Week 4 Responses

INSTRUCTIONS: Respond to the following posts, Ashley and Travis, with insights about their projects, words of encouragement, and suggestions for overcoming obstacles, if necessary. 

· 4.2 Capstone Project Implementation

Ashley

I met with my class this week. I had them complete the post survey and reviewed last week’s material, did a rundown of the main points, and then we discussed more about gratitude, growth mindset, and grit. This time I was much more relaxed. I wasn’t fighting with the Smart Board and the clock and trying to stick to my slides. I was more interactive, asking the kids questions and getting them to talk more. I think people learn less from a lecture style and more from engaging in discussion and reflection.

A highlight was that I asked them to write what their favorite part of the lesson was and what they are interested to learn more about. Most of the students responded they liked learning about more ways to calm down when stressed. They also like learning about the stress response, what happens during anxiety, how important sleep is, positive self-talk, and cultivating a growth mindset. I had them do a gratitude exercise at the end where I had them write down some things they are grateful for and what they like about themselves on cardstock shaped like leaves and apples with the thought that I would make a “positive gratitude tree” and give it to the class. We ran out of time so I haven’t collected the leaves and apples yet to see what they wrote.

I compared the pre and post survey results which showed improvement of knowledge. I asked the student five questions before and after the teaching. The questions had to do with sleep, the stress response, calming methods, the effects of gratitude, growth mindset, and negative self-talk. The results were as follows for correct answers:

   Pre         Post

1)            73%        96% (sleep)

2)            93%        93% (stress)

3)            64%        67% (calming methods)

4)            74%        92% (gratitude)

5)            69%        77% (growth mindset)

                There was improvement but not as much as I would have thought. One thing to consider is that some students were absent on the first day but were present on the second day and some students were present on the first day but absent on the second. I did not control for that. I also worded the questions slightly differently on the post survey and that was a mistake I made in hindsight. The students seemed to be acutely aware of the stress response, with almost everyone getting those answers right both times.  Overall, the feedback was positive and the students seemed excited to learn and discuss their answers and ideas. I’ve had several kids wave at me in the hallways and come up to me and say I was the one teaching them about growth mindset and stress, which I found heartwarming. Part of the district’s initiatives are that students feel like staff members care about them and that there are people they can go to if they need to talk about personal matters or they have emotions that are hard to handle.  

· 4.2 Capstone Project Implementation

Travis

Last weekend, I finished my analysis from my 10-question survey. I mentioned last week that I received 110 responses instead of the 90 I initially anticipated. See the 10 questions below and analysis:

1. How often do you express gratitude to others?

2. Can you describe the situation in which you expressed gratitude verbally?

3. How did the person respond to your expression of gratitude?

4. What were your immediate feelings after expressing gratitude?

5. How did you feel the next day after expressing gratitude?

6. Do you think expressing gratitude has a positive effect on your relationships?

7. Can you provide an example of how expressing gratitude has positively impacted one of your relationships?

8. Please rank the following feelings you experienced after expressing gratitude from most to least intense.

9. What are the main reasons you express gratitude? Select all that apply.

10. Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with expressing gratitude?

For those who are interested in exploring the data further, I have included a link for easy access. I want to share some particularly intriguing findings from the study.  The Power of Expressing Gratitude - Responses | SurveyMonkey   ( after you click on the link, click on the drop-down menu and click page 1 to bring up all of the responses and data)

First, when participants were asked how often they expressed gratitude, an impressive 66% reported that they did so on a daily basis. This is an encouraging statistic, as it suggests that these individuals have discovered the benefits of regular gratitude expression and how it positively influences their overall well-being.

However, I was surprised to learn that only about 48% of those who received expressions of gratitude responded very positively to it, and an additional 38.94% responded positively. The most unexpected finding was that approximately 3% of recipients had a negative reaction to receiving gratitude. On the following day, after someone had expressed gratitude, around 22% of people felt neutral about the experience, while a significant 76% reported feeling positive.

Overall, the data indicates that a majority of individuals experience feelings of happiness and believe that expressing gratitude enhances their well-being and strengthens their relationships. These insights highlight the importance of gratitude in our lives and its potential to foster positive emotional connections.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with my ten volunteers, each of whom had already shared letters of gratitude with someone who had profoundly influenced their lives. During our meeting, it became clear that all the volunteers felt a significant sense of relief after articulating their feelings, and they received heartfelt praise and thanks in return from their recipients.

Interestingly, six out of the ten volunteers discovered that the individuals to whom they read their gratitude letters felt a similar appreciation towards them. These volunteers remarked that they could have easily written letters expressing the same sentiments back to their recipients.

The experience proved to be quite emotional for many; several volunteers became visibly moved while reading their letters, and the recipients often shared in that emotional moment. A number of participants noted that if they had known expressing gratitude in such a heartfelt manner would feel so rewarding, they would have done it much earlier in their lives.

When I inquired about the reasons some had held back from expressing their gratitude sooner, the responses were varied: four cited fear as a barrier, two admitted they had never considered it, one referenced pride, and three others mentioned a struggle with finding the right moment or simply falling into procrastination. Overall, the meeting highlighted the powerful impact of expressing gratitude and the common hurdles people face in doing so.

