Mindset Matters: The impact of an Asset Based Mindset

“In order to effectively educate EL’s, it is important to first recognize the funds of knowledge and skills that they already have.” This quote from “Unlocking English Learners Potential” by Diane Staehr Fenner and Sydney Snyder is one that I have committed to memory as an educator and advocate for multilingual learners. Students enter our school building and classroom with background knowledge and life experiences that can and should be accessed and utilized to build the classroom community and enhance instruction. Multilingual learners in particular arrive with rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds that can serve as bridges to acquiring English through content. While they may not have grade level mastery of the English language yet the funds of knowledge MLs already have are valuable and can be leveraged in instruction to help them gain both the content knowledge and the English language.

In order for these assets to be leveraged it all begins with our mindset as educators. We have to fundamentally believe that we can learn as much (if not more) from our students as they can learn from us. Students will rise to the expectations we hold. According to John Hattie, teacher estimates of student achievement have a considerable potential to accelerate student achievement with an effect size of 1.29! In Hattie’s own words. “Teacher estimates of achievement is the teacher’s belief about the level a student is able to achieve based on past experiences.” Mindset. What do we believe about the levels our students can achieve? What are these beliefs based on? They should be based on data we gather in real time as we observe, question and engage our learners. As we analyze student work, responses and performance on assessments we are gathering data to inform our beliefs. However, far too often if we are not careful these beliefs can be based on the perspective of last year’s teacher or the fact that the student is not proficient in English...yet.

What could this look like?

Honor and view students' home languages and cultures as a strength! Being bilingual and biliterate is a marketable asset in a global society.

Take time to learn the unique strengths they have that may be rooted in their culture. Ask questions to learn our students have so much to teach us!

Show interest in learning words from their home language such as hello and thank you.

Praise and acknowledge student’s strength publicly and privately be specific! (Read More Here)

Note character strengths such as resilience, humility and compassion. (Read more Here)