I feel like I am doing an excellent job of sharing things I am learning with teachers in my district. There are so many conversations I am able to contribute to based on the topics I am reading about and researching. I have even found some awesome new tools that I have shared.
2. Complete all assignments by Friday of each week so that I can enjoy my weekend without stressing about schoolwork.
This goal may need to be modified. I think it was an excellent goal and while I am getting a lot of my work done on or by Friday, I am struggling to get it all done. Mostly because of the nature of the blog posts and the reality that summer semester is shorter so there is a good bit of time required for each of my classes. If I were to modify this goal I would modify it to state that I will get the majority of my school work out of the way during the week. I am planning to recommit to this goal now since school is now out for our district.
3. Where possible, complete projects using new web 2.0 tool(s) that I have not tried before.
This goal may need to be modified. I think it was an excellent goal and while I am getting a lot of my work done on or by Friday, I am struggling to get it all done. Mostly because of the nature of the blog posts and the reality that summer semester is shorter so there is a good bit of time required for each of my classes. If I were to modify this goal I would modify it to state that I will get the majority of my school work out of the way during the week. I am planning to recommit to this goal now since school is now out for our district.
3. Where possible, complete projects using new web 2.0 tool(s) that I have not tried before.
I have really enjoyed this goal. This was the first time I had ever used Symbaloo. I had heard of the tool before but never had an excuse to really learn it. I LOVE learning new tools and it is so hard to find quality free ones.
I have always considered myself to have a growth mindset. I am always listening to audiobooks and podcasts from the "self-help" genre because I love learning tips and tricks to make me a better "me". What I learned from reading this weeks resources, however, is that while I enjoy learning new things...I don't always practice a growth mindset. Even though I believe we all have the ability to expand our knowledge by learning to do whatever we put our minds to...I don't always believe that I am capable of learning things that I don't feel like I would ever be good at doing. I love the point that the "Even Geniuses Work Hard" article makes when it tells teachers to "emphasize challenge, not success". I wish I could have been taught this way as a child because while I LOVE a challenge, I tend to not take on challenges unless I am pretty sure I will succeed.Now that I have recognized the need to adjust my own fixed growth outlook, I plan to make sure I that I catch myself if I try to limit myself on projects that I don't think I can succeed. The website OpenColleges.edu contains 25 ways to develop a growth mindset. I plan to focus on the following three as I continue through this course.
- Acknowledge and embrace imperfections.
- Disassociate improvement from failure.
- Value the process over the end result.
Image Source: https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/develop-a-growth-mindset/
Michelle...what a great reflection post. I am sharing so much with my colleagues as well. I will have all new admin next year and we have already met to discuss plans for next year. I will say that our school is not used to having a media specialist that uses technology. This was my first year and I didn't do much as I was learning the ropes. I plan to do more with teachers next year. I too wish I could get all the work done during the week but that has not been reality although I work on the course every day. Your decision to use all new to you tools is a great one. I find that most of these are new to me except twitter. Lastly, I said the same in my post about applying growth mindset to myself. Practicing this daily will help us overcome our old ways.
ReplyDeleteI love the point you brought up about about not being capable of learning new things you don't think you would be good at. I have this same mindset, especially when it comes to more creative things. I do not think of myself as a creative person therefore I find myself not venturing into creative projects-even though I think it would be fun, etc., I am too afraid of the end product not being up to expectations.
ReplyDeleteThis is also how I am sure our students feel when we introduce them to new ideas-reaching success at the end gets in the way of the process and what can be learned and refined for success in the process. Reading through the list of 25 Way to Develop a Growth Mindset gave me the idea not to place the emphasis all on the end product. Set mini goals during the process to take some of the pressure off the "success."
Great post, Michelle!
I appreciate the specificity of your goals. You have excellent SMART goals that can be measured and are realistic. Your first goal of sharing information specifically with your teaching colleagues provided great guidance for me. I had a general goal of just getting more followers, but if I focus on one group, then I can make distinct steps to reach that goal.
ReplyDeleteYour comments on your growth mindset also gave me pause. I also have a difficult time with perfection. I will work on something and if it is not exactly how I envisioned it, I will not share it. What you pointed out is that is not a refined growth mindset. It is great to know that as we continue on this journey, we will have many opportunities to share, get feedback, reflect and refine in all that we do.