INSTRUCTIONS: Respond to the following posts, Ashley and Travis, with insights about their projects, words of encouragement, and suggestions for overcoming obstacles, if necessary. 

· 4.2 Capstone Project Implementation

Ashley

I met with my class this week. I had them complete the post survey and reviewed last week’s material, did a rundown of the main points, and then we discussed more about gratitude, growth mindset, and grit. This time I was much more relaxed. I wasn’t fighting with the Smart Board and the clock and trying to stick to my slides. I was more interactive, asking the kids questions and getting them to talk more. I think people learn less from a lecture style and more from engaging in discussion and reflection.

A highlight was that I asked them to write what their favorite part of the lesson was and what they are interested to learn more about. Most of the students responded they liked learning about more ways to calm down when stressed. They also like learning about the stress response, what happens during anxiety, how important sleep is, positive self-talk, and cultivating a growth mindset. I had them do a gratitude exercise at the end where I had them write down some things they are grateful for and what they like about themselves on cardstock shaped like leaves and apples with the thought that I would make a “positive gratitude tree” and give it to the class. We ran out of time so I haven’t collected the leaves and apples yet to see what they wrote.

I compared the pre and post survey results which showed improvement of knowledge. I asked the student five questions before and after the teaching. The questions had to do with sleep, the stress response, calming methods, the effects of gratitude, growth mindset, and negative self-talk. The results were as follows for correct answers:

   Pre         Post

1)            73%        96% (sleep)

2)            93%        93% (stress)

3)            64%        67% (calming methods)

4)            74%        92% (gratitude)

5)            69%        77% (growth mindset)

                There was improvement but not as much as I would have thought. One thing to consider is that some students were absent on the first day but were present on the second day and some students were present on the first day but absent on the second. I did not control for that. I also worded the questions slightly differently on the post survey and that was a mistake I made in hindsight. The students seemed to be acutely aware of the stress response, with almost everyone getting those answers right both times.  Overall, the feedback was positive and the students seemed excited to learn and discuss their answers and ideas. I’ve had several kids wave at me in the hallways and come up to me and say I was the one teaching them about growth mindset and stress, which I found heartwarming. Part of the district’s initiatives are that students feel like staff members care about them and that there are people they can go to if they need to talk about personal matters or they have emotions that are hard to handle.  

· 4.2 Capstone Project Implementation

Travis

Last weekend, I finished my analysis from my 10-question survey. I mentioned last week that I received 110 responses instead of the 90 I initially anticipated. See the 10 questions below and analysis:

1. How often do you express gratitude to others?

2. Can you describe the situation in which you expressed gratitude verbally?

3. How did the person respond to your expression of gratitude?

4. What were your immediate feelings after expressing gratitude?

5. How did you feel the next day after expressing gratitude?

6. Do you think expressing gratitude has a positive effect on your relationships?

7. Can you provide an example of how expressing gratitude has positively impacted one of your relationships?

8. Please rank the following feelings you experienced after expressing gratitude from most to least intense.

9. What are the main reasons you express gratitude? Select all that apply.

10. Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with expressing gratitude?

For those who are interested in exploring the data further, I have included a link for easy access. I want to share some particularly intriguing findings from the study.  The Power of Expressing Gratitude - Responses | SurveyMonkey   ( after you click on the link, click on the drop-down menu and click page 1 to bring up all of the responses and data)

First, when participants were asked how often they expressed gratitude, an impressive 66% reported that they did so on a daily basis. This is an encouraging statistic, as it suggests that these individuals have discovered the benefits of regular gratitude expression and how it positively influences their overall well-being.

However, I was surprised to learn that only about 48% of those who received expressions of gratitude responded very positively to it, and an additional 38.94% responded positively. The most unexpected finding was that approximately 3% of recipients had a negative reaction to receiving gratitude. On the following day, after someone had expressed gratitude, around 22% of people felt neutral about the experience, while a significant 76% reported feeling positive.

Overall, the data indicates that a majority of individuals experience feelings of happiness and believe that expressing gratitude enhances their well-being and strengthens their relationships. These insights highlight the importance of gratitude in our lives and its potential to foster positive emotional connections.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with my ten volunteers, each of whom had already shared letters of gratitude with someone who had profoundly influenced their lives. During our meeting, it became clear that all the volunteers felt a significant sense of relief after articulating their feelings, and they received heartfelt praise and thanks in return from their recipients.

Interestingly, six out of the ten volunteers discovered that the individuals to whom they read their gratitude letters felt a similar appreciation towards them. These volunteers remarked that they could have easily written letters expressing the same sentiments back to their recipients.

The experience proved to be quite emotional for many; several volunteers became visibly moved while reading their letters, and the recipients often shared in that emotional moment. A number of participants noted that if they had known expressing gratitude in such a heartfelt manner would feel so rewarding, they would have done it much earlier in their lives.

When I inquired about the reasons some had held back from expressing their gratitude sooner, the responses were varied: four cited fear as a barrier, two admitted they had never considered it, one referenced pride, and three others mentioned a struggle with finding the right moment or simply falling into procrastination. Overall, the meeting highlighted the powerful impact of expressing gratitude and the common hurdles people face in doing so.