Concepts of Educational Technology
Growth Mindset Plan
The Growth Mindset Plan presents the importance of knowing how to identify our students’ mindset, why we need to shift our students’ mindset from fixed to growth, and how to achieve it.
Learning Manifesto
My Learning Manifesto presents the philosophy of my learning approach, the way I navigate my students and points out some problem zones in our current education system.
Learning Network Blog
The Learning Network Blog lists the professional learning networks I am currently participating in or using as resource information.
The Blogs & Reflections details some of my thoughts and reflections I made on the 5302 courses:
As I progress through this program, I found myself applying the growth mindset more and more. I used to be a student who grew up in a teacher-centered environment. But now, I explore the possibility of a new studying approach. A growth mindset allows me to achieve my goals and desires or expand on my talents. I started to believe that both weeklies, intense practice, and hard work can be improved. When we have a growth mindset, we advance to the next level and closer to the ability to successfully launch our innovation ideas- in my case, is implementing blended learning in Special education units at my school district.
My goal is to provide my students with meaningful learning environments by implementing the concepts of choice and ownership and voice and authentic learning experiences for them. The next progression in this course was the COVA learning approach. This newfound freedom was a bit scary, but after applying COVA approaches to my students- I realized it is a great way to encourage creativity in a learning journey. I can honestly say that I am feeling much more comfortable taking charge of my learning and implementing the COVA method at this point in my life.
My Learning Manifesto
I have a long journey with education with different approaches from three other countries. I had my Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Russia. This was done with an old-school approach - lots of handwriting lectures, studying with books, and using digital devices only for learning engineering software in a limited time. After that education, I had excellent theoretical knowledge, but it wasn’t enough to implement it in real-life work situations.
Years later, I decided to pursue my education with a Master’s degree in Real Estate Investment at Latvian university. This experience was different since the program focused on real job projects and broadened my horizons to international markets.
After moving to the States, it was not easy to find a professional position on the job market. I was advised by friends to become a substitute teacher. This position introduced me to the American educational system. Surprisingly, I found a passion for teaching and felt comfortable mentoring my students. That is why I decided to become a teacher. It is my third year of teaching, and I am still exploring this new world of education.
The pandemic has forced digital learning into the education mainstream over the past year. Covid-19 pushed schools to think outside of the box. “Think out of the box - easy to say but hard to do. It needs the practice to be able to do it naturally” (Corazzo, 2014). In some ways, digital learning has been excellent and allowed many students and staff to work and learn remotely. It was challenging at the beginning to keep my students engaged while they were online. But after students got familiar with digital learning resources, they became more and more attractive and accessible for them.
I do not think remote learning will disappear, but we need to find a happy medium. The digital aspects we gained during this pandemic should not go away.
I also see that educators use technology to progress students at their own pace. Students need to learn at their own pace and not learn something new with huge gaps.
That is why I decided to implement Blended learning models to increase engagement in my classes. The approach offers greater flexibility through online education, allowing students to study anytime, anywhere from an electronic device. In addition to that, it provides personalized teaching. Not all students feel comfortable asking questions in front of the whole room. The online environment eliminates this fear and improves the learning process for some of my learners. Blended learning is not a new idea; let’s face it, there are rarely new ideas in education anymore, but technology is enabling Blended learning to become a viable alternative to the traditional classroom model.
Using school Wi-Fi and various software solutions can create an interactive environment that students will truly benefit from. The value for you as a teacher is the data you can quickly gather from student responses while also having the ability to keep in touch with your students both in and out of the classroom. I am trying to implement this idea in my Innovating plan for next school year.
In our current school system, we have many wrong sides which need to be fixed soon. Policymakers are constantly fighting to change the American public education system, and not all of them are beneficial. Over the years, a great deal of back-and-forth has left the public education system in shambles. Some of these problems are easy to identify and have been long-standing issues. In contrast, others are new, brought about by advances in technology, changes in policy, and general change that happens with time. The Common Core State Standards were developed to specify what students should know before graduating high school. It was created in 2009 to promote educational equity, holding all students to the exact standardized testing requirements. This centralized testing system doesn’t allow teacher innovation and flexibility with the learning process. Most states adopted the standards when they were introduced, but more than a dozen have since repealed or revised them. Let us get more flexibility for our teachers and especially for elementary school. Students at elementary school should not be stressed because of tets’ results. Instead of this, they should explore their curiosity.
Every child is born intelligent as a human being. We all have different aptitudes for several different things. So it is pointless to differentiate children based on what we believe to be their “inherent intelligence.” The same goes for scientific aptitude. All children are born curious and with the need to find answers. Carol Dweck put forward a theory in her book Mindset that children’s learning behavior and beliefs had a lasting impact on their learning outcomes. She suggested that those interested in performance get discouraged by hardship, while those involved only in learning seek out challenging tasks to learn more. Dweck’s paper also proposed that those with learning goals persisted despite failure and continued to have faith in their abilities.
