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Verb

1. To make different

2. To replace with another

3. To become different

Noun

1. Alteration

2. Transformation

3. Substitution

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/change)

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Noun

1. progressive development

2. Evolution

3. A stage in the process of growing

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/growth)

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To me, change is inevitable while growth is optional. We cannot avoid change because oftentimes it is out of our control. The brand of bread we buy is no longer available, so we have to pick a new one. We lose our job, so we get a new one. Our partner breaks up with us and so we must move on with our lives.

Growth, on the other hand, is something we must choose. If my partner breaks up with me, I can choose to jump into another relationship before I am ready, or I can choose to sit and be sad and pity myself. Or I can choose to focus on what I did well in the relationship and areas where I need to improve, and begin working on those things. I can take the time to heal, learn who I am on my own again, perhaps even go to therapy. Those are things I can choose to do to grow.

I believe this concept can be applied to most changes that occur in our lives.

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Because students are their own unique individuals, how they react to change will vary. Some students will be more open while others are resistant. However, if the educators initiating the change(s) have created an environment of innovation, been fostering growth mindsets, and empowering and encouraging their students rather than trying to control them, students are more likely to be receptive to the change(s).

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This video examines how one school in Idaho is changing how they do things in their classrooms to encourage students to take ownership over their education.

As Educators, we must combine engagement with empowerment to maximize the growth of our students. According to our textbook, "Engaging students means getting kids excited about our content, interests, and curricula. Empowering students means giving kids the knowledge and skills to pursue their passions, interests, and future... In fact, people do not feel truly empowered unless they are engaged with their learning" (58).

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Encouraging Students to Own Their Academic Growth

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Much like students, each educator is unique and will react to change differently. Those who have adopted a growth mindset will be more receptive and open, which means the change is more likely to yield positive outcomes, whereas educators with a fixed mindset will be resistant which will lead to poorer results.

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This video explores how a school in New York is promoting collaboration between teachers to encourage growth and innovation in all of their classrooms.

If the school and district are open to change and growth and create an environment where it is welcomed and encouraged, teachers and staff are able to explore more and more likely to be receptive.

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Creating Opportunities for All Teachers to Grow

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How Educators Can Build A Growth Mindset in their Students

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How Educators Can Build A Growth Mindset in their Students

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

Veteran researchers present five strategies-like maintaining success files and allowing choice-to help struggling students develop a positive attitude needed for success.

© Shutterstock.com/VLADGRIN

As researchers and teacher educators, we have found that a gift many effective educators give struggling students is a practical and optimistic mindset coupled with strategies that help them learn successfully. Over the last two decades, we have supported teachers in teaching students about their brilliant brains and in showing students strategies to support positive outlooks about their learning capabilities.

Our research aligns well with Carol Dweck's work on growth mindset, or acting on the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. In a previous post, we discussed the importance of growth mindset for teachers.

Now we turn to the benefits of helping students who find school difficult maintain a positive mindset as they persist in the sometimes hard work required for learning. When failures mount, it's easy to give up. A positive mindset focuses on the gains that are possible when students persevere through learning challenges. Here are five strategies to help struggling students develop a growth mindset.

Model practical optimism and point out examples of this approach in action; for example, say, "We knew this would be a tough project, but we stuck with it and worked hard. Just look at what we've accomplished!"

Share examples of how you have overcome learning obstacles. It's helpful for struggling students to realize that everyone occasionally faces learning challenges.

Share stories that illustrate the benefits of practical optimism.

Maintain a positive learning atmosphere by posing questions such as "What was the best thing that happened today?"

Encouraging Optimism About Learning

This outlook helps struggling students become more motivated, alert, and ready to learn, so that neurotransmitters that enable learning can be released. Many students who have learning challenges become pessimistic about school and lose hope that they can make academic progress. These teaching strategies help reinforce how useful it can be to develop a state of practical optimism:

In previous posts, we've discussed cultivating practical optimism in the classroom and in schools generally.

Teaching Students to Learn More Effectively

When struggling students learn how to "drive their brains" through the use of cognitive strategies, they're more likely to be able to learn and think at higher levels. Teachers often tell us they need strategies for helping students learn how to increase their attention. Our post " Strategies for Getting and Keeping the Brain's Attention" offers tried-and-true strategies to support teachers with this common classroom issue. And Edutopia's " Resources on Learning and the Brain " features other easy-to-use strategies for assisting students to learn more effectively.

1. Give every student a folder to use as a success file.

2. Ask students to write the word success on their file and/or draw a picture that represents success for them.

3. Every day, when possible, ask students to add to their folders examples of successful learning, such as tasks completed, examples of learning gains, and assignments that support their personal definitions of success.

4. At the start of each school day or class, remind students to look through their success file. The more students can reconnect to their previous achievements, the more positive their mindsets can become and the more successful they'll be in the long run.

Maintaining Success Files

A success file is a continually updated collection that provides ready evidence to help students internalize and remember their learning successes. Here is one way to use this strategy:

Using Growth Assessments

Growth assessments is the term we use for formative assessments that help guide student learning and monitor progress. Students with learning challenges benefit when teachers check in often and provide additional instruction and feedback when necessary. Growth assessments help students identify their strengths and areas of weakness that need further practice and reinforcement, and may include class discussions, interviews with individual students, consultations on drafts of work, and observations of how students are applying what they've learned. Students may use self-assessments such as journal entries and personal checklists so they can be prompted to monitor their progress. Keeping track of their growth, including learning challenges they have overcome, helps to foster a growth mindset.

Letting Students Choose

When students can choose topics of personal interest to study or make the subject of a learning project, they are more likely to maintain interest and motivation. Giving students choices also underscores that they are in charge of their learning.

One of the greatest thrills for teachers is to see the light bulb switch on for struggling students as they learn something new and internalize the belief that through effort and the use of sound strategies they can keep growing their skills and knowledge.

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Helping Struggling Students Build a Growth Mindset

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Veteran researchers present five strategies-like maintaining success files and allowing choice-to help struggling students develop a positive attitude needed for success.

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Stanford University discusses how a growth mindset is beneficial within education and how it can be cultivated within classrooms.

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Teaching strategies that leverage insights on the impact of a growth mindset on learning by Stanford professor Carol Dweck.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Helpful video on the distinction between encouragement and empowerment.

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The Shift from Engaging Students to Empowering Learners

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As an educator, or rather someone who works in education, I am constantly seeking out opportunities for growth. One of the easiest ways is speaking to my manager and asking if there are areas where I need to improve or if there are any additional tasks that I can learn or take on. I participate in professional development days. I am pursuing a graduate degree in Higher Education Administration to learn more about the environment that I am working in.

These are all ways I am seeking growth, and ways that other educators can also seek out growth. These are just a few examples that work for me, but there are plenty of opportunities available to fit each person's needs and preferences.