Talking Points:
Throughout this reading, one point that stood out to me was the importance of modeling an asset-based approach not just for students, but for staff as well. "Asset focused expectations must be modeled with faculty and staff by identifying their assets to determine how they can contribute to the school and community" (p. 24). For the asset model to be incorporated into schools effectively, faculty must be encouraged to foster students' assets. But is this something that can realistically be done? Districts everywhere tend to focus on where students are not succeeding. Think about standardized test scores — specifically math RICAS data. In my own district, scores are broken down by standard, and feedback is centered on where students are the least successful. We spend so much time focusing on "at-risk" skills rather than the skills students excel at. While I appreciate the idea of the asset model in classrooms, I wonder how realistic it is to implement at the district level.
Finally, the reading’s note that students lose the most assets during the middle grades really resonated with me. "It is during the middle grades that students either launch toward achievement and attainment, or slide off track" (p. 25). As a middle school educator, I play a role in which path students take, even when I don't fully realize it. This is a reminder to be more intentional about asset modeling in my own classroom: highlighting student strengths, holding students to high expectations, and making sure that my students leave with more assets than they came in with, not fewer.
Argument Statement: Renkly and Bertolini argue that schools must focus on identifying and building up students' assets to support positive development.
Connections: Reading about the asset model immediately brought to mind the concept of the growth mindset. Mindsets are beliefs about intelligence and ability. A growth mindset holds that ability can improve with effort, while a fixed mindset sees it as stable and unchangeable. In my educational psychology graduate coursework,
growth mindset comes up often, and this passage from the reading felt like a direct reflection of it: "having high expectations for your students, convincing them that these expectations are attainable, helping them remove their fear of failure by encouraging them to fail forward, setting small and attainable goals, and celebrating successes" (p. 26). That is a growth mindset. If you haven't come across the concept before, click growth mindset and take a look at the image to the left. A growth mindset boosts motivation and achievement by orienting students toward learning and improvement. Children with a growth mindset see effort as a path forward, while those with a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges out of fear of judgment. The asset model and growth mindset clearly go hand in hand, which makes me curious, did the authors of this reading have a growth mindset in mind, or is it simply a gap in their framework? Or maybe I was overthinking it, I'm still curious about the whole idea!
Giana, your post made me pause, especially when you questioned whether an asset based approach is actually realistic at the district level. That felt like such an honest tension. It is easy to agree with the idea in theory, but when so much of our professional conversations revolve around test data and deficits, it can feel almost countercultural to focus on strengths.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts about CICO were really interesting to me. I had not thought about how a structure designed to redirect behavior could be reframed to spotlight strengths instead. You are right, the framework is already in place. The adult connection is already there. Shifting the focus from “what did you do wrong” to “what did you do well” could subtly reshape how students see themselves over time. That feels powerful, especially in middle school when identity is still forming.
The quote about students either launching forward or sliding off track during the middle grades really carries weight. Middle school is such a pivotal stage. Students are figuring out who they are academically and socially. Your recognition that you play a role in which direction they move shows a lot of awareness. That kind of intentionality matters.
I also liked your connection to growth mindset. The language about high expectations, failing forward, and celebrating small wins does sound very aligned. Whether the authors intentionally grounded their framework in growth mindset theory or not, the overlap makes sense. Both approaches push against labeling students by limitations and instead emphasize potential and development.
What I appreciate most about your reflection is that it is not just agreeing with the reading. You are interrogating it. You are asking whether it is practical, whether it fits within district structures, and how it intersects with theories you already know. That curiosity keeps the conversation alive rather than closing it.
Hi Giana, I could really connect with your post this week through the lens of middle school. As a middle school teacher myself, I sympathized with your comment about being intentional about students assets. Like you had quoted from the reading, the middle grades are where students tend to lose many of their assets. Like yourself I feel compelled to end that cycle and instead foster the students assets.
ReplyDeleteMy school does a similar practice with the check-in and check-out procedure. Many of the students we send to this program are students who constantly forget homework, lose papers, need procedural cards and the list goes on. All of these ideas are centered around deficits. I wonder if integrating some assets would be beneficial as well. My question becomes, how do we still help those students to remember their homework? How do we help them stay organized? Do we still identify the deficit but supplement it with an asset the would serve as something helpful? This would be a great conversation for both of us to have with the members of our schools who run CICO.
I am fascinated by how you could reframe the CICO program around assets by using the structure that is already there. This could be a great Teach Out Project -- a proposal to do just that!
ReplyDeleteI like your connection to growth mindset. The idea of helping students “fail forward” really fits with focusing on strengths instead of labeling them. I also agree that fear of judgment affects behavior a lot. When students feel capable, they’re probably more willing to try instead of shutting down. It seems like the asset model helps motivation too, not just behavior.
ReplyDeleteHi Giana! I really liked how you connected this week's reading with your current position. The Check In Check Out program is very interesting. I think as you said it could definitely be shifted in a more positive light to focus on their strengths. I also enjoyed when you talked about the growth mindset and so teachers preach this to their students but we can be doing more.
ReplyDeleteHi Gianna, your section on how RICAS is the epitome of deficit-focused feedback really resonated with me, as did the focus on middle school years. I also really appreciated reading about your CICO process. In my district, CICO is done without that mentor figure, which I think really diminishes its efficacy for students.
ReplyDeleteHi Giana! I believe that even for students with strong foundations, the transition from a more protective environment to middle school can still be so challenging. When my daughter entered 6th grade, she was placed on a team with no one from her friend group, not even children from our extended circle of 10 families! It was difficult watching her struggle to form new connections with kids who were raised with similar values. Thankfully, she shares alot with me so I was able to support her in making good choices. It took time, but midway through seventh grade, she finally developed meaningful friendships with peers who are positive influences in her life. Fortunately, her academic performance remained strong throughout and she continued to excel in her studies She is moving on to high school this year, and while I have some concerns, I am optimistic for smooth transition. I think it's difficult for teachers as well. Many strive to make a positive impact by building on students' assets. Some are overwhelmed and unable to be the best they can be in their roles. Others are simply tired and biding their time until retirement - just as it was years ago when I was in school and truthfully, no different than in other professions. Unfortunately, this perpetuates a negative asset model and significantly impacts students and their sucess.
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