In contrast, those with performance goals were often easily discouraged by failure and doubted their abilities. Dweck coined the terms “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset” to describe the learning above and intelligence beliefs. It’s important to understand that a growth mindset isn’t just beneficial to children; it’s equally applicable to adults as well. Teachers have a huge responsibility on their shoulders along with mounting workloads. It’s essential to extend the same kindness to yourself as you do to your students when they make mistakes. Developing a growth mindset isn’t always easy; we should remember that teachers too will cause errors. It’s just as important to learn from your own mistakes as it is for your students to learn from theirs.
Besides a growth mindset, we should take the importance of a flexible physical learning environment seriously. It should include movable furniture, collaborative spaces, and student mobility with their devices. When people think of a flexible learning environment, they often think only of the physical space. While it is true that the space is flexible in nature, there is much more to a flexible learning environment than just the physical floor plan or furniture choices. Modern, flexible learning environments also address other elements of the learning environment, such as how students are grouped during learning and how time might be used more flexibly during the day. When designing a learning environment, the student should come first. We need to look at how they learn, including learning styles, access to information, and collaboration settings. It’s the idea of creating an environment where students want to learn rather than have to learn” (Spencer, 2017).
Most of the students are bored of studying. Technology is a great tool to encourage students to learn in some exciting collaborative way. Nowadays, technology is so available and sophisticated. But we need to be sure it is used with quality products and teachers are well trained to implement digital content in the school curriculum on a daily basis. “Teachers should find students’ interests niche and navigate their expanding learning in this desirable sphere. s” (Fullan, 2014)
I believe that learners thrive when they can exercise choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning, as advocated by the COVA approach. Students would have a real-life model of using the skills they were learning—giving kids choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning experiences over lectures and practice problems.
References:
Corazza, Giovanni (2014, November 3). Creative Thinking - How to get out of the box and generate ideas. [Video]YouTube: https://youtu.be/bEusrD8g-dM
Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books.
Harapnuik, D. (2018, July). COVA. Harapnuik.org. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991
Fullan, Michael. (2014, January 20). How Technology is Changing the Conversation [Video] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCvwtiOH0co
Spencer, John (2017, June 9). The Shift from Engaging Students to Empowering Learners [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/BYBJQ5rIFjA
Spencer, John (2017, June 17). 7 Things That Happen When Students Own Their Learning [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/N7S9kyk-odA
Growth Mindset Plan
A Growth Mindset believes that people can develop skills and abilities through practice and perseverance (e.g., studying, setting goals, hard work, and accepting constructive feedback). The belief that one can grow can spark one’s desire to succeed, driving motivation and results. In truth, our belief about our ability to change and willingness to do so is the key to building our growth mindset muscle. Our willingness allows us to unlock learning and potential through our actions.
Researcher Dr. Carol Dweck has made it her life’s work to learn about what motivates and drives people to learn, regardless of their natural abilities or talents. In her book Mindset: The new psychology of success, she explains that the growth mindset is the belief that everyone can learn, change and grow if they make efforts, seek help and develop strategies (Dweck, 2017). Mindset can determine how we respond to challenges, obstacles, and criticism in every area of our lives. (Holmes, 2017).
The opposite mindset has been labeled a fixed mindset, which Dweck (2008) defines as the belief “that your qualities are carved in stone.”
Mindsets affect how students view themselves, their abilities, and their drive to overcome failure or difficulty. Having a fixed mindset can limit students’ willingness to stretch beyond their comfort level to learn and achieve. Conversely, having a growth mindset can lead students to try new skills (Lenz, 2015).
4 Step Process to Change your Mindset
On her website, Dweck (2006) has identified the four steps to change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset as follows:
Step 1: Learn to hear your fixed mindset voice -it’s the voice inside your head that promotes doubt. It will try to scare you from even trying. When you learn to hear this voice and understand that it’s the fixed mindset within you, you can begin to control it.
Step 2: Recognize that you have a choice. You can either listen to the Fixed Mindset voice or respond with a Growth Mindset voice. Understanding that there is a choice might be a sign to challenge yourself.
Step 3: Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.
It is crucial o speak directly to the doubts and fears raised by their fixed mindset. When it comes to criticism, you can learn from your mistakes by listening rather than disagreeing.
Step 4: Take the Growth Mindset action. Once you’ve decided, you need to determine what action to take next. And eventually, face a challenge- a new risk situation.
The Power of “Yet”
Yet—It’s a simple word with the power to change a student’s mindset for learning forever. When you add yet to the end of a proclamation, it implies a work in progress, soon to be, under construction, continued, etc. Yet gives hope.
