Ahhhh the growth mindset. It seems like this has been something that's been drilled into our brains since we walked through the doors to teachers college exactly one year ago. That being said, I get it. It's SO important for what we're doing.
However, teaching is a challenge that I have happily decided to accept. Through this challenge though, there are a couple of different strategies that will help me. It's not necessarily about teaching each child something completely different, but providing them with the tools to be independently and collaboratively successful, no matter what challenge is thrown their way. And that's where our little friend, "growth mindset" comes in.
 |
| BigChange. (November 27, 2015). Growth Mindset [Online image]. Retrieved from http://big-change.org/growth-mindset/ |
Failure is okay. Change is okay. Challenge is okay. Yes, these things are going to be difficult, but it's how we face adversity that makes us learners. Challenges for one student aren't always a challenge for another. For example, some students in your math class might be working below grade level, some might be working at grade level, and some might be working above grade level. Challenges for these students all look completely different! Having this growth mindset among our students will let them know that no matter what gets thrown at us, we will always be able to figure something out. Teaching our students this is WAY more important than any specific part of a subject. Giving kids the ability to learn with a growth mindset doesn't just stop in the classroom. It follows them where ever they go with their lives. And isn't that what we, as teachers, are supposed to be doing? Preparing children for the roads and life ahead?
But there are still some important things to consider. Remember those 30 different humans, with the 30 different personalities, and the 30 different interests? It's the differences in each and every one of these students that makes them unique. So don't squash those personalities down. Help them rise up. Let every single student be the person that they want to be with the interest they want to have. Having a growth mindset doesn't necessarily turn them in to a "math person," or an "art person, or any other person at that. Having a growth mindset will give them to tools to be able to face difficulties in different subjects that may not be - for lack of a better word - their favourite. I don't think its about making every single student believe that they are going to learn or succeed in the exact same way. I think it's about knowing that each student is individual and unique, and the changes, challenges and failures they face make them who they are.
Give students the tools to succeed. Don't turn them in to something they might not want to be. Like I said, challenges and failures help us grow, no matter what subject we're learning in school. But help students grow and foster their individualities too. At the end of the day, it is those individualities that make them who they are, and who they are going to be when they grow up.
As cliche as it might sound, people always say that it's not about the destination, but about the journey. So maybe every single students' destination is going to be completely different. But if they used a growth mindset along the path of their journey, then maybe that's okay.
Insightful post Lizzie I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! I loved what you said that having a growth mindset will give students the tools to be able to face adversity not only in the classroom but also in the real world. We don’t expect our students to become experts at math and all become engineers. But we want them to understand that failure is okay, challenging themselves is okay as this will help them grow. At the end of the day I prefer to a diverse group of students as this will allow me to to teach with a growth mindset.
ReplyDeleteThis week was definitely an interesting one, and I agree with you. What has really opened my eyes to math as well are all the different methods there are to approaching the same problem. The problem we did this week in class was great as we got to see different approaches people took to determine where the animals were on the blocks. There is never one answer to all problem and I’m looking forward to establish that growth mindset into any classroom!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, really enjoyed it!
Awesome post Lizzie!It is so important that we do not dismiss the differences in our classroom. We need to embrace every student as different and unique. The growth mindset was a hot topic this past week and I feel that we are all on board with this way of thinking. Embrace their perspectives and grow as a class, that's the attitude we should all go into teaching with!
ReplyDelete