My as my students prepare to move into adulthood, my education ideology, or desire, is for them to become self-motivated, purposeful learners who partake in real learning experiences. I feel that by applying CSLE, the COVA approach, a Growth Mindset, and a well-thought-out plan, I will be able to impact change for my kids. As a teacher, I must embrace the Growth Mindset as a way of life and learning before I can assist my students in developing their own . My students will imitate what I do, say, and how I respond to their faults and mine. In my earlier teaching years, I aspired to be flawless
in my information delivery to students. I used to believe that teachers should be wonderful role models and should never make bad
decisions! However, I've discovered over time that acknowledging and accepting a mistake shows kids that you're "genuine," as well as fostering a sense of community among students who are learning together.
Angela Duckworth defines GRIT as "passion and continuous persistence applied toward long-term performance, with no special interest for rewards or recognition along the way," in her TED talk "grit the power of passion and perseverance." GRIT is determined by possessing a Growth Mindset, not by intelligences. In regards to how a can be created, I feel that we need to tailor education to the individuals we are instructing. In this day and age of constant change in the educational and commercial worlds, it is vital to embrace change in order to keep up with current systems. Some people appear to prefer to sit back and watch the world go by, hoping for a return to "the good old days." Some of my parents, co-workers, and students are resistant to change. I must admit that I am a creature of habit, and "how I've always done things" is quite familiar to me. As a logical person, I recognize that I have little influence over many developments and recognize that if I do not adapt, I will be left behind. Growth is uncomfortable...but where does it leave my students if I refuse to embrace change? If teachers do not guide kids, how will they become innovators?
How can a significant learning environment (CSLE) be created?
I believe that we have to personalize education to the people that we are actually teaching. Teaching sign language to high school students that are required to take a foreign language, is a whole lot different ball game than teaching 4th grade Reading, and throwing in some sign language for fun. I have to establish the importance of sign language along with appealing to the heart. Each year, as class begins, I do this in 2 different ways:
1. Show the students a movie, "The Miracle Worker" - this helps them understand how important communication is, in story format.
2. Bring in a guest speaker that is deaf (my 20 year old son) - he introduces himself, allows the students to introduce themselves (in ASL), and then has question and answer time. Since he is an alumni, this hits home for them.
The whole atmosphere of the classroom changes once students have been exposed to the relevance of sign language. Seeing how it is vital to daily living, and what it would be like to be separated from society/family/friends because of being deaf, changes attitude and fuels a sense of urgency TO LEARN, in the students.
Contrary to what it would seem, most people are motivated by a sense of purpose not a reward, as Daniel Pink states in: "The surprising truth about what motivates us" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
It was interesting to learn that people do not necessarily work better for money or rewards, as one would think. People want to have a purpose and when they do, they will work passionately toward it. My goal as a teacher is to help them find their purpose and facilitate as they explore their talents and skills. Part of that can be established through the development of the ePortfolio Project, with my and overview.
What can we, as educators, do to create an environment in which our students can learn, collaborate, and find their passion?
What determines a person's grit? How does that play into student success?
Angela Duckworth, in her TED talk: grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance, defines GRIT as "passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement, with no particular concern for rewards or recognition along the way." Intelligences does not determine GRIT, but having a Growth Mindset does!
In this day and time of CONSTANT change in the educational and business world, embracing change is necessary to stay abreast of current systems. Very often, it seems that some people would prefer to watch it go by, and hope we get back to "the good old days". I have parents, coworkers, and some students that are not embracing change. I have to say, I am a creature of habit, and I am really comfortable with "how I've always done things". As a person of logic as well, I can see that I have no control over many changes and understand that I will be left behind if I don't grow with the changes. As Ligntman stated after seeing 60 different schools across the country, "change is not hard just uncomfortable". Growth is uncomfortable...but if I do not choose to embrace change where does that leave my students? How will they become innovators if teachers do not guide them?
So, in spite of my traditional background in education as a 20th century "passive learner" in a textbook, memorization, teacher driven setting, I can either embrace change or be left behind! The visual video presentation:
21st Century Education vs. 20th Century Education https://youtu.be/HiD1UqLPrOg shows contrast in 20th vs 21st century learning. As I watched that display, it crossed my mind that we, as teachers, are making radical changes in 2020. We will go down in history as agents of change... or be left behind.
In his video, Dr. Tony Bates: Building Effective Learning Environments https://youtu.be/3xD_sLNGurA, Dr.Bates makes a parallel to teaching students and gardening. The teacher creates the environment (garden) but the plants have to do the growing. Since I maintain a thriving garden and I have students, this thought had a pretty big impact on my thoughts about CSLE. Times have changed! We, as teachers, can no longer expect to be viewed as “the fountain of knowledge” when Google is readily available with a plethora of information. We, the teachers, are basically just facilitators. Google Keepers = helping students navigate the resources and analyze the information.
My goal this year is to ignite and fan the flame of passion for learning with my students! How can I CSLE that fuels passion and imagination ? What will it look like for high school sign language this year? We have lots of new constraints this year!
I have found a few things that are different, this year, in my classroom to start off with:
Students that have been using technology since last spring, are quick to figure things out
Students that have no technology/wifi at home are so far behind that it's a challenge to teach them basic computer skills and catch them up with classmates
Personally, I've had frequent occasions to fail forward and develop the necessary skills, as well as technical obstacles, a rapidly changing setting, and sporadic student attendance concerns. Not only that, but my students are monitoring not only my actions but also my attitude toward events outside my control. Pandemics and masks have presented us with unparalleled obstacles in developing our Growth Mindset. It certainly assists me in reining in and refocusing my mind when I am aware that my students are watching me. This DLL program has not only assisted me in determining which aspects of my life require improvement, but also in determining how to improve and grow. "Mindset- The New Psychology of Success," by Carol Dweck, was both instructive and inspirational. What offers you more power and freedom than the ability to fail, get back up, learn from your mistakes, and trust that you can try again? I can assist my students in becoming a GM by serving as a good example in class, making them aware that they aren't "there yet," acknowledging my faults, and demonstrating the success that may come from perceived failure.
Significant Learning Environment
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