And when your kids embrace the power of yet, they can develop a growth mindset. By adding “yet,” most students find the motivation to keep trying because they see some hope. Rather than giving quick praise or encouragement, I can have a conversation with my students that highlights the message of yet. If students know their mindset and how they think and feel when they come to a challenging topic or task, they can stop and choose. When students have been exposed to the power of yet, the notion that it is acceptable not to get something right the first time, they can approach that task with positivity and grit (Lisa, 2020). Mindset and the willingness to not get something right the first time and be coachable or accept feedback are not static (Brock & Hundley, 2020). Implementing the Yet concept in my daily routine will illustrate how the power of yet can be a powerful tool to add to my student’s arsenal.
Promoting Growth Mindset
Avoid Praising Intelligence and Sheer Effort.
You risk discouraging growth by praising intelligence and sheer effort rather than acknowledging the importance of planning and trying new approaches.
Complimenting intelligence can reinforce it as a fixed trait, says Dr. Dweck.
Use Diverse Teaching Strategies
According to Dr. Dweck, exposing students to different instructional methods and strategies will help build a repertoire of learning skills to handle diverse challenges.
Introduce Simple Gamification Elements
Certain aspects of gamification (the practice of applying video game elements to your class) can highlight student progress instead of emphasizing mistakes.
Teach the Values of Challenges
According to Dr. Dweck, explaining the inherent benefits of overcoming obstacles can help students develop a growth mindset. She recommends explicitly teaching about the effect on the brain when people push through their comfort zones to grasp complex concepts. The neurons form stronger connections, leading to improved intelligence over time. Therefore, effort and difficulty are paths, not roadblocks, to becoming more competent.
Encourage Students to Expand their Answers
Asking students to elaborate on their thoughts during discussion reveals what they do and don’t understand, encouraging them to process content at a deeper level as they reflect on their responses.
Explain the Purposes of Abstract Skills and Concepts
Experiential learning activities and active learning strategies help bridge this gap with an approach that puts students at the center of the learning process, allowing them to understand better the abstract skills and concepts you are teaching.
Allow Time for Goal-Based Journaling
Journaling serves different purposes, including encouraging students to build a growth mindset through goal setting.
Say “Yet” More Often
According to Dr. Dweck, the word “yet” can change disparaging sentences into positive ones, promoting growth.
Help Students Change their Language
As you shift your phrasing, you can help students change their language to push their mindsets from growth-averse to development-oriented. Fixed-mindset students see poor performance as a rebuke of their abilities, writes Dr. Dweck. Instead, you can help them view struggle as a chance to improve their skills and understanding.
Use Success Folders
Students can struggle to remember their progress and achievements throughout the semester or year. Success folders address this problem, providing first-hand evidence of growth.
Resources for growth mindset
Books:
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
In Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck Ph. D., a Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, explains how the mindset of a person can have significant impacts on a person’s life when reaching goals depending on their fixed and growth mindset state.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth: Discover the secret to success that’s more valuable than talent: a combination of passion and persistence that pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth calls “grit.”
Top 30 Children's Books about Resilience by Big Life Journal: Read a book that promotes resilience and whose characters have grit. When we read stories that show others facing their problems and overcoming obstacles, we’re helping develop the same mindset in our children.
Videos:
Growth Mindset Impact
After reading Mindset by Carol Dweck, I started to look at our educational process differently. That book was eye-opening to me. Since then, I have focused on explaining to my students that there is nothing wrong with failure if we learn from the process. I constantly get students who are so fixated on being smart or not smart that they are unwilling to break out of the walls they have built around themselves. The ones I have had to work with the most are the students who are used to getting an A on every test. Throughout the month, as I gradually increase the demands of the class, there is always a shock the first time one of them doesn't get the A they have reached their entire academic life. This is one of those opportunities that I take to reinforce that this one test doesn't make them a failure, but instead they need to examine the process, find out where they got off course, learn from it, and accept the challenge to improve. I try to promote a growth mindset every day in class, which has been beneficial to all of my students.
References:
Holmes, N. (2017). The Impact of a Growth Mindset. Science Impact. https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/Impact.
Lenz, B. (2015, April 8). Failure Is Essential to Learning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/failure-essential-learning-bob-lenz.
Dweck, C. (2017). Decades of Scientific Research that Started a Growth Mindset Revolution. The Growth Mindset – What is Growth Mindset – Mindset Works. https://www.mindsetworks.com/Science/Default.
Lisa. (2020, May 17). ‘The Power of Yet.’ Grow Kids Minds. https://growkidsminds.com/gkm011-the-power-of-yet/.
Brock, A., & Hundley, H. (2020). The growth mindset classroom-ready resource book: a teacher’s toolkit for encouraging grit and resilience in all students. Ulysses Press.