When
I first learned that we were going to write blogs for "EDUC 4P17 -Integrating
Curriculum and Assessment" I was very overwhelmed. Being an individual who is
not very tech-savvy I didn’t know if I would be able to meet this challenge. However
this is my third blog and I feel a lot better about writing blogs and have
overcome this feeling of doubt. For my final blog I decided to celebrate this
journey and write about a growth mindset because this course has made me
rethink how I learn and how I approach challenges. A person with a growth
mindset adapts the approach that their abilities can improve with effort
(Drake, Red, & Kolohon, 2014). On the other hand, a fixed mindset refers to
a mindset where students feel that their accomplishments are from innate
abilities that are genetic and cannot change (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon,
2014). This course has been very beneficial to me and it has served to
encourage me to adapt strategies of a growth mindset as a student and one day as
a teacher.
 |
| Image retrieved from http://www.coetail.com/wayfaringpath/2014/12/02/growth-vs-fixed-mindset-for-elementary-students/ |
In
investigating this topic further I found that adults can influence the type of
mindset children adopt (Aditomo, 2015). It is important as teachers that we are
careful in our interactions with our students so that we do not promote a fixed
mindset. Aditomo (2015) suggests that it is important adults do not attribute
success to a child’s intelligence. Instead the emphasis should be put on the
amount of effort a child exhibited. This is because intelligence can be seen as
a fixed variable, yet a student can control how much effort they put foreword. Therefore
as a teacher I will like to celebrate students’ effort toward accomplishments, not
intelligence in order to promote a growth mindset.
 |
| Image retrieved from: https://goo.gl/10nHZG |
Another
way I wish to promote a growth mindset is to help my students to realize that
they can overcome challenges. I foundA video regarding a growth mindset that features students and teachers from Vale of Leven Academy
in Scotland (Winning
Scotland Foundation, 2015). One teacher shared that she promotes a
growth mindset by discussing personal examples. She tells the students personal
stories about how she overcame a challenge and asks them to do the same. She
wants students to think about something they are good at now that they
struggled with in the past. This positive outlook will teach
students they too can overcome challenges. We need to find ways to teach our students that they are
capable of more than they think. Check out the video below for some
inspiration!
Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hGhYSNLlY8
Another way to foster a growth
mindset is to change the way we assess our students. A blog by
Katie Finley (2014) outlines some specific strategies for promoting a growth
mindset through celebrating the learning process, not a final grade. Jeff waller's blog (2015) emphasizes that growth mindset involves celebrating
mistakes. To promote these ideas in my classroom I would like to use assessment for learning. Assessment for learning can be described as assessment
that occurs throughout a term with descriptive feedback (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon,
2014). Assessment for learning over time facilitates a growth perspective because
it allows students to learn what areas they need to improve and encourages them
to strive to continually to grow throughout a unit. Assessing students only at
the end of unit does not allow students time to improve, it does not allow room
for growth. Assessment for learning gives students the tools needed to strive
for higher learning goals.
 |
| Image retrieved from: http://thiscrazylifeofmine.com/category/choices/ |
Masters
(2014) also suggests that to facilitate a growth perspective students need to
be assessed based on standards that suit each individual student, not grade
standards. Being marked to grade standards can be debilitating for some
students and individualized assessment can help students who are behind.
Students enter each school year at different academic levels and what may be a
substantial growth for some may have been simple for others. Academic
assessments should celebrate growth, not intelligence or one standard goal.
Throughout
EDUC 4P17 I have learned to appreciate the process of learning and not to focus
on a final grade. I have learned to celebrate mistakes as opportunities to
learn from. Albert Einstein said that, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s
because I stay with problems longer.” I hope to carry this lesson with me and
foster a growth perspective in my classroom so that my students will exhibit a
growth mindset throughout their life and always believe in themselves.
References
Aditomo, A.
(2015). Students’ response to academic setback: “Growth mindset” as a buffer
against demotivation. International
Journal of Educational Psychology, (4)2, 198–222.
Drake, S.M., Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
K. Finley (2014, Oct 24). 4 ways to encourage a growth mindset in the classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-10-24-4-ways-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-the-classroom
Masters, G. N. (2014). Towards a growth mindset in assessment. Practically
Primary, 14(2), 4–8.
J. Waller
(2015, April 3) 6 strategies for teaching the growth mindset.
Retrieved from http://7mindsets.com/growth-mindset/
Video:
Winning Scotland
Foundation (Producer), (2015, Mar 24). How has growth mindset been used in the
classroom? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hGhYSNLlY8
Images:
What Kind of
Mindset do you have? (Photo) (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.coetail.com/wayfaringpath/2014/12/02/growth-vs-fixed-mindset-for-elementary-students/
Mistakes are
proof hat you are trying. (Photo) (n.d.) Retrieved from http://thiscrazylifeofmine.com/category/choices/
Quotation about how 'smart' and 'dumb'
are irrelevant to success (Photo) (n.d.) Retrived from https://goo.gl/10nHZG
