A Growth Mindset

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Higher Learning Commission's Annual Conference in Chicago. The conference, which focused heavily on accreditation for institutes of higher education, also included several breakout sessions on assessment practices. The last session I attended at the conference, "Using the Growth Mindset to Encourage Faculty & Staff Use of Assessment" was outstanding.

Led by Dr. Eric Haas, Psychology Faculty member at Maricopa Community College, the session provided great context for how instructors ought to approach learning and assessment at all levels of education. After providing data to show that anxiety surrounds assessment, as well as how a fixed mindset can sometimes be detrimental to learning, Dr. Haas provided a wonderful synopsis of the value of teaching every student as if they have a growth mindset.

In order for any educator to effectively teach students, we must all come to one fundamental conclusion: Assessment IS NOT the goal; it is a tool! Learning IS the goal! Learning, the process by which students grow, is at the fundamental core of what every educator does. Educators at every level often spend countless hours focusing on students that are far below grade level or ability. We work effortlessly to help them be successful, sometimes with success while others not so successful.

Either way, as educators we need to continually help our students see that the path to success is not always linear. There are failures along the way, bumps that impede our process, and obstacles to overcome. However, along the way we LEARN that we can persevere and make improvements on things we have already tried. Like the old saying goes, 'No Pain - No Gain". We must be willing to put in the hard work to help all of our students be successful, encouraging them along the way. Help them to see that they are capable of anything they want to put their minds to.

Ironically, Dr. Haas' presentation really charged educators with having a growth mindset themselves. How easy would it be to continue doing what you've been doing because 'that's way I've always done it'? We must be willing to admit that we do not know what we do not know. The only way to grow is to learn - learn how we can become better educators, creating a place for all students to learn and grow WITH us, not from us!

Do you have a growth mindset?

My sketch notes from HLC Conference 2016.

Engaging the Gen. C Learner

I was recently given the opportunity to attend the Wisconsin Technical College System's 2016 Tech Expo at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. The conference targeted faculty and staff that were interested in integrating technology to Enhance Teaching & Learning. I was especially intrigued by the keynote speaker, Dr. James May, who was an award winning Faculty Fellow for Innovation and Technology at Valencia College (FL). And he did not disappoint.

In an engaging, content rich, and powerful presentation, Dr. May encouraged participants to find a way to 'Engage Generation C with the Adjacent Possible". Dr. May described Generation C as “Generation C refers to Constantly Connected Citizens who are Creative, Capable, Content-Centric Curators, Copiers and Combiners who are Community-oriented, Collectively Communicative, Collaborative, and Co-developing Consumers of Common Content.” - via Allan J. Kimmel (teachertricks.org)

My Sketch Notes from Dr. James May's Session - Engaging Generation C with the Adjacent Possible 

While listening to Dr. May talk about how today's technology can provide so many possibilities, I found myself pondering how Flipped Learning can help open the door to the adjacent possible. How can Flipped Learning encourage learners to be Connected, Creative, Collaborative, Co-Developers, and Curators of their own learning? That's when it dawned on me - if we want students to develop these characteristics, we must also expect our educators to model them! 

You see, the age of your learner does not matter. When the transfer of ownership takes place between educator and learner, rich and life-changing learning occurs. Educators are too often constrained by the boundaries of institutional limitations, as well as their past experiences. To open the door to the adjacent possible, educators must be encouraged to explore beyond their boundaries and Create authentic learning for themselves and their learners. 

In a Connected, Content rich world, educators should Collaborate, Copy, Combine, and Collectively Communicate about what they are doing in their classrooms. Institutions should release the constraints of traditional learning and foster a growth mindset among their educators. Give educators more freedom to design their own Professional Development and Growth Plans. Begin to ask educators what they need to become better, what opportunities exist for them to improve. Transfer the ownership of learning and watch the Adjacent Possible expand to depths of all students!

Generation C - what a profound label to place on learners today!