Growth and change are intertwined but different concepts. Growth is defined as “the process of increasing in amount, value, or importance” while change is defined as “making something different through alteration or modification”.  Growth is always a change.  However change is not always a positive direction, the way that growth is. An important distinction is that both of these words can have positive or negative connotations.

• How do these concepts apply differently to learners and educators?

Learners and educators will inevitably experience change. This is a key aspect to the field of education. Consider how students change every year in a cycle, teachers and staff members move, the culture of a school is always changing each year. 

I believe that it is important for educators to inspire learners to know that change is inevitable. With the way that students learn and the way that society functions, change is going to happen.  

Speaking to the hopes and dreams that I have within my classroom, I hope that my students are able to recognize and celebrate growth when they see it. I hope they take pride in knowing that their IReady scores have shown growth. More importantly than a test score, I hope that they take pride in the effort and work that they complete in order to hit those growth points.

I believe that the reaction of a learner with change is dependent upon the way in which their educators have presented or responded to that change. 

An educator's reaction to change is dependent upon their mindset and resilience level. Educators can have a variety of differing responses to change; this is a spectrum from totally embracing it to entirely running away from it.

• What emotional, behavioral, or instructional shifts occur?

Reactions with behaviors, emotions, and the commitment to instruction are dependent upon a person’s mindset, comfortability, and willingness to apply changes.

Using the example of a standards- based grading roll-out within my school, I know that there were some teachers stuck in a mindset that they are fully opposed and they would not do that work. There were a range of other emotions and stages of acceptance levels among other teachers. ***An important point is that it is not reasonable to expect students to buy into a concept if educators are not committed to change as well.

An important first step is that educators must use their professional judgement to identify the direction of change that is going to be beneficial. The next step is for an educator to connect with a student’s motivations. Speaking on behalf of a Middle School educator, a drastic and exponentially lesser amount of learning is going to occur if an educator is not considering the motivations of their students.

• What strategies help nurture resilience and adaptability?

I really like this question :) I think that celebrating reactions to change is important. Celebrating common errors and mistakes is also important. De-centering a grade is also an important step. With adaptability, it is important to teach students that they are capable of trying something new, even if the results are not what they initially expected! 

I recently saw a social media post that spoke to the strategy of celebrating students for their work ethic rather than their raw skill and I believe this is arguably the most important strategy.

Educators may seek out professional opportunities for growth through online platforms like LinkedIn or through their school and community committees/ courses. With personal growth options, this could be researched through more informal pursuits like through online platforms such as scrolling Tiktok, or setting personal growth goals, networking with other teachers/ educators/ professionals to discover different opportunities.

• What structures or habits support this pursuit?

I think that the culture of a school and/ or district can drive this work. If a school has academic coaching programs, that can both inspire educators to be better, providing thought partners that can decrease the workload in ways.

Additionally, if a district has courses that educators can take for professional learning, that can be beneficial.

2. Contextual Differences

   • Does growth or change look the same in every classroom, school, or community?

Growth and change do not look the same in every classroom, school, or community. While national or even global events can impact everyone of the same age group, there is variation. For example, in North St. Louis, with the devastation caused by the tornados last May, there are some shifts happening within enrollment of SLPS, this would be a very specific event that has impacted a community heavily (emotionally, financially, physically, socially).

• How might cultural, geographic, or institutional contexts influence these experiences?

Specifically in the United States, laws of each state have major impact on elements that impact schools and communities, especially with funding initiatives. On an individual or family level, a student’s (and educator’s) cultural background contributes to a belief of what ought to remain the same as well as what has the potential to change.

• Civil Rights programs in the 1960s empowered marginalized groups with knowledge, civic engagement and leadership skills.

• Students have the ability to track their growth in math with programs like IXL that give them immediate feedback. This way, they are not limited by having to wait for their teacher’s feedback to see if they are correct or incorrect, increasing productivity and gamification.

-The IDEA act of 1975 boosted inclusive practices and differentiation.

-The No Child Left Behind policies of 2001 caused shifts for educators with standardized testing mandates.