Growing a Learner’s Mindset
We need to move forward, and we need to do so with authenticity, humanity, and intentional planning, always making small movements toward big ideas.
Karin Stateler
Change is inevitable. As I continue my journey in Applied Digital Learning, I keep coming back to why we should change right NOW. While COVID was devastating, we can use the post-COVID structures that are in place to continue our trek toward a paperless office and blended learning. In my blog From Cog to Metacognition: My Story, I talk a little more about how the ADL program supports this shift. As we make changes, it is important to recognize that there will be pushback.
How can we support peers, educators, students, and family during systematic change? The answer: By instilling a growth mindset, getting clear on what we believe, and creating a safe, strong network. Then, we can implement meaningful change.
Growth Mindset
How can we incorporate the concepts of growth mindset to make meaningful change and influence the district? My plan is to model best practices, coach employees, monitor and explicitly teach growth mindset in training, incorporate active learning in training, and plan for fixed mindset and false growth mindset. Certainly, these actions are the most effective way to “grow” a growth mindset from my position in the district. Learn more about my plan here!
Learning Manifesto
In the past, when people gave me advice I would say, “I only learn the hard way.” What I meant is that I only learn when I get messy and make mistakes. I used to think that I was unique in this way, but I think I have been wrong. Learning IS the hard way. Specifically, it is sitting in the discomfort, wrestling with thoughts and ideas that push against the rock of cognitive dissonance in our individual perceptions of reality. Learn more about my suspicions about learning!
Professional Learning Networks
In a digital age with information literally at our fingertips, it is important to model continual professional learning for students and peers as we move toward organizational change. One way to encourage such learning is through Professional Learning Networks or PLNs. Professional Learning Networks provide meaningful support for continued professional development. Learn more about the networks I belong to!
Reflecting to Connect
It took me a while to develop a clear understanding of how to implement a growth mindset. I’ll be honest: I started off a skeptic. As I grew my plan, I came around to the idea of an intentionally implemented growth mindset proposal. Learn about my learning in these three posts!