The Growth mindset

Think about your cell phone.  How has the cell phone changed over time?  I am old enough to remember the first cell phones.  They were big and bulky and came with a carrying case.  It was basically a house wireless phone in a bag.  I also remember beepers.  As a matter of fact, when I began working in my first career field, they issued all employees beepers.  It was a small device that allowed people to send a phone number that you were supposed to call back.
 
Technology is constantly changing and the change gets increasingly more rapid each year.  The rapid change of technology is a reminder to educators that we must continue to grow.  Unfortunately, we can’t continue doing school the way we’ve always done school.  Because the world around us is rapidly changing, our teaching strategies need to change as well.
 
I spoke about change a few blogs ago, but this post is more about growth.  Because things are rapidly changing, we must take on a growth mindset.  A growth mindset means we avail ourselves to growth.  We take on the mindset that we need to continue to learn more, so that we can provide a better education for our students.
 
For instance, growth right now in education seems to be grounded in brain research.  Why is brain research important to educators?  Brain research gives us insight into how the brain learns.  What is the cornerstone of education?  Learning.  I’m not suggesting we become neuroscientists, but I do believe better understanding how the brain works can give us insight in effective learning strategies to use to help all of our students achieve academic success.
 
Education is becoming increasingly challenging.  It’s becoming more and more challenging because expectations are rising.  Many times those expectations put on us can cause a feeling of hopelessness, but as we take on the growth mindset and challenge ourselves to learn more, I think we’ll more easily meet those expectations.
 
Reflection Questions:

1. Do you consider yourself as having a growth mindset?
2. What have you done this school year to grow in a certain area?
3. Are you aware of the most recent research about how students learn?  If so, what have you done with your new learnings to benefit all of your students?