Having a Growth Mindset

It was a big day in BEDUC423 yesterday.  We did our micro-teaching unit on bullying (which I think went reasonably well) and at the end of class got our first glimpse (gulp!) of the new TPA that we will need to pass in order to be certified next spring.  Most meaningful to me however was our discussion of our reading from Carol Dweck's Mindset.  The introductory anagram activity really drove home the point about how we can actually teach/learn helplessness which in turn can lead to a habit of giving up when the going gets tough and continuing to give up even when conditions improve.  Dweck refers to this condition as having a "fixed mindset".  With a fixed mindset, risk and effort can lead to failure -- an 'Eeyore' point of view (remembering Jean's reading of Winnie-the-Pooh yesterday), pessimistic at its heart.  On the other hand a "growth mindset" focuses on the means more than the ends.  Success is found within the effort and the risk-taking rather than as a result of it -- more of a 'Tigger' or 'Roo' perspective although there really isn't a good Pooh comparison  for this one.  Instead of the fixed mindset focus on limitations, the growth mindset allows one to see opportunity for growth in every challenge.  I was most encouraged to learn that by choosing our words and modeling actions carefully that we can actually teach children who are stuck in the fixed mindset to learn to have a growth mindset!   On a personal note, I will strive to keep a growth mindset myself as I face the challenges I encounter in this program (with respect to the TPA in particular!).  

Assessment Revelations

I was blown away by the list of assessment possibilities in the Abell & Volkmann article we read in class today.  Prior to today I would have said that being in this program has really stretched my thinking on assessment beyond the traditional paper and pencil test to include projects, portfolios, digital stories, etc., but that stretching was taken to a whole new level with this reading.  I am in awe of the array of creative assessment tools that are available to us as teachers.  It is also gratifying to know that the utilization of  various types of assessment is also leading to greater equity in education as different assessments lend themselves to different learning styles.  As we discussed in class, however, any assessment must be constructed carefully to yield both validity and reliability of results.  So I have learned that there is not just one time (the end of a lesson) for assessment, there is not just one type of assessment but I also learned today that there is not just one level of assessment.  Looking at Bloom's taxonomy (a pyramid of levels of thinking) adds another interesting layer of constructing assessment and that is by the level of thinking that it is measuring in our students.  We must be careful not to hang at the bottom of the pyramid, only testing our students' knowledge and comprehension.  Instead we must stretch ourselves to assess in creative ways their ability to apply, analyze, evaluate and create new ways of thinking about and applying what they have learned.

Hula Hoop Fun

Today we started out with some fun activities using pool noodles, hula hoops and jump ropes -- germ tag, a relay race and composing jump rope rhymes on a specified topic.  It's neat to see how easy it is to weave academic content and physical activity.  What was most interesting though was the continued interest shown in the hula hoops throughout the rest of the day (they were left at the back of our classroom).  People picked them up to use during breaks and lunch and we even used them to create a human Venn diagram in the afternoon.  It never would have occurred to me to have hula hoops in my classroom but now I can see how they can be used in lots of engaging ways!

Issues of Abuse & Neglect

Today we tackled the tough topic of our role as mandatory reporters of abuse and neglect.  The opening reading from The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down really brought home the point that there are large grey areas to consider and, in this specific example, a fine line between respecting cultural traditions and protecting a child from abuse.  I appreciated all of the examples we walked through and grappled with as a group struggling to decide whether each example was reportable as abuse or neglect or not.  It is sad to think of all the hurt we may encounter in children's lives but also hopeful to consider what a powerful force we can be as teachers as protectors and as agents of healing and resilience.

The Bones of Lesson Plans

Today we had our first crack at formulating a real lesson plan.  It felt good to finally put some meat on the bones (so to speak!) of the lesson plan outline provided.  After doing a bone-related relay race outside we practiced (as a class) articulating learning objectives and assessment criteria.  It was fun to then divide into our micro-teaching teams to work on our mini lesson plans using this approach.  We looked up the appropriate EALRs and GLEs (boy, are there a lot of them!) and came up with some good objectives.  The assessment part is a little trickier.  Luckily we have another week to figure it out.

Summer Quarter Day 1

My brain is swimming after a full day of two new education classes today!  My 'assimilator' self needs to make some to do lists :)   


The most important thing I learned in Health/Fitness today was how many elements can be included under the umbrella of health education.  Each table group made a poster and although we had a lot in common, I was surprised at some of the items other groups included that my group overlooked such as disease prevention, sleep, and the social/community aspects of health education.

We Can

I was just driving along thinking about how all kids are gifted in their own unique way (not what I am normally contemplating while driving but it relates to my paper due on Monday so it's been at the forefront of my mind lately) and I was thinking also that I want to make sure that every child in my classroom believes this!  It is vital that they know that they can refuse to be labeled as deficient in any way and that they are able to achieve greater things than they can even currently imagine -- when onto the radio came a song I had never heard before called "We Can" by Jesse Ruben.  Have a listen . . .

As teachers, we can make sure that our children see themselves without deficits or limits.  We can make sure that they can say "We can!"