account of his journey from a
refugee camp to Harvard is recommended reading in many
districts across the United States. The book is most often
assigned to readers grades 5-9.
This course will require students to do a lot of self-reflection. Of
Beetles and Angels is a great resource to pair with reflection
exercises or a longer project on biographies or self-histories.
Real World Connections
Watch and discuss this story about a young man in Africa who hit
his Turbo Button and built his family a windmill despite having to
drop out of school (6 min):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arD374MFk4w#t=348
Visual Storytelling
On page 3 of the online course, students can see the illustrations
used throughout the course. The protagonist begins discouraged,
finds her Turbo Button, then takes action to reach her goals.
Have students draft a self-portrait of themselves as a comic book
hero/heroine with a Turbo Button over their heart. Save these
drawings so that students can use them to create a visual story
for themselves throughout the course.
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