Celebrate Progress as Excellence: Encouraging Growth Mindsets & Inclusion
Celebrating success is an essential element of every classroom. It is the driver behind student motivation, self-esteem, and creating a positive classroom culture.
– Alison Smith
INTRO
This classroom/school activity was inspired by the former principal of Martin Luther King, Jr. Junior High School, Angela Stevens-Stevenson, in a Crowdsource Webinar on November 17, 2022.
Angela spoke to the power and importance of celebrating progress and not just waiting for students to achieve traditional levels of success like the honor roll. With a little ingenuity, these individual classroom activities can be enjoyed by larger groups with larger audiences (such as grade level, or even the whole school, families, and community). School leaders: #8 includes you.
OBJECTIVES
- Review the celebration activities and choose 1-2 that you want to incorporate into your classroom in the next week
- Plan the celebration activity(ies) with intent – what/who are you celebrating and why?
9 CELEBRATION ACTIVITY IDEAS
See the Teach Starter Blog source provided for complete details, tips, examples, and considerations (for inclusion and diversity) of each activity.
1. Celebrate With a Class High-Five
A quick way to encourage class morale and to raise the profile of even the quietest member of your class is to encourage class high-fives to celebrate student success — or class elbow bumps, air high fives, etc. in these times of social distancing.
2. Call Home
It makes parents feel proud. But most importantly, it makes students feel proud of themselves and of each other.
3. Celebration Tunnels
Is there anything more uplifting than running through a human tunnel? Celebration tunnels have to be my all-time favorite way to celebrate student success — no teaching resources required. (Video example included in the original blog source.)
4. Celebrate Life Skills
Watching out for ways to ensure you celebrate all kinds of success is an important part of building a positive classroom culture. One perfect place to celebrate student success that’s not about the letter or number at the top of the paper is in the areas of personal and social capability.
5. Send Postcards and Letters Home
Why is receiving a postcard or letter in the mail so magical? Letter writing takes time, shows a deep level of care, and makes the receiver feel valued. The extra effort of writing a letter goes a long way in making your students feel special, appreciated, and proud of themselves. Letters are timeless treasures that make memories.
6. Buddy Awards
Students tend to look up to their buddies and see them as role models. So, it makes perfect sense to ask buddies to help celebrate student success by presenting student awards.
7. Celebration Envelopes
Celebration Envelopes are a great way to recognize student success and to develop peer relationships. This fun activity is particularly suitable for the upper elementary grades and encourages students to think about the strengths of others.
8. Plan a Principal Class Visit
There is huge power in asking your school principal to visit your classroom to celebrate student success. Book in some time in their schedule and ask your school principal to drop by.
9. Set up a Student Success Wow Wall
A great way to celebrate student success is to create a “Wow Work” wall where students can proudly put their work on display. What’s more, you can encourage classroom visitors to check it out!
TIPS
- While these are mostly brief activities, be prepared to provide enough time for them. Rushing these activities diminishes their importance and students will feel like they’re not really significant – which, of course, defeats the purpose.
- Feel free to put your spin on these activities. They should be and feel personal.
- Think big! With a little ingenuity, these individual classroom activities can be enjoyed by larger groups with larger audiences (such as grade level, or even the whole school, families, and community).
- Little Things, such as the above activity, are smaller efforts you can do tomorrow, or within the next week.
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