The author of “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain” explains how her personal experiences led her to investigate what children need to have an academic mindset. Dr. Hammond also explains how “grit” and “pep talks” aren’t the solution when early learners struggle during The Learning Pit. Check out a copy of Zaretta Hammond’s book in our online catalog:https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=zaretta+hammond&searchType=author

It can be hard for students at this level to conceive of appropriate ways to show their learning, and we have standards that help us as teachers decide what the product or project will be, but having them cocreate learning targets helps them think about the thinking they will need to do to reach the end goal and gives them ownership of that.