Growth Mindset
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Where I am Now
Where I am Now
As I continue toward my achievement to be a master’s educated facilitator of learning, it is important that I consider fostering and emphasizing the growth mindset in my learning environment. From the beginning of the program, the growth mindset has been a pillar for every obstacle that I have been willing to overcome. Although it has changed and expanded, my growth mindset continues to ground me and lead me to my personal life’s journey.
As an educator, I believe that a student expectation is unfair if it is not modeled for the learner. As I have taken time to reflect on my journey so far, I recollect having emotions of overwhelm and difficulty that, surely, some of my students must have felt in my class. Despite my feelings, I understood the importance of effort and how significant it is in my development. My students, however, may not have this understanding or foresight.
How do I Encourage the Growth Mindset?
How do I Encourage the Growth Mindset?
It is paramount that I model this mindset to my students when things get tough. Learning is challenging, but it can also yield triumphant victories. Peer collaboration, reflection, and helpful feedback support growth, but we have to learn how to use it toward improvement.
As I continue to the classroom setting again this fall, I will focus on demonstrating and explaining the four steps that Dr. Carol Dweck shares in order to transform our thinking from that of a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Obstacles and setbacks will absolutely occur in our lives, however, the growth mindset will help comprehend that occurrences do not limit potential.
I feel that in my classroom, judgement is unacceptable. Using it against yourself and others stifles mindsets and prevents us from the freedoms of personalizing our paths. More importantly, it hinders the view of ourselves that allows us to look beyond the right now. Because the power of “yet” is so important to our advancement, we should not let comparisons, fears or other fixed mindset thoughts narrow our focus or efforts towards progress.
Which leads me to grades. The rating scale of learning. It is so ingrained that in order to show success, we must gain the scores that show it. However, scores do not reflect self worth. It is not always an accurate depiction of hard work. The ability to get a high score is not related to the potential and success of your future (Duckworth, 2013). Nor should it be. Our most valuable asset in life is time. We should be willing to grace ourselves by spending our time excelling and growing to become smarter, better and more improved than we were before. Our goal-based, time-enduring hard work, or grit, is a marathon. We must train our thinking, nourish our minds and find the correct route that will lead us to our ultimate success. Capturing a temporary moment of knowledge is a judgement and it is not the final say of one’s growth. Time continues and “yet” will continue to be your future. Using yet is another focus in my classroom that will help enhance the potential of my students.
My innovation plan, “Redefining Rigor” is based on changing the mindset of learning and success using ePortfolios. Along with this plan, my learning environment will be a place of encouragement, reflection and acceptable challenge to push each student to be their best. Mandatory assessments are just that, a requirement. But it will not define the individual genius every student possesses. “Best” is not standardized or linear. It is varied and personal. I will make sure to continue morning meetings, and invest in personal relationships to promote transparency and honest effort to grow every learner. Lastly, I hope that my stories of ongoing growth and challenge during my journey will motivate them to grow themselves no matter which route they choose to follow. I must encourage each student to be himself, relinquishing the judgement they may have of themselves or others, and being free to be learners of their own journeys.
Image from: "Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset" by John Spencer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1CHPnZfFmU)
Resources
TED. (2013, May). Grit: the power of passion and perseverance [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8&feature=youtu.be
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Khoddam, Rubin. (2015, May 6). Why Judging Others Is Bad for You: Judging others can easily slide into just another judgment about yourself. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-addiction-connection/201505/why-judging-others-is-bad- you.
Ruiz, M. (1997). The four agreements: a practical guide to personal freedom. San Rafael, Calif.: Amber-Allen Pub..
Spencer, John. (2017). Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1CHPnZfFmU
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